While I am not specifically involved in the theater, I attend a liberal arts college where I receive an education in a variety of subjects. My education teaches me to be knowledgeable of the theater and arts in a way where most other schools would not. I have learned the benefits of receiving a liberal arts education as well as getting out and experiencing the theater and performing arts. Here are some of the historical and cultural benefits to experiencing the theater and performing arts.
The theater and performing arts are a great way to learn about culture and the world around us. Most people who do not go out and experience theater, do not know as much about culture and the world around them. Theater has existed in the world for centuries, and should not die out or become irrelevant. Going to the theater allows people to experience culture and partake in activities that their ancestors might have once done. Going to the theater carries on the human tradition of going out and enjoying entertainment in the form of theater just as humans have been doing for centuries. Most people in today's culture watch Netflix, or rent movies, so it is extremely important to go to the theater and keep that tradition alive.
Not only does going to the theater help people to experience history just as humans have been doing for centuries. Going to the theater also allows people to learn about history and culture from whatever show it is that they may be seeing. Theater and theatrical presentations are filled with historical and cultural information from whatever time period the show is being written in. Furthermore, if a show is set in a different time period than the one it is being written in, it can also teach about the time period that the show is being set in. There is so much that the theater can teach about history and culture. From the clothing that people wore during the time period of the show, to the way people talked and acted. Shakespearean plays, for example, take place and a historical and cultural period much different than our own. Through his plays, we learn about different mannerisms, cultural norms, and how people dressed and acted at the time of his plays.
In a society that is quickly being taken over by technology, it is important to keep the history and culture of our society alive. Going to the theater and enjoying the performing arts is just one of the many ways to keep our society's culture and history alive and well in our rapidly changing world.
