Not bowing after a performance?
Tue, 26 Aug 2008, 01:03 amLouisa Fitzhardinge27 posts in thread
Not bowing after a performance?
Tue, 26 Aug 2008, 01:03 amWould you consider leaving the traditional bows out of the end of a piece of theatre?
Have you seen or been involved in a production that has opted to end the show at curtain down?
I've just arrived home from the tech run of SIX (a UDS production; we open on Thursday) where we had a bit of a heated discussion over bows, and whether or not they are necessary/desirable for a play. I think, as an audience member, I'd feel a bit disgruntled if everyone was clapping for minutes on end and the bows just never came. It's expected. Especially in Perth, especially for community theatre, when half the audience is the actors' friends and family. And as an actor, it just seems a bit pretentious and ungrateful not to.
Audience: "You guys were great!"
Actor: "Whatever; shut up. Theatre is an expression of meaning, not an opportunity to bathe in kudos. You clearly don't understand."
Plus it gives an opportunity to thank the SM, lighting crew, sound crew etc...
So what do you reckon? Are curtain calls archaic, pointless and vain? Does it break the tone of the ending of a play if everyone comes on and bows afterwards? Or do they bring the play to a proper end and connect the actors with the audience?
(Of course I don't mean massive Broadway-style choreographed bows... just an ensemble cast taking one bow, applauding to the box and applauding to the wings).
I think it depends. I used
Tue, 26 Aug 2008, 01:19 amI think it depends.
I used to work with a group of guys, who after the end of the show, would take a short curtain call, and then proceed to spend five minutes giving a plug for the next night and trying to convince the audience to encourage other people to come (they also spent some of that time saying how it was their first shows and how blah blah blah). I think that type of thing spoils it, and actors should definitely either just do a silent curtain call or not do one at all. The audience doesn't want to hear a five minute spiel on a show they've just seen.
On the other hand, I've never really thought much about whether or not the curtain call is archaic. I guess we're used to doing it. Personally, I don't see why not. If films have credits, why can't we do a curtain call?
Although there are exceptions to the rule: the BBC show Spooks didn't have credits for much of their seasons. The theory being that if the real spooks go nameless, then so shall the cast and crew. I personally liked this, but then, it was in context.
Maybe it just depends on the show, the content and the style.
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