What constitutes a good show?
Mon, 4 Dec 2006, 08:21 amGordon the Optom11 posts in thread
What constitutes a good show?
Mon, 4 Dec 2006, 08:21 amShould a play still be considered admirable and worth recommending, if the sets are first class, the lighting outstanding, the direction imaginative, the acting amazing – never been better - but the script boring, clichéd and pointless? On this occasion the audience may depart the theatre frustrated and thinking what a waste of time and talent.
Or is the piece which has very little scenery, a few lights, the acting is wooden with the odd fluffed word, direction is dull and laborious, but the play has a brilliantly inventive, beautifully written script, a better show?
Possibly the play is one which is technically average, has good - but not outstanding acting - yet on leaving the theatre you realise that you have engaged in some kind of emotional experience? Perhaps you have laughed, cried, aroused, been scared witless and still are thinking about passages in the play a day or two later. Is this the 5-star production?
I realise that in the ideal show, all of these ‘quality features’ should be present, but isn’t the audience enjoyment factor the most important point of any show?
We hear of Art Galleries which have spent $20,000 on a pile of bricks, or recently in the UK of the 50,000 pounds spent on a standard urinal as the latest art. Likewise I feel that the number of productions which are weird and fit into some strange genre is increasing. There is a massive GENERAL public out there, which some producers may consider plebs, who need to be taught to appreciate the latest real and innovative theatre art. Are the public right or should a select few discerning theatricals receive preference?
The Da Vinci code was a massive seller, very popular but hardly the best written book of the year, but it was a good satisfying yarn. So how should books and plays be rated? Does the audience enjoyment factor matter?
Consistent
Wed, 6 Dec 2006, 08:57 amA good show is consistent. One word. Consistent performances that feel spontaneous. Set design consistent with Costumes, consistent with lighting, sound, dialogue, characterisation, direction. Actors that consistently perform, at compatible levels, through the play and between each other. A play that is consistent with the intentions of the Author, in terms of pace and movement. A play that is written for speedy deliveries should not be played slowly, etc. If the performance is an interpretation of a script, then it needs to be so consistently.
A good play leads the audience through a maze of characters, scenes, plots and threads in such as a way as to consistently keep their interest up. Anything that works against the grain of movement is immediately noticed and distracting. A single inconsistent moment, direction, character, lighting arrangement, etc can potentially ruin a play.
This may sound like I am saying everything must be perfect. Far from it. Being consistent is not requiring perfection. It is not achieving a certain level of performance and maintaining it through the season. It is not developing any form of inflexibility. Being consistent allows for the occasional mistake, forgotten line, inappropriate movement. Being consistent is keeping the flow, unity and attention that is true to the production.
Every Audience is different. Every night, you feel different, emotionally, intellectually. Every night, something new is forgotten, discovered, fumbled. Consistency is being able to evaluate what is required on the night, on the spot, in order to continue the flow of the story, even if it means improvising something to fill a gap.
A good play is consistent good.
Absit invidia
Jeff Watkins
Perth based Actor/Performer
who can also sing and dance
Fight/Sword Choreographer
Virgin Director
UPstageWA Rep