Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "When it comes to presenting and performing plays, size matters.
Fitting a play into the proper size theater can make the experience as pleasant as slipping your foot into the proper size shoe.
Take 'August: Osage County,' a presentation of PNC Broadway Across America -- Pittsburgh that has its final performance this afternoon at the Benedum Center, Downtown."
16 comments:
This is completely true. After seeing August a friend told me it was okay. Not great. The problem was because we sat 100+ feet back. He couldn't see the eye brow raise, the pain in the faces, the eyes that speak so much. He missed the real acting. It was because of the space and after explaining to him that it was because that we were so far away and missed things, he continued to explain to me that it wasn't the space that was the problem.
This show is meant to be viewed up close and in person. That is why when the Weinstein company makes the movie it will be great. You can see the eyes and the up close eye brow raises. It will be great!
I wasn't able to see August unfortunately, but I do completely agree with the article. Some shows are meant to be performed in smaller, more intimate settings. Just as Bryce is saying, you can't pick up the subtleties of some shows if you are sitting three stories up and 100 ft away from the stage. Do glitzy loud musicals with mics work in huge theatres? Sure. But smaller shows just get swamped in the space and that venue itself can diminish the quality of even a fantastic show. Too bad the main priority is ticket sales.
Theater is very good at lending a general idea into many different subsets. Theater experiences have so many variables that that same script crafted under 3 different sets of variables will produce drastically different results. Space is just one of these variables. Though it is a major factor, I think it must be put into perspective, and like the author said, he'd rather have the show in an improper space than not have it at all. Though I did not see the show, I heard it was very good, and I hope one day for the opportunity to see it.
The argument the article made about how occasionally it's better for the producers to use larger, less appropriate spaces for plays is an interesting one that I had not thought of before. While I don't know the practices that come with being a producer, the idea that it sometimes makes sense to bite the artistic bullet and the play in a location that makes less sense because it will accommodate more patrons in a shorter period of time is an interesting idea. I'd never thought about it before, but it seems to be a driving idea in the concert world since bands seem to do more smaller show and if possible one giant show and then move on quickly.
While the author of this article makes several valid points, I disagree with his choice of title. I argue that the venue size matters for all theatrical works, though some have a larger range of what is appropriate. The script itself could lend the show to a specific size or type of theater and then of course, once the artistic and production teams get their hands on it, the show becomes even more married to a particular sized venue. I would argue that, not only does the size matter, but the type of venue matters. A show is very different in the round than it is in 3/4 thrust or a proscenium. The design, directing, acting, and story arch of the show all have some dependence on the shape of the space as well. Although we tend to think of performance art as location dependent live entertainment, theater is also very space dependent, just a little more broadly.
Benedum center is extraordinary large for plays or even musicals. So is Heinz hall. I saw the production Saturday afternoon. I felt a little weird to hear amplified voices for the play.
No Broadway theaters have this many seating and huge volume. Acoustically, which contributes to the sense of intimacy and power for the audience, it is hard to be accomplished even with careful system design to keep the power and intelligibility of voices.
The amplified sound for orchestra seats (the most expensive seats) is actually hard to manage. Because the reflection from the ceiling and even from the wall far back of the hall make sound muddy, I like to have a seat under the balcony.
Now, back to this article, there are usually plenty of empty seats in the First Tier for regular production. I always wonder if they did at a smaller venue, the performance would be more exciting with more intimacy and emotional relation between audience and performers and deliver more power of plays to the patrons. When I think they are doing business out of it, (yes indeed...), that makes me sad.
I agree with this article that the size of a venue is very important to consider. I saw Sleeping Beauty at the Benedum, and I thought that the size was okay, considering that it is a ballet and therefore the dancers need a lot of space for their choreography. But I can't imagine anything short of some big show like Wicked being suitable in that gigantic space, and definitely not August: Osage County. Smaller shows get lost on huge stages, but unfortunately, I think the number of people that can fit in the Benedum, a.k.a. the increased numebr of ticket sales seems to matter much more to producers than the appropriateness of such a venue for certain show.
I agree with this article. Venue size is a valuable tool to enhance the over all experience of the play. It helps to set the mood for the play. Setting an intimate play in a big theater detracts from the play.
This article reminds me of my foundations class. we are working on pitching plays and one of the issues is whether or not the play would be better in the Rauh or in the Chosky.
The venue is very important to a touring show. It is hard to believe that this show went from the Steppenwolf to the Benedum. That is a huge difference. I do agree with the article though. This show might have not come through Pittsburgh if it was put at a smaller theatre. They want to make money and sell as many seats as possible because ticket sales means that the show will keep touring. It is quite sad that this show couldn't have the intimate setting that it first had. I have not seen the show but I was just interested in venues vs. shows. I would hope that the show redesigned for the move to broadway because there would have been a significantly larger stage. This article doesn't say anything about that but then the set would be better equipped for larger venues if that was the interest in doing this tour.
I totally agree with everything this article is saying. I do think that it's important to think about venue size when picking a play to perform. But, I also understand what the author is saying about these plays ending up in larger venues, even though they would be much more enjoyable for the audience in a smaller venue. There are a lot of choices that are made in theatre for money's sake rather than for the plays sake, whether it is the size of the venue it is going to be performed in or countless other things.
This article makes a lot of sense. I'm glad that the writer recognized that although some plays would be better off in a smaller space, they economically can not afford to. On the other hand, I had no problem seeing August: Osage County in the Benedum. There were many moments that I would have loved to see in a more intimate space, the Benedum suited the beautiful set of the show really well.
I think that this is very true depending on the show going on. There's the giant productions like Phantom of the Opera which needs big spaces because the have ability to fill them, but there are other shows that need a more intimate atmosphere. In some shows, you have to up close to see the little details in what the actors are doing. At the same time, you do have to consider the fact that you can't get as many people in those smaller spaces, and it can make it harder to turn a profit. I would agree with the author, that I would rather sacrifice bigger space to have less tickets and a more intimate audience
While venue size is not something that is manipulated by designers, it has just as much (if not more) of in impact on how the audience receives the information being displayed onstage. A show is going to have a much different affect on a person if they are 10 feet from the actors, than if they are 100 feet from the actors. The level of expression that is able to be transmitted from actor’s faces and body language is a major means of communication, and in designing the space, this relationship should be of the upmost importance.
I agree with this article. I think each shows should play in suitable venue. Benedum center is too huge to show the play which is fucused on detail acting or serious story. Benedum center is fit to play musical such as 'In the hieght' or 'Phantom of the opera'.
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