As part of the Art Symposium we recently had the opportunity to tour both the Performing Arts Center and the Hyman Fine Arts Center. The PAC’s tour focused on the technical qualities of the performance space and how the theater is able to accommodate a wide variety of performance. During the tour of the Hyman Fine Arts Center, staff and students were busy putting the finishing touches on this semester's production of The Tempest. Recently I was able to enjoy a performance of Crimes of the Heart at another theatrical venue, Florence Little Theater. With the abundance of performance spaces in our community, I started to weigh the pros and cons of each space. While old theaters have their quirks, there's nothing quite like the smell of a newly built theater, like the Performing Arts Center, with its fresh paint and fire retardant fabric. Technical specifics aside, it reminded me of the “entertainment center” in my hometown because the space lacked what I can only describe as character. As a presenting theater, it focused on getting theater companies in, …show more content…
In contrast to a presenting theater, there is an additional character taking part in each performance: the performance space itself. FLT's production of Crimes of the Heart was my first low-budget producing theater experience. Prior to this, my only other producing theater production was Le Rêve at Wynn Las Vegas. I previously thought Cirque du Soleil's polish was the reason I liked Le Rêve so much, but the fact that a low budget community theater company could match the level of engagement I felt as an audience member proves that this connection stems from more than having recognizable brand. Truth be told, I wasn't a fan of the story behind Crime of the Heart, but that didn't stop me thinking FLT had gone above and beyond to immerse the audience in the production. The cupboards were stocked and the kitchen sink even had running
The audience is an important factor to determine the success of a spectacle. It is known that there is no spectacle without audience. The musical theater presentations are known for their number of people, which according to the Broadway League (n.d.), the 2013 season reached attendance of 11.57 million. However, the number of spectators has been decreased in comparison with the peak of popularity for musicals in the last century. The first reason for that is that the spectators of musical theater presentations were a more specific group such as wealthy and intellectual people that used to go to this type of presentation, and this pattern has been consistent until now, as it can be seen in the price of a Broadway spectacle that is very expensive. Second, the spectators have to go where the spectacles are set up, which makes the live presenta...
“Lecture, concert will tell State Theater History.” Bay City Times 7 Oct. 2010: C1: Print. LaLonde, Pati. “Out with the old.”
To fit the needs and wants of our target audiences, the theatres have to position and project themselves at a unique level compared to other commercial forms of live entertainment. Community theatre cannot compete if all it offers to its audience is the stage. A theatre experience has to be much more than watching a play. We need to combine the theatre ambience, audience, actors and directors to create a unique mix of a ?cultured? event. For this revival and recast, Memphis community theatres, as a consortium, need to play a vital role in offering a high value for audiences in enjoyment, culture, and bonding to the community.
As the curtain came down, the audience roared. The same little girl is now twenty years old. She gets out her cell phone and quickly sneaks a picture of the beautiful golden curtain. Captioning the photo as “the best spectacular on earth”, she posts it to Instagram and hits over one hundred “likes” within minutes. She walks outside and looks up at the marquee. With a smile on her face, she walks to the subway dreaming of the day she will be on that stage. This celebrated theatre has found a place in her heart, creating an eternal love for New York and an eternal love for the beautiful landmark that is Radio City Music Hall.
Community performance can include political debates, social commentaries disguised as autobiographical self-debasing monologues as well as Renaissance Faires with their celebratory and informative performances. Each example can be said to include elements of Brechtian Alienation, even if they are not, perhaps, the performances that Brecht himself had in mind. However, the performances are important in that they force us to examine our own place within both the world of the theater and within our respective realities.
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
...pressing of emotions, identifying with other systems of thought. Theatrical arts have managed to transcend ethical issues, racial differences, and many other facets of discourse in society. If theatre is indeed an engine for social change it should not be held from the people who need it the most. Those who are incarcerated. Programs across the nation have already started to see success in the prisons they operate in, so to think about the effect that theatre in prison would have on a nationwide scale is indeed a beautiful thought. If theatre programs in prison would be funded by the states or nationally, potentially the idea of professional prison playhouses could become a reality, and the world would be introduced into a new era of art that is truly a beautiful thing to behold. Shakespeare writes in Hamlet, “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation,” says Stella Adler. Theater is unique and intriguing because it blends literary and visual arts to tell a story. Before Theater 10, I viewed theater on the surface level: cheesy plot lines with dramatic scenarios for entertainment purposes. Throughout the course, I have learned what it means to appreciate theater, such as understanding Brechtian and Chinese theatre; however, I believe understanding theater’s ability to convey crucial historical and social messages, such as in the production of RENT, is more relevant and important for theater appreciation.
The Globe Theater is widely known as the world’s greatest amphitheatre of its time, bringing in crowds of thousands of people. The Globe was also where most of the famous playwright, William Shakespeare, performed his plays. With its unique design, the audience was able to enjoy the plays. Inside of this round and globe-like structure, the people from all around the area packed into the seats to watch Shakespeare and his actors. Despite the Globe Theater’s success, the theater had gone through many shut downs and rebuilding projects. Finally, the Globe was demolished for the last time. It was not until years later that the theater was discovered. Now, people from around the world are learning about this amphitheater and its role in the Renaissance time period. The Globe Theater is known for its structure, audience and actors, and history.
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.
Before I started Introduction to Theatre class, I had been only to a couple of plays in my life. Just in this semester I’ve been to about ten plays and have learned so much about the art of theatre. The information I retained from class will help out a lot in the future, but the most important part of this class was the shadowing experience of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With being able to get an inside look at this play during rehearsal and then going to see the performance was an incredible experience. By going to the rehearsal and then seeing the show, I was able to learn and understand more on how the theatre works. From there, I could understand the long process the actors and directors have to go through before the opening show happens.
In the seventies, we could do anything. It was the rainbow coalition, anti-Vietnam, all of those elements. And then we morphed over to where it became extremely straight-laced and non-risk taking. I think we are beginning to take risks again but within those societal norms.” Theatre only goes so far as society will allow it, as showcased by the Conservatory and it being influenced by the culture surrounding it.
The survival of theatre lies in the very nature of humankind: its inner voyeuristic drive. The desire to watch other people dealing with their conflicts and fates challenges as well as reinforces values and the morality of society. The theatre provides an exciting opportunity to watch stories and situations as if they were real life, showing us the truth of our nature.
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...