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

[Cat Hebert <virtualdrama@juno.com>]

> Yeah, I hear this all the time. And yet, about 80 percent of 
> Impact's  audience is under 30.  And I KNOW we're not the only ones,
given 
> that I just wrote my dissertation about this very thing.  My best guess
is that 
> we're  simply doing the kinds of plays they want to see at prices they
can 
> afford.  
> As Mark Sutton of the Annoyance Theater once told me, "You don't get 
> an 18-25 year old crowd by doing Long Day's Journey into Night."  

Absolutely. But various online connections between you and that < 3 0
audience can be a very two-way street. You can find out what they're
*really*  interested in,  and they get more interested in you because you
deal with subjects/styles they're interested in. You can also tie in
online activties with chat sessions with actors, etc. 

I think it's even more important to get 15+ audiences *doing* theater
(for which online performances that they create is one vehicle), and
getting exposed to performance work that deals with their issues. That
contrasts strongly with the notion they have (from school, parents, etc.)
that only TV has relevance to their world.

One thing I think also needs to happen is that more "Living
Newspaper"-type theater needs to get done. Quick writing, quick
production. Multiple companies. Targeted to current issues. In a way
that's part of the lure of comedy improv -- chances are the actors will
come up with something that's hot-off-the-presses and local.
> 
> 
> In any case, I take Cat's point about calling it "theatre" as a sort 
> of > advertising gimmick.  So, OK.  But let's be clear right now that
the 
> people  who have access to this type of technology (such as it is)
right now 
> are an  elite group; I'm guessing that when the technology springs up
that 
> allows for the full realization of interactive live broadcasts, most of
my 
> audience/potential audience still won't be able to afford it.

The idea is to help people create their own theater online. Show them how
it's done now using lower-end online technologies. Then, when the
technologies are available to do more interactive stuff theaters become
one of their points of reference.

And remember that anytime you have university student population(s)
nearby they usually have access to high bandwidth at school and in their
dorm rooms and spend *a lot* of time online.

Cheers,
Cat Hebert
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