TheatreArtLife: Theatre has always combined separate artistic mediums to create cohesive storylines and narratives. Artists devise novel uses for everyday and non-conventional objects as a means of expression, and the component pieces that are employed in theatrical settings help stimulate creativity.
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I think we have a reached peak of the theatre technical age of mastery. I think we haver perfected all the elements we associate with theatre to the point were we have had to add new elements and combine elements and even change the definition of theatre and what we thing of it. The changes in this articles to me are the good ones. That have a solid place in our theatre now and for today. We are able to create real like magic on stage and trick the mind into believing what we want it to think. But now with the new addition of projection we could be entering an age where we no longer need to trick the mind into believe, instead we will return to doing nothing more than entertaining our consumers. Even if we do perfect projection to look life like, the point is there would be much if at all any forced perspective or mystery of how things happen on stage. This would be a sad future but I think it is a possible one.
When reading this article, I felt like I generally understood the impact of technology on fields such as sound and automation. What I was not expecting, or thinking about when I first began to read was the effect of technology in music and marketing. I often interact with programmable keyboards and back tracks, being the nature of children's theatre. Never have I really thought about the magnitude of those advances in technology. Reflecting on how many musicians were put out of work due to high tech keyboards or "canned orchestra" CDs is really an astounding thought. I can understand why the price of those technologies are comparable with paying for an orchestra. As for the marketing perspective of technology. I thought about a small microcosm, my high school ticket sales. My freshman year, 2011, we sold season tickets for the seasons with paper forms that we would take door to door. By my senior year, 2015, we had a totally automated online system where students would just send out links to season tickets. Even in such a small setting, it is easy to see how technology has changed the way we do theatre.
I was surprised that none of these technologies talked about the integration of media – be it projections, or video screens, or augmented reality – into theatre (besides a mention in the automation example). The articles I have been reading about media use in theatre have been of examples so brilliant and almost futuristic in technological advancements. Media is most definitely changing the world of theatre as it moves forward, replacing scenic elements and enhancing effects. The use of technology in regards to sound and music and the world of automation, are kind of obvious examples of technology in theatre, but are none the less important. Automation includes the use of automated lights, which I had not really previously considered as automation, have become pretty essential for many productions. On the other hand, I think it is nice that there are still theatres that do theatre without automated lights and counterweight fly systems run by stagehands. A show does not need fancy technology to be a good production, but there is no denying that technology is what makes theatre possible.
There is no doubt theater and the arts in general has changed a lot because of modern technology. It is something we are always aware of. We get new higher tech lights, LEDs, sound software, automation software, wearable tech. All of this stuff has pushed theater to a place it has never been. It allows us to do things differently than we did it last time, the question is whether that is necessary. I think the answer is no. If theater was not touched by tech I do not think it would be worse. I do not think it would be less exciting or powerful. However, with new and growing technologies, we can do things easier, faster, and with more precision. Does that make better theater, maybe, maybe not, but it allows us to push forward. Sure, a production 50 years ago was perfect, but we can make it better with the new technologies we implement. However, we also run the risk of making it worse, but when do we not run that risk in anything we do.
Most of these changes make things smoother from the production side, but harm a bit of the integrity of the theatrical experience. Chief among these is the use of canned music in shows with heavy musical elements. You would never expect to go to a live music performance and listen to the recorded album while the band pretends to play on stage. In this case, I don’t think that it is much different. Another thing that has bugged me in a weird kind of way is the move towards not having anything to physically remember a show by. Personally I love ticket stubs. They give me something to lock onto and store memories with. When I go to see movies I pick up the tickets when I get there. For plane trips I print out boarding passes at the airport. I keep all of that stuff because it gives life to my memories. If you were to ask me what the biggest loss in the theater experience was as of recently I would say the lack of ticket stubs.
Technology in theatre has been a blessing and a curse. Let’s start with the blessing. Each determent has gained something from technology. Obviously the more electrical depts. have gained things from moving lights and tracked spot cues to digital sound boards. Both of these things have drastically changed the way of design. Another amazing thing generated from technology is automation. Almost every Broadway musical uses it and honestly it truly changes a show. The pace at which a scene transition happens is vital to the overall structure of a show. Now the bad side to technology. I feel that things will come to trust technology too much and we will lose out on things. One bad thing is that cues can happen without a stage manager calling them. This happened at a Groundhog day on Broadway. The stage manager only called two or three songs and scenes. Hopefully we find the correct balance.
This article while relatively general is pretty interesting to think about. Would it truly be possible for us to produce the same types of shows we do today if we didn’t have the technology that we do? I know Boevers would say that we have been doing theatre for ages and while technology is useful it’s not necessary. But I’m not so sure about this because it has gotten to the point where technology has interwoven itself in how we think of doing theatre these days. We have moved away from hemp systems towards counterweight systems in rigging, we have moved towards digital sound and using digital instruments when it comes to sound for shows. We have even made to old notion of the box office seem kinda obsolete with the amount of tickets that are now bought online rather than at the venue. I honestly think we probably have gotten to the point where technology has forever changed the face of theatre for better or worse.
I love technology. I think it’s ridiculous when people say that the addition of technology takes away from the artistic integrity of something. We live in a technological advanced world and, as the world adapted to technology, so should art. I think theatre is one of the best mediums where technology and art start to integrate especially if there is a dramaturgical reason. I found it odd that the article does not discuss media design as I feel like that is the pinnacle of technology in our industry and have always been amazed by what projections can do. It creates another layer of storytelling that, when utilized correctly, creates something beautiful and meaningful. One of the best things about theatre is that we are able to create something out of reality but still get an audience to “suspend their disbelief.” Because of this, theatre is one of the most flexible and fluid mediums where technology can be integrated.
I find it so interesting that theatre has managed to not only hang on in recent times but actual thrive in the face of its very real competitors, film and television. It would make complete sense if this two art forms were able to make theatre obsolete, but they have not. They are so much easy to view on a large scale and seem much more engaging to some people, yet there is something so intimate and magical about live theatre that its patrons have refused to let it die as an art form. I think technology has been a great help for theatre in this regard. These new tech advances are what help to keep people excited about theatre and make them keep coming back. I think it is wonderful that theatre is constantly changing like this. It is an extremely dynamic art and if we had decided to stick to the traditional theatre model in every way, it would have died long ago.
As technology evolves, theatre will change with it. I think that, in a lot of art forms, people feel as though every new idea that will ever be had has already been done. Though I feel as though that can never quite be true, I understand that way of thinking because it has gotten incredibly difficult to find new ways to use old materials such as paint and pencil. Technology is the key to further advancement in the arts. I find it very reassuring that technology will continue to evolve, offering us more and more options in theatre, design, and really, anything that goes on on a stage. Concerts in the past couple of years have become ridiculous in the most wonderful way, jam-packed with tons of visual effects using media, lighting, and pyrotechnics. In addition, the music itself and the way it is performed is advancing as well. I can’t wait to see what’s out there when I get into the professional industry.
Modern technology has broadened the scope of the show that creative teams are able to conceive and accomplish over the past few years, and I think that that is a really exciting thing. Technology has allowed the growth of many departments such as lighting, automation, rigging, sound, and more. While not fully spoken about in the article, technology has also allowed the emergence of media in theatre. There are a lot of benefits to this kind of expansion. One thing that I do fear is that with the growing dependence of new-age theatre on this technology is that many smaller theatres who don’t have access to funding to purchase the needed equipment or the people who have the training to operate said equipment will suffer, and the disparity between different levels of theatres will grow. I think that we also have to remember that, while technology is an efficient and effective improvement, it can also takes the soul of craftsmanship and human presence backstage out of theatre a bit, and we need to be aware of that. Also, in an industry with a limited number of jobs, we need to be mindful of what some technology could jeopardize.
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