Theatre is an elitist art form. It is expensive, you have to leave your house for it and it presents complex ideas and themes to make its audiences think. Going to the theatre provides for the opportunity to gather together and explore the human condition. By sharing common cultural threads of the classics, drawing light to complex issues, providing catharsis and promoting imagination, theatre’s role in contemporary society is one of subtle power.
Classic playwrights such as Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller inspire and connect each generation as their plays’ themes and conflicts remain relevant. I have performed and built the set for numerous Shakespearean productions. Though I know some people will disagree with me, memorizing Shakespeare is relaxing, at the very least, its easier than memorizing other playwrights. Because of the iambic pentameter your mouth fits to the syllables perfectly. My first Shakespearean role was as Peter Quince in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and though my role was a bit dry, especially for a 12-year-old, experiencing the magic of Shakespeare by watching the other actors was enjoyable. Shakespeare is given the rap of being difficult to understand and therefore, boring. But plays within plays, fairies and ass transformations are hardly boring. As I discovered when forced to read "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in high school, reading Shakespeare is never as gripping as performing it or seeing it performed.
Performing Viola my junior year and Emilia senior year gave me a more authentic experience than Peter Quince. Viola gave me a better understanding of Shakespearean acting. Emilia reminded me why Shakespeare is still relevant. Exploring her monologue to Desdemona as a powerful feminist piece allowed me to scorn males for their hypocrisy. By identifying with Emilia and allowing for the catharsis in relating to her words, I was able to be a stronger, more aware woman.
Thousands of actors have played Peter Quince, Viola and Emilia. However, because of the elasticity and creativity granted by the text and the varying types of humor or drama to play with in the roles, the characters and the plays themselves remain. For audiences, seeing classics is always a different experience not only for the change in performers, space, or stylistic choices, but because as audience members grow, change, and experience life, they get something different out of the classics. For example, as a teen, an audience member may strongly identify with Romeo and Juliet, though as an adult they may discover how reckless and impulsive the young lovers were. The classic "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller is still performed because it explores the American Dream, an idea that Americans are still grappling with. Classics are still performed because of their timelessness. And because the classics are well known, audiences and performers are able to concentrate more on the themes and morals raised than the understanding of the plot.
Of course, new plays are written and performed as well. These plays have the benefit of being timely and bring up ideas, themes, and morals for the audience to delve into. I stage-managed a production of "Detroit ’67" by Dominique Morisseau. She writes not highly educated characters, but talks about big issues and themes such as love, loss and the pursuit of freedom and the American Dream. With a background of music from the 1960s and the similarities between the fate of the young black men in the play and the fate of young black men in our society, "Detroit ’67" is able to easily connect with audiences, validate the experiences of the dead and their friends and family, and bring to light the problems in our society.
As an audience member, theatre serves its purpose as an emotional experience without the permanency of emotional pain. Because there is no barrier between the audience and the playing space as in film, any kind of intensity projected affects the audience. Theatre artists have the great ability to affect the atmosphere of the theatrical space. The goal of any theatre artist is to affect the audience whether it be presenting the most realistic version of a character, physical comedy, or drawing attention to complex societal issues.
Actors have a similar experience in that they must help create a character and use it as a tool to affect the audience, often delving into difficult parts of the human psyche. As someone who is not acting for money, but for fun, pretending to be someone else is reminiscent of playing pretend as a child. Trying to discover whom your character is and how you can relate to them reveals traits about yourself in a safe environment of catharsis.
As a performer, director, stage manager, and carpenter, theatre is a giant group project. It presents unique challenges and encourages imagination by its creators and audiences. As travelling to different locales is impossible, scenic designers must find a way to make the set changeable or/and neutral to allow for the imagination of the audience and actors to take them to that time and place. Actors must make believe they are different people. Lighting and sound must trick the audience or supplement the rest of the performance with subtle clues. And all parties must work together under the guidance of the director and his/her vision. Such an endeavor by all parties creates a sense of community that I love being a part of.
While tickets for large theatres may be very expensive, smaller organizations can produce meaningful, beautiful works. Theatre survived the commercialism of film and the convenience of the Internet. Theatre is connecting, healing, imaginative, and intelligent. It is here to stay and I can only hope that as a theatre artist, I can contribute positively to the art created in the coming decades.
