Download The Impact of Technology, Economy, and Group Dynamics on Theatre and Audience Experience - and more Study notes Theatre in PDF only on Docsity! Lauren Sibley August 27, 2012 Drama The Audience Challenges of the Age Technology (watch ted talks) o People can watch movies on their phones o Drama is very low tech Economy o Budget cuts for Audience/Performer Relationship Theatre vs. Film/Television o Reason theater survives because people like seeing the actual performer in person Chemistry of Performer/Audience Contract o Impact audience AND performers o Could be different for sports games because the camera shows us where to watch Theatre as Group Experience o Individual and group o Theatre vs. other Arts o Similar to Ceremonies, Sporting events, Celebrations Gathering Psychology Gustave Le Bon : group characteristics grow when there is a single event “Collective Mind” Fictional events remind us that we are not so different from each other o Kinds of gropus General different ages, economic levels, ethnicities Homogenous such as spectators at a high school play Sharing Agenda or Goal political play or rally Among friends, we are relaxed; alien, we might react differently. Relationship to the other audience members enhances the theatrical event. Aesthetic Distance o Separation of audience and performer o Audience member become a performer? o Observed vs. Participatory Theatre Observed: audience participation is empathetic Lauren Sibley August 27, 2012 Participation: audience does not follow script, play games, tell personal stories, exercises related to education, therapy Role reversal Psychodrama Willing Suspension of Disbelief o Illusion created by performers; perpetuated by audience o Flashback – time travel Symbols and Metaphor o Symbol: a sign that signifies something else o Metaphor: announces that one this IS another o Simile: announces that one thing is LIKE, similar to another o Dream, Fantasy, Art – Vehicles for truth Realism and Non-Realism o Realism: it could actually happen in real life Observable Truth, Photographic Reality Dominant form in 20th Century Europe Henrik Ibsen August Strindberg Anton Chekhov o Non-Realism: could not happen in real life Does not conform to surface reality Non-linear time and place Not “possible,” “familiar” Beyond “normal” expression of the human experience Soliloquy Pantomime Use of Music and Song Many plays use elements of both realism and non-realism Theatre of Fact o Stage news, staged photo-ops: the blending of theatre and reality Audience Background and Expectations o Knowledge o Personal memories o Time period, Playwright, etc. o What the audience thinks/hopes will happen Knowledge and Personal Memory o Situations/Characters familiar to us impact us emotionally o Identification with protagonist in the play makes us feel less isolated in our own lives o Reflects our own experience – high value to us Theatre and Society o Art: does not exist in a vacuum Reflects time, politics, and social issues
