At the beginning of the year when we had the definitive theatre debate I was on the side that said that anything could be considered theatre as long as it involved players and an audience. In some ways I still agree with that I mean look at the ancient greeks and dithyramb or Japanese Banraku... If chanting in front of a crowd without dialogue and big puppet shows are "theatre" then who's to say that Pro-Wrestling, or a birthday party clown can't be considered the same.
However, my gut tells me that there are things in life that are more theatrical than others without actually crossing into the realm of theatre and that's where I stand.
Theatre is planned but not necessarily scripted, it has to be acted but sincere, it has to be a performance that resonates with the players and anyone watching through the 4th wall unbeknownst to the players.
Theatre is like emotion, it is a cluster of contradictions, but always powerful and present.
I really like how you say that theatre is filled with contradictions. I completely agree with this. There are aspects from one form of theatre that can completely be contradicted in another format, and yet both are theatre and not simply theatrical. For example, if you look at the strict format of Noh theatre and the free-spirited musicals of the early 1900s, both are theatre, just different formats. I also like the idea that theatre is a contradiction because actors work to have real moments where they personally experience intimate moments and yet they ask large audiences to watch them go through those moments of intimacy. It is almost a little perverse in it's manner - "I'm going to do something where I should be alone; but please watch me do it." I love it, but I completely agree, it has many contradictions.
ReplyDeleteI like what you say/how you said it. Simple, to the point, didn't confuse me.
ReplyDeletePlus - That metaphor on emotions at the end really appeals to the Islander in me.
I also agree with what you're saying about how naming the beast of 'what is theatre' is somewhat of a 'gut feeling' dependent on the person.