Cultural Weekly: In my recent review of Rob Mersola’s Luka’s Room, a play that straddled comedy and soft porn with some dexterity but not much wit, I had to ask myself the question (yet again): What is the point of theatre? That was my opening line. And I attempted to answer it. Up to a point. But it remained on my mind during Cultural Weekly’s summer hiatus and it seemed like a good way to launch the fall season.
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I think we all chose to pursue theater for reasons close to those the author mentioned. I was drawn to the idea of creating magic. The thought of how something was done, and how you get away with it when hundreds (or more) are watching, is exhilarating. Second to the "fantastic" element of theater, is the empathy a show stirs in its audience. Live theater captures the imagination of the audience. Theater is personal. It is emotional. And, best yet, it is preformed live. Much of the film and television fails to do this. The viewers are separated from the actors by the neigh impenetrable 4th wall of their screens. Modern television rarely succeeds in truly influencing an audience member. The third reason I chose (it was never really a choice) to do theater is the importance of theater. Drama, as a literary genre, speaks about and reflects on society. All the great plays speak to the human condition and the problems we face together. True, there is bad theater. There will always be bad theater. It is comforting to know that the shallow and insignificant plays of our time will fade. Good theater will continue. Good films (which also carry deep insights into humanity) will continue.
The question, “why theatre?” has been asked all the time. It’s a common question asked in classes, meetings, dinners and casual conversations. So how can we as theatre artists take that common question and change it to, “why not theatre?” What makes a show unforgettable? I think the answer is simpler than we think: honesty. TV shows and movies are filled with unrealistic expectations of life but when you work in theatre you are limited to the real honest world. Yes, some plays and musicals may be not real life but the idea that this show is confined to this one stage, with real people makes a difference. Sitting in an audience watching real honest people in person moves you so much more than over a screen. I think as artists we need to take this idea and run with it. Make people feel. Make them uncomfortable. Make them crave this real life you are showing them rather than a picture of a person.
The article asked "why do theatre?" Maybe we were reading different articles, but I think that the author answered it themselves. We as humans ache for entertainment, and we will find it any way we can, be it in movies, television, plays or just people telling jokes on the street. We need it to feel connected with the rest of the human experience. Movies and television fill this void more easily, due in no small part to the sheer amount of availability, but theatre is a beast unto it's own. Like the author said-- movies are forever, bad plays are forgotten, and good plays are unforgettable. If entertainment is food, movies are popcorn, television are fries, and theatre is a steak. Meaty, filling, full of everything we crave and giving us everything we need. The author listed their favorite productions with the zeal of a child reciting their favorite sports team. The loving descriptions are enough to answer the question "why theatre?" Theatre is an irreplaceable human connection. An amazing play will stay with us forever. To me, that seems worthwhile.
This is oddly enough, a question that I am asking myself on somewhat of a regular basis. Theatre is an incredible art form because it is apple to accomplish so many things at one time. The most obvious thing that is done with any production is entertaining an audience by telling them a story right before their very eyes live. People like to come see theater because it is almost like watching a movie without a screen separating the audience and the actors. And that is exactly where the fun comes in. On a film you can have as many takes as you want to make sure you are telling the story exactly as you want to. However, in theater you can do that because you have “one shot” to get it right, and sometimes create the impossible live on stage. This magic is why I love working in this field so much!
I can almost guarantee that everyone who works in the theater has asked themselves this question at one point or another. For me it is the feeling you get when you discover something new in the theater that you know is special. Like when I saw Beauty and the Beast for the first time at 8, or a few years ago when I heard the Spring Awakening soundtrack for the the first time. The problem with that answer is that those "cheesy magical" feelings are few and far between. The majority of it is coming home at 1 in the morning, exhausted, with a cold and remembering as you climb into bed that you have to do it all again tomorrow. But I have found that there is a certain joy to that as well. There is nothing like feeling like you've given everything you have to something and then watching it thrive. And suddenly there is a reason to be doing it in the first place. So as silly as it seems, I do theater because of the feeling I get when I'm working. It's so lucky to find something that silly makes you smile even when you're exhausted out of your mind. So that's why I do theater, because even though it's not always magical, it always makes me feel good.
Theatre is an extremely special experience. There is nothing like seeing a show live and being feet away from performers putting their heart and souls into something very special. The audience is part of the experience and the actors feed off of the energy in the room. If something goes wrong during a show, everyone will see it and then the show will move on like normal. You do not get a retake or a cut in theatre. It makes it that more challenging for theatre artists because they need to put on the same performance every night for different audiences. In movies you do a scene a few times to find the best take and then you move on to another part of the movie. All of the pieces are put together in post-production and edited to look the best it can be. There is also a disconnect when watching a screen than watching live people right in front of you.
A major reason why I chose to pursue theatre over film is because I think theatre is able to achieve some things that film/television can’t. Film/television these days are so carefully edited that sometimes I find myself easily distracted when watching them. I especially agree with the writer’s argument regarding tv/film’s lack of meaning as they are only concerned with feeding the “Public Appetite”. This is something that almost never happens in theatre. Every time I read/watch a play, it is something I’ve never seen before. It makes me think about things I’ve never thought about before or view things in a different way. There are a good films out there, but if you take away all the visual effects for film & theatre, theatre is often the one that still has meaning to it.
I think there's also the "Real" and the "Warmth" and the "people bond" of theatre is much better than in films. I mean, movie makes money, they also create awareness through scandals and fantasy celebrities' style of living. Movie is somewhat independent and have more cash or pretty much can afford their own living while theatre is obviously not as we know 65% of theatre industry income comes from donors and subscribers, but that's what creates a weird but very strong bond between supporters and theatre in a way that, only in my experience, doesn't exists in film industry. People who support the atre really because they want to support the arts (CSR aside) and they actually follow the well being of the theatre and the growth of the performers, some for a lifetime. I met may donors this summer who has been supporting a theatre in such an insane way and has been keeping up with some singers since they’re sill young artists until now that they already turned 40 something and at the peak of their career. Which I think is rare and can't find it anywhere else but here.
“Why theatre?” or “Why pursue theatre as a career?” are questions that nearly all of us either in or hoping to enter the theatre industry have asked ourselves, others, or been asked by others. For me, these questions lead me to the question of what it means to be an artist in general, and how one decides to “be” an artist. In choosing to pursue theatre, I initially viewed myself as being very selfish. This is mainly because aside from theatre, I am very passionate about protecting and preserving the environment, and I (briefly) considered pursuing a major in civil/environmental engineering or the like. But I didn’t. I chose to pursue a passion fueled by love as opposed to one fueled by, well, anger and dissatisfaction with past and present events in society. In choosing to pursue “the arts” I felt that I was doing what pleased me, instead of trying to save the world.
But then someone said something to me that helped change my view to something more optimistic, and possibly (or hopefully), more realistic. This person was my mother. She reminded me of this question: without art, what would the human race be? What would we be worth? Our passion for creativity and communication, and compassion for each other are our few redeeming qualities, and we desperately need artists to further our society, to help us communicate and compromise, and to inspire and energize us. Technological advancement usually has the overall motive of making human lives, easier, better, or longer. If we were left to toil away focusing only on these issues, why would we even want to live?
It is through this course of thought that I realized the duality of being an “artist” with regard to selfishness and selflessness. An artist may be selfish, because they are choosing to do what their heart tells them to, instead of what they might think they “need” to do. But an artist may also be considered to be selfless, because the life of an artist often presents its own set of challenges (nod to the “starving artist” stereotype). For artists to do the noble and necessary work of society, while knowing of the disadvantages, is considerably selfless. So while long and drawn out, I guess this is my answer to “Why Theatre?”
To me, theatre is amazing because it inherently confines the action seen by the audiences to things that are possible in the real world. Now, while this seems counterintuitive to groups of people who want to amaze and astound, it’s actually something that is invaluable to any who can utilize it. Because things are so confined to the natural world, the audience is conditioned a certain way that filmed performances can never do. Because the audience is conditioned to notice something that can not happen in the physical world, we are able to find ways that represent or create the illusion of the impossible, and these are almost more interesting.
Basically, the concept is that because something can’t be done, when it is done, it becomes far more impactful. Now, if people flied in a movie, we would understand this to be the result of hollywood magic, the power of editing, and we wouldn’t be too captivated by it. When you see a real person, in front of your eyes, seemingly fly around the room, then At least I would find that far more astounding and entertaining. Creating the illusion of the imposible works much better if you can do it in person.
"Why theatre?" is a question I have been asked over and over again by people - mostly adults - who find themselves incapable of grasping my aspirations. The question itself is so all-encompassing, and could mean so many different things, that I often have to pause in order to consider it. This usually gives the person asking the wrong impression, which is that I do not have an answer. In some ways they are right - I do not have one answer. I have a thousand. This is because I, like any audience, crave that deeper meaning for myself which theatre inspires in those who view it. I crave it so much that I have dedicated my life to watching from the wings. And I truly believe that theatre as a medium is awe-inspiring precisely because of what it shouldn't be capable of. Sure, an actor on a screen can scale buildings and jump from a burning vehicle with the help of special effects - but an actor who can do that on stage eight shows a week in front of a live audience without those effects is a real superhero. To have whatever hand I can in making that happen - whether I am the person who decides what the actor wears while they jump from that vehicle or the one who puts their driving gloves on their hands one finger at a time before they go onstage - is all I've ever wanted since the first time I wore a headset. That is "Why Theatre?" That is what I want to do. I want to help others experience what I love however I can. Because I am not interested in anything else.
I think that “ Why Theatre?” is a question all of us has had to ask ourselves at some point in our lives. I know that as I was completing the college admission process, this was something both my parents and myself asked me many times. I feel like there is something intrinsically different about theatre that I find amazing. I think that theatre has a human component to it that is often lost in other entertainment mediums. The opening line of the article of how “ theatre is a very expensive, labor-intensive, highly collaborative, frustrating, exalting and creative undertaking” might, to some, seem like draw backs to the theatre, but I see them all as extremely positive. If nothing is put in, then no one will get anything out. Without the risk of not recuperating finances, we wouldn’t be as creative to look for more cost effective ways to do things. No matter what, the question of “Why theatre?” will be a question I will ask myself long into the future, and will be one I am happy to answer.
I have always loved discussing 'Why theatre?' because it will never be answered, but at the same time the theatre has been talked about being 'on its way out' for a couple hundred years, and yet, here we are. The article's Ludwig quote is nice in its discussion of good fellowship and humanity, which are definitely part of what makes theatre important. In order to have the discussion, we have to be talking about theatre as a broad enough art form, but with specific enough qualifications on what the nature of good theatre is. Because we can't agree on what 'good theatre' is, everyone will, happily, answer this question differently, and yet we all go to it. When one sees a night of theatre, they not only experience something highly personal and human, but they do so as a part of a larger body of strangers. You might say that the same is true for movies. But, the movie experience is the same no matter where you watch it. The play is deeply affected by the energy of its audience, and that audience's use of imagination fills in the blanks of the performance in a way that film does not allow. Acknowledging that the audience and the performance that particular night is unique and special allows that audience to give more of their energy to the production, and in turn, share deeper in the humanity discussed in the article with their fellow audience members. Thus, at the point of catharsis, empathy, alienation, confusion, or truth (and sometimes all at once), those people leave bonded as human beings, stronger in their care for life, and better service members to their communities. This is not only 'Why Theatre?', but also why theatre is the greatest and most practical form of art.
I wouldn't say why theatre, a better question would be why entertainment? With a wide range of entertainment in the modern world such as film, theme parks, concerts, festivals, and museums people go constantly to get away from everyday life. I'm sure many of us had to answer this question when applying/coming to CMU. To dedicate your life to something that relies on a person wanting to go see a show you really have to love what you do. As a young kid I thought after seeing a movie in 3D that theatre would be a thing of the past because you cant put a flying car on stage or a real ocean but after working in many forms of entertainment over the years I've found that its not about the realistic qualities of theatre hat make it memorable, its the story and the interaction the audience gets. Its part of the many things that make us humans unique, why we choose to listen to stories from the past or predictions about the future. We love to expand our knowledge and from the very beginnings of civilization story telling was a universal concept around the world. We are blessed to live in a day and age where so much culture and art exists and is ours for the taking. why theatre/entertainment? Because as we all know the world would not be worth living in without it.
This is question I find myself trying to tackle fairly frequently these days. Not only in the realm of figuring the benefit to myself for seeing theatre but also the benefit to others. My career choice in this field ultimately hinges on the patronage and attendance of others to the theater. Without an audience, do I still have a job? Simply put- No (though there could be a greater existential debate). So this leads me to question what is the answer I give to non theatre goers who ask me this question. Why Theatre? Its fun, its exciting, its fleeting, its intelligent, its human. A theatrical experience shares many parallels with human experience. A theatre going Forest Gump might say, “Theatre is like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you’re going to get.” Yet the excitement, curiosity and thirst for experience that occurs widely with life does not occur widely with theatre. Why is this? There seems to be a disconnect between theatre and vast number of people that could attend. Maybe theater has gotten to philosophical and seemingly pretentious for the general population. Maybe that is why they ask “Why theater?” Why should theatre be philosophical or seemingly pretentious? Why should theatre be anything? There’s a tricky, possibly enlightening, rabbit hole to be jumped into with this question of “Why Theatre?”
Over the course of the college process, I am sure that I was asked "Why do you want to do theatre?" at least thirty times. My answer was always the same: because theatre is real. There is nothing like seeing another human being on stage, and being completely taken into their universe. For two and a half hours, who become part of a word, part of a story. You become a character in a play, watching as your friends live their lives, laughing when they make a joke, crying when their dreams fail. There is absolutely nothing like live theatre.
"Why theatre?" Is such a loaded question. Almost unanswerable. Its one of those questions that gets you thinking, which leads to "What is theatre?" "What are we even doing?" And yes, when you really think about theatre and what it is, like when you think about most tasks, it is an odd thing. We create and design false worlds for fake people to get dressed up in and act, sing, and dance under lights for completely random strangers.
But really, why theatre? To me, theatre is there for us to express our selves in ways that we would otherwise not have the ability to. After a production, aside from the playbill, everyone takes home an intangible souvenir... their thoughts on the production. I think theatre is to make you think, and to learn. Sometimes theatre is for pure entertainment, and you are not supposed to think about anything. On the other hand there are times where you leave thinking and changed. Whether you think or learn or just laugh theatre is there to escape.
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