BBC News: The National Theatre in London is about to unveil its new temporary stage, The Shed. It will fill the gap until the National re-opens its revamped, renamed third auditorium next year.
The Shed's audience capacity is around a fifth of that of the National's biggest stage and the theatre hopes to bring in new audiences. So have modern theatregoers developed a taste for the small and impermanent?
7 comments:
I can see some logic in the idea that impermanence of a theatrical piece attracts some audiences. If there is a looming sense that an art installation will go away soon, I'll be more inclined to see it before it's gone. I don't think, however, that this is pulling away audiences from larger and commercial theatres, seeing as how new musicals with big stars are being cranked out all the time. I do think, though, that there new immersive and intimate spaces are more popular than they used to be, simply because they are being thought of as more and artists become more expansive with their views of what forms theatre can take.
I agree with Jacquelyn here. I can definitely see logic in the idea that impermanence of theatrical pieces will attract audiences. I have seen this happen all over. Broadway does this often...I think its a publicity stunt to get audience to come. They say that a show is a "limited run" and then they extend it. 'Bring it On' did that last year, and I cannot count how many other ones I have seen do this.
I also think that new theatre pieces that take place in venues that cannot house the show forever are great. I love to see pieces like this with "on site" shows because they always seem to be designed really cleverly. I feel as though people flock to these because they HAVE to close.
I can also see the attraction in of having a small space. More intimate shows tend to leave a different impression on audiences. When talking to directors here at CMU I have heard that they really like the Wells, which actually surprised me. BUT I then saw "Mud" and I really do not think the show would have been that powerful if it had been in the Chosky, in fact i really dont think it would have been nearly as good. Also, I remember when I worked at the Fringe Festival, the show I worked on had a lot of charm to it that really came across to a smaller audience.
There is definitely a new move towards more personal and intimate theater. Some of my favorite performances have been in small less than 500 seat theaters or even spaces without seats. Performances where the actors seem to be in the midst of the audience or the same level as them creates a more personal connection between the actors and the audience and allows for an objectively better performance.
I have definitely seen an increase in a use of spaces that are more intimate. I think there has been more of a desire to go beyond the boundaries of the proscenium and become experimental in new spaces. Although a room may be small, it can provide a lot of liberties that a larger theatre will not. In a larger theatre, the audience is stuck with the traditional perspective. However, in a space where it does not immediately become apparent that this is the norm, there won't be as much resistance to having something nontraditional happen. It's also cheaper to perform in, which is something no one can argue with. There are some shows which would be terrible in a small space, but overall I can see the appeal of having one.
I feel like as an audience member seeing a show in a smaller space makes me feel more special and intimate. It makes the experience seem more exclusive. Those seem like qualities that would attract an audience. There are pieces that that is perfect for, like Lio's PlaygroundX piece, but it definently depends on what show you're doing and what message you want to get across.
I think the most interesting sentence in this article is the one that mentions that some audience members like the idea of an "event". This is why smaller, pop-up, impermanent theatre is able to attract people who may not normally go to see a play or musical in a traditional large proscenium house, because there is something more exciting and more unique, and thus more interesting, about seeing a show in a hotel room or on different floors, or in an abandoned warehouse. There have been way too many articles written about how our generation multitasks too much, and has no attention span, and smaller spaces with a different approach to theatre really speak to that generational idea. Walking around within a piece of theatre (like Sleep No More), or seeing different but related Tennessee Williams plays on separate floors of the same hotel makes the whole experience more engaging and exciting and makes going to see the show more of an event.
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