The Theatre Times: At this year’s Fringe World Festival in Perth, the “theatre of the real” is everywhere: theatre, comedy, and drag all speak directly to our reality, played against a background of survival.
Real stories provide moments of honesty, introspection, and clarity. In bringing true stories to the stage, artists are creating an intense connection between audience and performer.
2 comments:
The idea of this theatre is so thrilling to me. To me, the most powerful stories are the ones that are told with intentions similar to these, prioritizing honesty, introspection, and clarity. I cannot express how exciting the idea of this communication and connection is from the perspective of an artist. I love that the performance has found a way to continue playing; love and storytelling will always find some way. The vulnerability that this takes to submit yourself fully to this truth is something to be highly admired and appreciated. It takes a certain willingness to remain open to your own identity and truth, no matter how ugly it turns out to be. From the perspective of someone who isn’t an actor, I can’t imagine how grueling this work would be, or how rewarding. Storytelling is so brave, and such a feat of strength. As Justin Sider describes in terms of the context of Dickless, this is an exploration, and a journey.
Theatre of the Real is such an interesting concept to me. In a world that discourages emotions, perhaps due to it being viewed as a traditional 'feminine' thing or as a weakness, 'theatre of the real' challenges that by bringing true stories to the stage, filled with 'honesty, introspection, and clarity', thus creating a more intense relationship between the audience and performer. My favourite sub-heading of the paper is 'THE REAL HELPS US SEE OURSELVES IN OTHERS'. That perhaps is the most powerful thing about storytelling, particularly the telling of real stories. When we see ourselves in media, it can be representative, sowing pride. On the other hand, it can encourage ourselves to look closer at our beings, our lives, and our existence. The article closes with 'Unlike the news, theatre of the real tells the stories of yesterday. Next year’s Fringe World will tell of the trials of today'; there is power in how the past informs our futures.
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