Re: RAT In support of in-home, in-class, on-line theater

[Cat Hebert <virtualdrama@juno.com>]

Hmmm. The most interesting people of my acquaintance hardly go to theater
at all. Not because they don't have the time (although that's a factor),
but because theater doesn't offer them anything that has to do with their
own life stories and because performances are rarely "first-rate".  Pro
theater has become spectacle and 5-big-issues. Semi-pro theater has
become sitcom-tryouts and self-indulgence. Interesting people see more of
their own stories in film. Theater has abandoned them, IMHO, because many
theater-makers are marginalized and out-of-touch.

This elitism has been displayed in several of the posts on this topic.

Cheers,
Cat Hebert



On Tue, 15 May 2001 11:38:45 -0700 (PDT) Audie McCall
<audiemccall@yahoo.com> writes:
> Allison Narver <anarver@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > I feel that theater is in part defined by the
> > audience
> > and performers being able to breathe the same air at
> > the same time.
> > I'm not very interested in watching somebody's
> > exploits online.  
> > Allison
> 
> Agreed!
> 
> And I for one would like nothing more than see the
> discussion veer in the direction of talking about what
> exactly this means.  Not just an artsy vague praising
> of "immediacy",  or “4-dimensionality” but rather some
> crystal, cogent arguments for breathing the same air. 
> How can we use it to our advantage, especially beyond
> the more obvious fourth-wall-breaking techniques
> (though I ain’t knockin’ em)?
> 
> For instance, I think it’s rather remarkable that any
> of us can convince anyone at all to leave their
> comfortable homes, get in their cars, drive to some
> seedy neighborhood, plant their butt an uncomfortable
> seat and watch things happen.  If this very act
> creates a certain self-selection, say for a more
> intelligent, more enthusiastic audience member, then
> what does that mean to our shaping of the show we’re
> giving them?  
> 
> For instance, is this the reason we can get away with
> things like the new wave of science plays (COPENHAGEN,
> PROOF, GREAT MEN OF SCIENCE et al)?
> 
> Is it enough to simply preach to this self-selected
> choir, or can we challenge ourselves to challenge them
> in ways one couldn’t with a larger, more diffuse,
> less—dare I say it— interesting group of people?
> 
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