WBEZ: It’s like global warming: a lot of the evidence is anecdotal rather than empirical. But over the last decade at least, plays have been getting shorter and shorter. Are playwrights at fault? Do they realize they can earn the same bucks (if they earn anything at all) for a 75 minute show as for one twice that length? Or are audiences with shrinking attention spans demanding shorter performances? Whichever it may be—and you’ll have my opinion by the end of this post—a good night out in theater almost always is briefer than it used to be.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Short plays settle for less
WBEZ: It’s like global warming: a lot of the evidence is anecdotal rather than empirical. But over the last decade at least, plays have been getting shorter and shorter. Are playwrights at fault? Do they realize they can earn the same bucks (if they earn anything at all) for a 75 minute show as for one twice that length? Or are audiences with shrinking attention spans demanding shorter performances? Whichever it may be—and you’ll have my opinion by the end of this post—a good night out in theater almost always is briefer than it used to be.
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I don't know. I really like a good 90 minute show. Unless I am really interested in what I'm watching and I don't want it to end, then 90 minutes is generally a perfect length. I can get invested in the plot and characters but not lost or bored and further more my butt doesn't fall asleep. I also don't buy this more show for you buck argument that the author makes, it's not like you are paying for the show by minute you are watching. You are paying for an experience, and if the author, director, and company think that the play should by 55 minutes then you are paying for that experience at that company. I don't think they should necessarily tack on another show unless it works perfectly.
I disagree that this these shorter plays are caused by audience's shorter attention spans. I personally have a lot of trouble focusing on one task due to several years of lurking around on the internet excessively. I'll often have a YouTube video playing while I click through StumbleUpon, with Facebook and Twitter in the background. I've built up an (unfortunate) tolerance to stimulation. However, I'm still able to sit through a three hour play (namely, August: Osage County) engaged the entire time.
When Shakespeare was writing, plays were all-day entertainment. As time progressed and the purpose of theatre shifted, plays evolved into much shorter pieces. It's only natural that this trend continues today. In terms of plays containing fewer characters these days, I think it's just currently in style to write plays like that. Theatre goes through phases, just as fashion and fine art do.
Growing up and going to the theatre was always a night to look forward to. It wasn't a quick trip where we were in and out in 90 minutes. It was an evening of dress up and dinner and then being in the theatre for two to three hours, enjoying the intermission, and looking forward to another hour of the show. Then we would usually go out afterwards and have more fun talking about the show we just saw. It was an event more than anything else and I loved it. Having said that, I can still appreciate the shorter show and feel they have their place in the theatre world also. I don't always have the time to go to a longer show so I'm glad to have the option of attending shorter ones.
I think this new trend is a combination of both playwrights writing shorter plays, and a large part of the population being unable to tolerate plays that are too long. Movies have special effects and action and explosions and lots of different settings that stimulate us. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with a play without spurting blood or 7 different set changes, but I'm used to movies, and that sort of excitement. And after about 90 minutes, I'll start to become preoccupied with how uncomfortable my chair is, or how hungry I am. But, on the other hand, if suddenly every playwright everywhere decided to only write plays that were 2 to 3 hours long, I don't think the theatre audience would decrease. I think we would get used to it.
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