The Importance of Theatre

For this particular blog post, I wanted to change up the pace a little bit because of a TED Talk that I recently viewed. The talk is titled Why I do Theatre, and I feel like it is important because it’s an answer to a question that I get all of the time from a lot of different people. Constantly people seem to look down on the fact that I got an undergraduate degree in theatre, assuming that I spent all this money on a dead degree that will get me nowhere. I couldn’t disagree with that notion more, and I really need to work on translating that to those who oppose more; especially with the fact that I am working so hard towards starting my own theatre. Patsy Rodenburg is a very well known voice and acting coach in the theatre community, and in this talk I feel like she hits the nail on the head as to why theatre is absolutely essential to society.

Ms. Rodenburg spends this short talk telling stories and personal testimonies that discuss how actors and playwrights are present, in the moment, and in the truth. She compares these thespians to every one else in society, claiming that it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you aren’t present you will not be successful. I completely agree with this notion. If you love something and are serious about it, you will be engaged and present within whatever it is. It will completely engulf your life and will be the source that drives your passion. There are no people out that that I think better fit this description than actors and playwrights. If serious, these people are constantly open, available, and living within the truth; even though they are writing and acting within imaginary circumstances.

The second point that Ms. Rodenburg stresses on is the idea of how theatre presents the truth. That actors and playwrights are inescapably good at presenting the truth up on stage, even if the audience hasn’t grown up enough to see it. It’s the main reason behind why I love theatre, and why I want to open up my own space. Theatre allows people to look into a mirror without even realizing it. Theatre can inspire change within so many people and in an amazing outlet for artistic creativity. It is not a dead end degree and I think it is something that society really does need.

Looking at Arts Festivals in a New Way

I had the opportunity to view a very inspiring TED Talk by theatre producer and four-time Tony nominee David Binder. The talk, titled TheArts Festival Revolution, began with his personal testimony about a site specific performance piece that he viewed in the Australian suburb of Minto. The really unique element about this performance piece is that the performers were actually the residents of this particular suburb. The audience walked from house to house throughout the neighborhood, and each performer did different cultural dances out on their front lawns. Binder described this unique piece of art as something incredible that created a sense of ownership and community within the people of that town.  He described it as a stepping-stone in this revolutionization of performance arts festivals.

Binder explained that when arts festivals were first brought about, most of the art within the festival were considered “high art,” a term used to describe art of a more significant caliber. As the decades have passed, the art has transformed and changed from highs into lows, and then back into highs. Recently, however, newer art festivals have emerged and started to take a slightly different approach. Binder discusses that there are many performance festivals that are immersing their audience into the actual performance; that there are no walls to contain or limit the imagination of those participating. It creates this sort of strong communal bond with any one who attends these shows.

Looking at this revolution from a much larger scale than the suburb of Minto, there was a festival put on by Royal Deluxe that was held in the heart of the city of London. For several days, thousands of people gathered around to be apart of this particular performance. Binder discusses how much of an impact a festival like this had on the city of London. He even goes so far as to say that this performance transformed a massive city into a tight nit community.  Which really goes to show the power that can come from live performances of any kind. No matter how big or small, they can be done anywhere, at any moment, on any day. They allow cities as a whole to decompress and express themselves; which in turn makes them better places to live.

This short, nine minute talk really just solidified my love for theatre. Binder does a great job captivating the audience with pictures and personal testimonies about how these performances have transformed so many cities, and brought together so many people. This type of impact is exactly why I want to open up my own theatre. I feel like, even if I inspire just a small group of people, I will have fulfilled my purpose in this world.  

Musical Theatre: Business and The Digital Age

Kind of continuing off of my previous blog about digital theatre, musical theatre producer David Ian has a different view on live performances and how they should not be streamed through a computer. In an interview for The Economist, Ian discusses how this is a great new time for theatre, especially musicals, because of the fact that they are something that aren’t normally streamed live. That simple little detail makes theatre completely different from television or film. Watching a live performance is a unique attractive treat that people don’t normally get to enjoy every day.

The unfortunate thing about this, however, is the fact that this appeals more to big Broadway productions, not small community theaters. These large productions cost a pretty penny to attend to, especially for musicals like The Lion King or Mamma Mia. Front row seats to shows like these can cost two people over a thousand dollars to attend. This does absolutely nothing for people who can’t afford to view their favorite musical live, and at the end of the day, it makes the idea of streaming live theatre at a reasonable price more appealing.

According to IBISWorld, Musicals bring in almost two billion dollars worth of revenue to the US in a year. When a musical has been branded, that production can go on tour all over the world, bringing in the big bucks. Musicals, like The Lion King, have been around since the 1980’s and are still thriving in 2015. So what about non-musical theatre productions?

There is a younger crowd that is starting to become more attracted to musicals, which in turn will hopefully turn them onto full-fledged plays, but I don’t necessarily see that happening. Many of these well-recognized musicals have already been or are being turned into films. Which gives this new generation absolutely nothing unique or attractive to look forward to about musicals. Once again this brings us back to pushing theatre into a technologically advanced age. No offense to Mr. Ian, but as student in the theatre world, I am seeing less and less people getting involved in theatre. The idea of allowing people to stream these branded musicals live might give us the leverage we need in the theatre community to bring it back to life, at a price that the common man can afford.

Theatre in the Digital Age?

There has been a lot of talk lately about sending the theatre world into the digital age. Theatre has always been a form of entertainment that relied on physically going to a venue, sitting down for an hour or two, and experiencing live action role-playing right on stage. It has never (for the most part) been something that has been experienced through TV. Sure there are some DVD’s out there that have recorded big Broadway productions, but in the thick of everything, theatre is something you need to experience up close and personal. That is something that is now starting to change.

Digital Theatre is a London based company that distributes theatre production on demand through an online streaming platform. The entire idea behind the company is to make the arts accessible to anyone no matter where their geographical location is.  They want to engage minds, young and old, in the ways of the arts. It’s a new and different type of exposure for the world of live performances. The website has a digital library with a range of different styles of theater from Shakespeare to Musicals, as well as Opera, Dance, and Classical Concerts. Anyone can stream these productions from any desktop, laptop, smart phone, tablet, or smart TV. There is just a small fee for purchases and an even smaller fee for rentals. This seems simple enough and a great way for anyone to become engaged in the arts, so why is this stirring up such talk within the theatre world? Why hasn’t the United States jumped on this bandwagon?

It all boils down to the rules and regulations placed on artistic licensing and equity in the US. Each individual equity contract has a subsection that addresses filming and broadcasting a production. While some contracts have built in sections that allow for media and broadcasting, most do not; which is what makes the idea of streaming theatre online so taboo in this country. It is something that could possibly infringe on the artistic property of a playwright, actor, lighting/set designer, and even the costume and make up artist.

Many big wigs and bloggers of the theatre community are discussing the idea of trying to import this style of broadcasting into American theatre. While I think this is a great for the means of spreading awareness about theatre and the arts, I don’t necessarily agree that it is our best move artistically.  Theatre is something that should be experienced live. Letting the audience see the emotion and sweat dripping off the actors faces is part of what makes theatre feel so alive. If we start streaming productions online it takes away some of the passion that brings people back to the stage time and time again. It also brings up the problem of people not attending live shows, and community theatre dying out. I really do think that this is a new trend in theatre that needs to be heavily thought out before it has a chance of being implemented.