Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "When audience members open their programs, they're likely to find more than a cast list and technical credits.
Increasingly, performing arts presenters and producers offer historical timelines, biographies, background information and directors' notes to educate and inform their audiences."
I've always enjoyed having more information available in a program, if for no other reason than it gives me something to do while waiting for a show to start. It's also useful to be able to find out what's going on, particularly in plays that are somewhat less accessible to the general public because of a relatively obscure setting, an unusual time period, or any other factor that makes the setting unfamiliar to the general public. Perhaps a slightly thicker program would bring more people in to read them.
ReplyDeleteLike Tom, I like having something to occupy my time while waiting for the production. Although I have seen our programs add information in addition to a directors note (such as dramaturgial info) I have yet to see that much change in regional/B-way programs. I would think that if money is still tight, that cutting the program size could potentially same a large amount of money. On the other hand, having more stuff to the program may make them more "collectible" rather than just something to read and toss.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the time the information provided in a program can provide much needed backstory and give the audience a better context and therefore a better understanding of a performance. However at the same time, too much information can taint an audience's perception of a performance. I believe that an audience member should be able to understand a performance without any outside information or knowledge. It's the job of the performers and the designers and the director to convey the story to the audience effectively.
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