just venting!
Thu, 19 Aug 2004, 11:03 amWalter Plinge7 posts in thread
just venting!
Thu, 19 Aug 2004, 11:03 ameven in days like these i would think that we would observe a few simple rules in the theatre society, now maybe i am being more than a little old fasioned but i think that it just comes down to etiquette and either people just arent informed or they choose to ignore completely some simple civilities... ie.
-no eating or drinkning in the theatre whilst the production is in progress
-no cameras, mobile phones (or any other technology that makes noises) turned on during the performance
-and how about refraining from talking during performance
now again i may be old fashioned (at the tender old age of 20) but i think that observing these few rules really does make the theatre a much more enjoyble experience.
i recently attended a performance where not only did audience members bring in food and drink (let alone to say that it was some unusually crunchy crisps and bottles of coke that were unceasingly opened and closed) but others used camera phones etc to take pictures and one member of the audience could be heard talking three rows in front! not only do these distract the other audience members who have paid to enjoy the night but also the performers, luckily they were of course proffesional enough to proceed undaunted but surely this cant be acceptable...
oh and by the way this was a performance of FAME the musical in londons west end...
-no eating or drinkning in the theatre whilst the production is in progress
-no cameras, mobile phones (or any other technology that makes noises) turned on during the performance
-and how about refraining from talking during performance
now again i may be old fashioned (at the tender old age of 20) but i think that observing these few rules really does make the theatre a much more enjoyble experience.
i recently attended a performance where not only did audience members bring in food and drink (let alone to say that it was some unusually crunchy crisps and bottles of coke that were unceasingly opened and closed) but others used camera phones etc to take pictures and one member of the audience could be heard talking three rows in front! not only do these distract the other audience members who have paid to enjoy the night but also the performers, luckily they were of course proffesional enough to proceed undaunted but surely this cant be acceptable...
oh and by the way this was a performance of FAME the musical in londons west end...
Re: just venting!
Tue, 31 Aug 2004, 10:45 amHi all,
Maybe the 'solution' lies inside the problem... that is, embracing the challenge. For instance, why not just let people do what they do. And, as performers/directors, 'redesign' our modes of presentation to either *counter* or *incorporate* currently "unacceptable" modes of behaviour on the part of the audience? Heck, it worked for the Elizabethans...
Certainly, Andrew, I agree with your second point... imposing so many "rules and regulations" could just stagnate the whole experience of going to the theatre further.
I guess the answer lies in how you view the experience. If you're looking for a "transcendent" experience, then you want the theatre treated as a temple. If its' a commercial enterprise (like in Shakespeares day) then you ACCOMODATE the various attention spans of your patrons.
At the end of the day, I think much of this debate will will be relegated to "who's going to what"... after all a stage and a performer but no audience is NO theatre. Maybe the "future" lies in adapting a model not unlike Circ de Soleil's - spectacular and fluid, but with every moment filled with compelling imagery/ideas that makes an audience forget about talking or taking a mobile call, or whatever.
Thanks,
Jason
Maybe the 'solution' lies inside the problem... that is, embracing the challenge. For instance, why not just let people do what they do. And, as performers/directors, 'redesign' our modes of presentation to either *counter* or *incorporate* currently "unacceptable" modes of behaviour on the part of the audience? Heck, it worked for the Elizabethans...
Certainly, Andrew, I agree with your second point... imposing so many "rules and regulations" could just stagnate the whole experience of going to the theatre further.
I guess the answer lies in how you view the experience. If you're looking for a "transcendent" experience, then you want the theatre treated as a temple. If its' a commercial enterprise (like in Shakespeares day) then you ACCOMODATE the various attention spans of your patrons.
At the end of the day, I think much of this debate will will be relegated to "who's going to what"... after all a stage and a performer but no audience is NO theatre. Maybe the "future" lies in adapting a model not unlike Circ de Soleil's - spectacular and fluid, but with every moment filled with compelling imagery/ideas that makes an audience forget about talking or taking a mobile call, or whatever.
Thanks,
Jason
- ···
- ···