Notes on Why Theatre? and Related Concepts

Why Theatre?

Theatre is a long-standing social force embedded in human life. It thrives because people perform and present themselves to influence outcomes, build empathy, and connect with others. Live theatre places the audience in a shared space with the actors, creating a powerful, immediate emotional experience that fosters community and understanding. Studies suggest that seeing a play improves comprehension, vocabulary, empathy, and tolerance, underscoring theatre’s liberal-arts value. Theatre thus represents life and human nature, addressing diverse subjects through a broad lens.

What is Theatre?

The bare minimum for theatre is an actor telling a story to an audience, even if there is only one listener. Scripts are important but not strictly necessary; many traditions rely on improvisation. A dedicated theatre space is helpful but not required; theatre can happen anywhere with a space for actor and audience.

Art or Craft?

Theatre is an art because it is conceived and presented with an artistic vision unique to each performer. Yet it also has a craft side: voice, diction, movement for actors; set design, painting, materials for designers; costume construction and color for costume designers. Even improvisation has its own structure and training. Each performance is live and thus distinct, even with the same script.

A Bit of History

Plato and Aristotle offered contrasting views on theatre’s educational role. Plato saw theatre as a copy of reality, potentially corrupting audiences, while Aristotle argued that tragedy educates by presenting action and its consequences, and by enabling catharsis—an emotional purging that clarifies ethics. Modern theatre combines education and entertainment and intersects with psychology (e.g., drama therapy), where theatre helps people externalize issues and explore change.

How does theatre work?

The audience accepts a convention: what is happening on stage is real within the story, even though it is a constructed performance. Theatre uses metaphors and allegories to elevate specific situations to universal meanings—often addressing ethics, politics, or social issues. A metaphor links unlikely ideas (e.g., "All the world’s a stage"), while an allegory conveys a deeper moral through a story (e.g., Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as commentary on McCarthyism).

Theatre Today

Today, theatre educates and entertains in varying degrees. It often intersects with psychology and social commentary, addressing contemporary issues like race, identity, and inclusivity. Plays such as Fairview (Pulitzer Prize for Drama, $2020$) and The Minutes explore societal dynamics, while A Strange Loop foregrounds LGBTQ+ and BIPOC perspectives. Theatre remains a space for voices that challenge or reflect current realities.

How theatres work in the US: Professional vs Amateur

Professional theatre comprises fully staffed, paid productions. Commercial theatre prioritizes profit, with market research and investor funding shaping decisions. Broadway and Off-Broadway are the hallmark examples. A Broadway theatre seats more than $500$, Off-Broadway seats range from $100-499$, and Off-Off Broadway seats are fewer than $100$. As of $2022$, there are $41$ Broadway theatres, mostly in the Theatre District near Manhattan. Regional theatres (repertory theatres) maintain multiple performance spaces, a resident company, and usually pursue both classics and contemporary works; they can be nonprofit or for-profit and often rely on patrons and grants, including those from LORT (League of Resident Theatres).

Amateur theatre is nonprofessional but passionate, including community theatres and college productions. These groups rely on volunteers or part-time staff and often feed talent into professional ranks. Notable incubators include college theatres (e.g., Wesleyan University, where In the Heights began in $1999$).

Superstitions in Theatre

Theatre culture features many superstitions: the Ghost Light (a single lit bulb left on stage when the theatre is unoccupied); the fear of naming Macbeth aloud, often calling it "The Scottish Play"; peacock feathers are avoided on stage; do not wish performers "Good Luck!" (instead, say "Break a leg"); dress rehearsals hint at a successful opening night; don’t whistle backstage; giving flowers before a show is bad luck; colors are believed to carry bad luck in some cultures (blue in the U.S., green in France, purple in Italy, yellow in Spain).

Key Terms

• Allegories: stories with a surface meaning and a deeper moral or political critique.
• Amateur Theatre: nonprofessional theatre, often community-based; driven by passion.
• American Association of Community Theatres: supports amateur groups.
• Aristotle: Greek philosopher who valued theatre for catharsis and social education; emphasized tragedy’s combination of action and spectacle.
• Broadway / Off-Broadway: scales of professional theatre by venue size; >500 seats for Broadway, $100-499$ for Off-Broadway, <100 for Off-Off Broadway.
• Catharsis: emotional purification or purging through dramatic experience.
• College Theatre: student-led theatre as part of education; incubator for future professionals.
• Commercial Theatre: theatre produced to generate profit; high production values and significant funding.
• Community Theatre: nonprofessional, civic theatre.
• Drama Therapy: theatre-based therapy used to explore issues and promote change.
• Liberal Arts: theatre is part of the Ars Liberalis, contributing to critical thinking and social skills.
• LORT: League of Resident Theatres, a national association of regional theatres.
• Metaphors: language that maps one concept onto another to convey deeper meaning.
• Mimesis: imitation or representation of reality in art.
• Metaphors / Allegories: tools to elevate a narrative to universal themes.
• Professional Theatre: theatre produced by paid professionals across roles.
• Regional Theatre / Repertory Theatre: mid-sized theatres with multiple venues and resident artists.
• Suspension of Disbelief: audience willingness to accept on-stage events as real within the show's world.
• Theatre as Art / Theatre as Craft: theatre blends artistic interpretation with specialized technical skills.
• Theatrical History: from ancient Greece to modern productions addressing contemporary social issues, including award-winning works and political theatre.