Thursday, April 15, 2010
Theater Talkback: Odd-Man-Out Syndrome
NYTimes.com: "If you attend the theater with any regularity, chances are good you’ve had the occasion to inwardly ponder that question at least once in the course of your culture-consuming adult life. You may also have found yourself asking it aloud, of a companion, as you hurtle toward the bar at intermission, or even hissed it, sotto voce, during the show itself. The query, usually arising with a prickly feeling of insecurity or mystification or angst, is a byproduct of a common but little-discussed cultural phenomenon: the odd-man-out syndrome."
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5 comments:
This is certainly a problem I have faced, even here at CMU (though I certainly will not describe the shows that have left me in this state). When it comes to Odd-Man-Out, I think theatre people (and especially DPs) may have it harder than the average person too, since we (a) usually have a larger sample size of shows for comparison, and (b) notice elements of the show that the average audience member wouldn't, like nuance in the characters' tics and (you saw this coming) the lighting, sound, etc. I think the biggest thing that jolts me out of a show is the thought that "If I was directing/designing/acting this show, I would do _______ differently", and this can be terribly debilitating to the rolling-in-the-aisles enjoyment of the show that the rest of the audience experiences.
I think everyone experiences this syndrome from time to time. First of all, people just like different things. There's bound to be something i hate that it seems everyone else loves. More importantly though, i think many people just like things because they feel like they should. If you see a comedy you laugh, that's how it goes. I can't say how many dumb movies i've seen in which i never laughed once but the audience was roaring. And vice versa, there's been dramatic movies that have humor that i laugh at, and the audience doesn't because they are afraid to (since it's a dramatic film). People i guess feel they should follow a certain viewing etiquette out of politeness for the performance. This is definitely not as much of a problem in a drama school, as i'm pretty sure no one is afraid of being the odd-man-out and blatantly loving or hating something.
I agree with both Brian and Mary. Viewing theater, although it has a lot of person preference, is all too often based on other peoples reactions. We, as audience members, are so easily influenced by protocol or the majority. Along the lines that Mary was talking about, I love when a film or play steps out of the presumed boundaries or genres and creates something more interesting.
I have found that the more I learn about theater, the less I enjoy shows. I end up being critical of a play, and loose the magic of just watching theater.
I have definitely experienced Odd-Man-Out Syndrome, in theater more often than books or movies. However, I don't really see this as a negative thing, because post-show conversations are a lot more interesting when not everybody agrees with each other. I don't really see it as a negative because I never wonder if I'm "missing something." Everyone has different tastes and varying preferences; I think everyone is bound to be the "odd-man-out" at some point.
I have only had this happen to me once, and it was during a production of My Fair Lady. I absolutely could not stand the over the top stereotype of the main character, and wanted to plug my ears every time she opened her mouth to speak.
Then again, as those above in the comment line have mentioned, so much of theatre is about enjoying yourself in the company of others. Even though we all have different tastes in what we do and don't find interesting, emotion if infectous, and carries through a theatre well if the actors are doing their jobs properly
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