Escapology has always been very fascinating to me and a close tie with magic for my interest. Watching someone escape chains and fetters of all kinds was not only good entertainment it was also very metaphorical and artistic. I would be watching someone escape a straightjacket and thinking about my own life and certain hurdles I was struggling to overcome, burdens I was trying to be free of. Escape was more than just release...
Escape is a word with origins in both French (eschaper) and Latin (excappare). The Latin word 'excappare' is formed from 'ex' meaning "out of" and 'cappa' meaning "mantle." The original word literally meant "to get out of one's cape" or "to leave a pursuer with just one's cape." But over time meaning has evolved and become more than just a liberation from various articles of clothing. The word has become indicative of liberation from all kinds of mantles and burdens.
How it relates to storytelling: Everyone wants to escape something. Doesn't matter who, doesn't matter when, doesn't matter where, every person desires to be free of something. This desire to escape is often the reason behind many forms of entertainment where the participant can forget all their worries and troubles and be liberated... escape. As storytellers we are not bound by the limitations of reality, we may create as we choose because our audience gives us license to take them outside of the bounds of reality to enjoy and feel freedom. Even if it is only a brief respite it is still...escape.
P.S. I have been performing the straightjacket escape for several years now and three years ago was part of the Worldwide Escape Artist Relay (W.E.A.R.). You can check out a picture of me in the straightjacket at the link below. This is an old pic - be kind ;v)
http://ibmring362.org/WEAR2007/WEAR2007JohnWade.html
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