Re: RAT Hello Seattle

[BeSpecific@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/02/1999 6:24:03 PM Pacific Standard Time, smith@avn.com 
writes:

> the rage is just under the surface i think
>  you just need to scratch a little to find the monster under the human mask
>  i feel close to the edge a lot of the time the older i get and I keep
>  harkening bakc to the good ole days of sociology chapters on Crowd Behavior
>  
>  (what does it sll mean for theater? OY!!!!!!!)(sorry)
I think if you treat the audience as a MASS, your attitude will influence 
their behavior, and their connection to the play and the actors. I see a lot 
of actors shouting on stage because of this. Its as though they were in a 
football stadium, and rather than attract the audience to the stage, it's as 
though the actor is clamoring to pull the audience towards them.
If we treat the audience as individual INDENTITIES, then that attitude will 
influence their attitude towards us on stage, and I believe they will be able 
to feel and recognize themselves as a part of the play in an easy and natural 
way. 
The audience comes through the lobby, into the house en mass, and it takes a 
good 20-30 minutes for them to stop thinking of themselves as a mass; this 
shift can be felt on stage.
I can't speak about the rage under the surface. I think violence is 
everywhere all the time. Its the easy choice. A compassionate path is often 
not trusted today, out in the world...for most people, its just not 
considered worth the effort...because most people think they are alone in the 
world. But they're not.