Chapter 1: The Audience; Its Role and Imagination

Basic encounter

This in the theater is the exchange, the chemistry, the electricity between the audience and the actors performing onstage.

The presence of the audience

sets live theatre apart from all other forms of dramatic entertainment.

essential to the experience

We may not realize it, but when we attend theatre we are

an audience

Each one of the performing arts: opera, ballet, or symphony concerts as well as theatre requires

film, television, or a handheld electronic device

for most of us, it is likely that are first encounter with a dramatic work was on

that the experience of watching television or a movie is quite different from attending the theatre

no matter how impressed we were with seeing a play or musical this way, it must be remembered

being in the presence of a living, breathing person makes all of the difference

with TV or movies, we are looking at a screen on which there are no live people. and the experience of

the audience

is not an incidental factor in a theatrical performance,

an indispensable element in what is occurring

if we are audience members, we become

in the presence of an audience which is absolutely essential part of the event.

Each theatre, ballet, or opera performance, each musical concert is intended specifically to be presented

live event

An theatre, ballet or opera performance can be recorded digitally or otherwise but listening or viewing one of these is not the same as attending a

actually not a performance.

a theatre performance at which no audience is present is

a performance

only occurs when the actors perform in the presence of an audience

Live Theatre

The performance of a dramatic event by a group of actors in the presence of their counterparts, the audience members

unique experience

attending the theatre is a

that there is a live audience in attendance

the key factor of any performance that is occurring is

a theatre performance

changes from moment to moment as the audience encounters a series of shifting impressions and stimuli.

it is a kaleidoscopic adventure through which the audience passes, which instant a direct, immediate experience

what is a theater performance?

the role of the audience

the audience and the performers are the two essential elements of theatre, both are required for theatre to occur. The presence of the audience sets theatre apart from the experience of watching a theatrical presentation on film, on television, or in any other electronic medium.

theatre production

changes from performance to performance because of differences in audience responses or in slight changes in the interactions among the cast members.

no longer exists

and once a specific production is over, that production

human beings and their behavior

theatre alone among the performing arts centers entirely on

mediated arts

include radio, film, television, digital streaming, and the like, are performances captured or recorded through the use of other types of media

mediated arts

standing between the performing arts and the fixed arts (painting, sculpture, literature) is a third art form known as

relatively new

the performing arts and fixed arts have been with us for years, how about the mediated arts?

could not possibly withstand this onslaught of rivals that were so readily accessible and so much less expensive

it was argued that live theatre

the overwhelming electronic composition would lead to a sharp diminution of theatre attendance

what did theater performers think?

the falling off of live theatre had not happened, theatre attendance has noticeably increased

what has happened to theater performances oddly enough?

live theatre

takes place today at varying levels of professionalism in more locations across the United States (and the globe for that matter) than at any time in its history.

the essence of live theatre

is that it is immediate and spontaneous, it happens at a given moment before our very eyes. We are there watching it, more importantly, we are actually participants in the event.

contrast a drama seen in a theatre with one shown on film or television.

one way to explain the social nature of live theatre is to

scenery and costumes

what are some other theater elements other than dramatization and acting?

often similar on stage and on screen

the theater elements are

watching a play on film or television, which can give many of the same feelings and experiences that we have when watching a theatre performance

one can learn a great deal about theatre from

they play a crucial role in our overall exposure to the depiction of dramatic events and dramatic characters

the accessibility of film and television means that

is the performer-audience relationship. the experience of being in the presence of the performer is more important to theatre than anything else

what is the crucial difference between experiencing live theatre or watching it on television or film?

direct immediate experience

theatre performance changes is a

catch something at a moment in time and freeze it. with performing arts however it is impossible because the performing arts are not objects but events. specific objects such as costumes, props, scenery, a script-are a part of theatre but none of these constitute to the art.

the essence of literature and performing arts is to

plays

are often printed in a book form, like literature, and many novels and short stories extensive passages of dialogue that could easily be scenes in a play.

unlike a novel, a play is written to be performed

there is an important difference between plays and novels, what is it?

drama

can be studied in a classroom in terms of imagery, character, and theme, but with drama, study of this sort takes place before or after the event.

drama

is a form of preparation for or follow up to the experience, the experience is the performance itself.

always attempt to visualize the other aspects of a production in our mind's eye

when we read a play, we should

human beings

theatre focuses on one thing and one thing only

on the human concerns involved

what does theatre concentrate on?

the core and the center which other elements orbit

In theatre, the preoccupations of men and woman are still

a performer in person

we will often go to any lengths to see

the same pull of personal contact draws us to the theater

the statement "we will often go to any lengths to see a performer in person" is the same to what?

the performer-audience relationship

at the heart of the theatre performance is

Performer-audience relationship

The immediate, personal encounter whose chemistry and magic give theatre its special quality

we can affect and in subtle ways change the performance

as an audience what can we do?

their individual experience, which is highly personal, and the group experience is indispensable

what two experiences does an audience go through?

the performing arts

share this trait with other communal events such as religious services, spectator sports and celebrations

though they are individuals with their own personalities and backgrounds, they take other qualities as well, qualities that often overshadow their independent responses

when people are gathered in a certain time and place, what happens to them?

the special characteristics of the collective mind

what does the theatre audience share with all such groups,

crucial element of the theatre experience

becoming part of a group is a

an intangible communion with those around us

in groups, what does an audience sense as they are watching a play?

reaffirmed

when a collection of individuals respond more or less in unison to what is occurring onstage, their relationship is

the size, attitude, and makeup of the audience affects it

in theatre, what affects the overall experience?

theatre can be large or small, indoors or outdoors, and the audience can be people of similar tastes and background or a collection of quite varied individuals

the theatre can be ()

the audience can be ()

groups

the makeup of a group will alter a theatrical event

in theatre, what varies? and what happens to the makeup?

general audiences

include people of all ages, from all parts of the country, and from all socioeconomic levels

homogeneous

what is another example of an audience in theater?

our relationship to the other members of the audience

another factor affecting our experience in the theatre is

strongly influence our response to the total event

the people with whom we attend theatre-their relative homogeneity and our relation to them-

as audience members we participate vicariously or empathetically with what is happening on stage.

in observed theatre...

empathy

is the experience of mentally or emotionally entering into the feelings or spirit of another person-in this case a character onstage.

we participate through our imagination while separated from the action

in participatory theatre...

participate in a theater event

there are also times when observers and audience members

a desire to make theatre more immediate and intense, and such work can be innovative and exciting.

the attempt to involve audience members directly springs from

distance

to perceive and appreciate a work of art, we need

aesthetic distance

to perceive and appreciate a work of art, we need distance. what is this separation called?

aesthetic distance

is as necessary in theatre as in any other art.

aesthetic distance

physical or psychological separation or detachment of audience from dramatic action, usually considered necessary for artistic illusion

be separated from the performance in order to see and hear what is happening onstage and absorb the experience.

as theatre spectators, we must

he or she reverses roles and becomes a performer, not a spectator. the separation between performers and spectators remains.

if an audience member becomes involved in the proceedings or goes onstage and takes part in the action...

theatrical techniques

today a range of educational or therapeutic employ

theatre techniques have opened up new possibilities

in terms of therapeutic techniques, the emphasis is on education, personal development, or therapy fields in which

build self-confidence, discover their creative potential, and overcome their inhibitions

By acting out hypothetical situations or giving free rein to their imagination, children can

teach lessons that are difficult to teach by conventional means.

in some situations, creative dramatics can

playwriting

has often proved to be an invaluable educational tool

enlightening

students who write scenes, whether autobiographical or fictional find the experience not only fulfilling but also

sociodrama, psychodrama, and drama therapy

in addition to creative dramatics, what other activities incorporate theatrical techniques?

their own attitudes and prejudices.

in sociodrama, the members of participating groups- such as parents and children, students and teachers, or legal authorities and ordinary citizens-explore

role playing

in terms of sociodrama, a successful approach where members of participating groups explore their own attitudes and prejudices is

role playing

in this, both groups become aware of deep-seated feelings and arrive at a better understanding of one another

psychodrama

uses some of the same techniques as sociodrama but is more private and interpersonal. It can become so intense that it should be carried out only under the supervision of a trained therapist.

individual fears, anxieties, and frustrations are explored

in psychodrama, what is explored?

in participatory drama

this type of theatre is a means to another end: education, therapy, group development, or the like.

is not public performance, and there is little emphasis on a carefully prepared expertly performed presentation before an audience in fact, just the opposite true

what is the aim of participatory drama?

observed drama

in this type of drama the aim is a professional performance for spectators, and this requires separation between the performers and audience- the "aesthetic distance" as described earlier

Immersive Theatre

audience members play an active role in some way, often moving through a performance space, sometimes even choosing where they should go within that space and what they should see and do. Many such productions use transformed, redesigned spaces as well as requiring audience members to engage in a complete sensory experience (touch, smell, even taste of foods and drink)

invited, even urged, to participate actively together in a theatre event

there are some times, however, when observers and audience members are

see the stage and the viewing area as a single entity

instead of viewing the stage action as taking place in a separate space, audience members were asked to

immersive theatre

In recent years a new phenomenon has become popular internationally

is to personalize the experience for each audience member while still emphasizing the social interaction between small groups in the audience as well as with the performers.

what is the goal of immersive theatre?

observers

Although there has been a long history of participatory theatre where audience members are asked to take an active role, the most traditional role of audience members in the contemporary theatre is as

a direct experience

for those who create it, theater is

observe all of the elements of theater without having to leave our seats

members of the audience

exchange between performers and audience and this is nowhere more evident than in the creation of illusion.

theatre is a two-way street, it is an