Audiences: Friends or strangers
Mon, 30 July 2001, 06:24 pmGambler9 posts in thread
Audiences: Friends or strangers
Mon, 30 July 2001, 06:24 pmIt seems to me these days that the majority of theatre audiences are either fellow actors, friends or Pensioners (or a combination of them). Does this mean that Stage performances are a dying phase? Before television, computers, game machines and movie cinemas the theatre was the place to be. Now it is only for a minority of society. Any thoughts?
RE: Audiences: Friends or strangers
Tue, 31 July 2001, 12:43 pmIf theatre is a dying breed then whose fault is it?
Yes many a show plays to friends and those we would deem theatre literate and yes theatre is not like it use to be but thank god for that.
Theatre tradition and dwelling on the past is strangling theatre and threatening to head it down the path of nostalgia. All traditions started out as radical innovations.
This 'problem' links very much to the arguement about classic theatre that has been discussed on this page and I won't repeat what i said there.
but...
we need to look forward, with a tip of the hat and full respect to the past, and develop theatre for audiences today and develop the audiences for theatre today. And Im NOT saying ignore the past and only do new plays. (lets get that cleared up)
Three interesting examples. which by no means Im saying are the soloution but worth thinking about...
1) Terry Pratchett plays. personally don't like them but i've seen a few and i would dare say for many, many audience members that that is their sole theatre experience for the year,if not ever. I would also say that about 50% of Vagabonds theatres production of Dirks audience hadsn't been at the theatre before.
2) Clockwork Orange sold out two seasons with another very high percentage of non theatre goers. More so when it was at the Globe nightclub.
3) Wired at the blueroom sold out last year with again about half coming from the Scoop magazine mailing list and many had never been in a theatre before.
Pulling stats out of my arse you say! I'm Front of house at Rechabites (Dirk) I directed Wired and I have a policy of front of hosue information gathering to know who is exactly coming through the doors and,okay, im taking a stab in the dark about Pratchett plays.
Im not saying lets all do book translations but there is value in making the media we are going against work for us. Another example Take it Hard at Ambar, about reality programming in a nightclub and it played to excellent housing. Traditional theatre spaces are a block to non traditional theatre audiences (and the reverse is also true). People are initimadated by the dressing up and the formality of the whole process. Shakeseare inthe park sells like hot cakes (which i hear sell quite well) and a lot of that is to do with the outdoor informality of it and again i would suggets a large part of that audience dosen't go to much else.
And the cost of tickets compared to other entertainment is an issue. (An issue that community theatre can largely avoid).
Am i drawing conclusions? well call me on any day and i'll rant for hours. i don't direct theatre to play to friends and I don't direct to provide a carbon copy of how it use to be.
So, we can all drink a toast to the passing of theatre as we knew it or we can start drinking for theatre as we know it now and tomorrow.
Cheers
David Ryding
Yes many a show plays to friends and those we would deem theatre literate and yes theatre is not like it use to be but thank god for that.
Theatre tradition and dwelling on the past is strangling theatre and threatening to head it down the path of nostalgia. All traditions started out as radical innovations.
This 'problem' links very much to the arguement about classic theatre that has been discussed on this page and I won't repeat what i said there.
but...
we need to look forward, with a tip of the hat and full respect to the past, and develop theatre for audiences today and develop the audiences for theatre today. And Im NOT saying ignore the past and only do new plays. (lets get that cleared up)
Three interesting examples. which by no means Im saying are the soloution but worth thinking about...
1) Terry Pratchett plays. personally don't like them but i've seen a few and i would dare say for many, many audience members that that is their sole theatre experience for the year,if not ever. I would also say that about 50% of Vagabonds theatres production of Dirks audience hadsn't been at the theatre before.
2) Clockwork Orange sold out two seasons with another very high percentage of non theatre goers. More so when it was at the Globe nightclub.
3) Wired at the blueroom sold out last year with again about half coming from the Scoop magazine mailing list and many had never been in a theatre before.
Pulling stats out of my arse you say! I'm Front of house at Rechabites (Dirk) I directed Wired and I have a policy of front of hosue information gathering to know who is exactly coming through the doors and,okay, im taking a stab in the dark about Pratchett plays.
Im not saying lets all do book translations but there is value in making the media we are going against work for us. Another example Take it Hard at Ambar, about reality programming in a nightclub and it played to excellent housing. Traditional theatre spaces are a block to non traditional theatre audiences (and the reverse is also true). People are initimadated by the dressing up and the formality of the whole process. Shakeseare inthe park sells like hot cakes (which i hear sell quite well) and a lot of that is to do with the outdoor informality of it and again i would suggets a large part of that audience dosen't go to much else.
And the cost of tickets compared to other entertainment is an issue. (An issue that community theatre can largely avoid).
Am i drawing conclusions? well call me on any day and i'll rant for hours. i don't direct theatre to play to friends and I don't direct to provide a carbon copy of how it use to be.
So, we can all drink a toast to the passing of theatre as we knew it or we can start drinking for theatre as we know it now and tomorrow.
Cheers
David Ryding
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