Chapter 3 (2024)

Chapter3 / TheAudience

“Youneed three things in the theater - the play, the actors, and the audience,

andeach must give something.” -Kenneth Haig.

Theatre, by its nature, is a process ofparticipation. It requires the giveand take between the artist and the observer.Each needs the other to have a complete artistic and theatricalexperience and, as a result, both have important roles and responsibilities.This chapter will focus on the participation of the audience and thedynamic that is created between the performer and observer.

One way to look at the audience dynamic iswhether or not the performance requires active or passive viewing. Passive viewing occurs when the performance beingwatched does not include the presence of a live performer, such as watchingmovies or television. Thisdoes not mean to imply that the audience member is getting nothing from theexperience. On the contrary,both film and television are very powerful mediums and can illicit greatemotional responses. Thepoint is not that the viewer is unaffected it is that the performeris unaffected. The actor isnot there and their performances, while professional and complete, are created,edited, and “canned” for distribution.The performance will be the same whether it is in Indianapolis orHouston. Because of thisabsence, audience behavior changes. Forexample, audience members are not expected to clap for or laugh with the actorin film or television. On theother hand, active viewing like a music concert or a dance performance expectsyou to sit quietly, exercise good manners, and react to the performancepolitely. Theatre is the same.In theatre, there is no rewind or pause, there is no remote to ‘surf’past the slow parts, theatre occurs in real time.Live performances require the full attention of the viewer.There are always possibilities for mistakes, so concentration must bemaintained.

In addition, what also separates theexperience of watching theater from television and the movies are the issues ofaccessibility and convenience. Itis easier to go to the movies, or sit at home and watch television than go to aplay. Movies and Televisionare less threatening both socially and intellectually.In theatre there are no previews or trailers of upcoming attractions toindicate content. Althoughyou might have a general idea about the plot and action of the play, you do notknow what you are truly going to see.It is a mystery. Inaddition, the entire event of going to a live performance is formalized. Becausethese events are usually limited by a certain number of performances, ticketsare normally purchased ahead of time and, in some cases, subscribing to anentire season of performances is necessary to assure availability. People do not usually go to the theater just to see'what’s on.' Audiencemembers plan and even shop for 'what is out there.'They make a formal commitment to go and this, in itself, makes theaterless accessible and convenient. Goingto the theatre is a planned event.

However, the flip side to this ‘film andtelevision vs. theater’ debate is what the modern day theatrical audience hasgained from their exposure to theater’s more passive siblings. Modern audiences have become more visually literate andpossess a cinematic vocabulary and intelligence.For instance, through the accessibility of television news audiencemembers are more aware of the world around them. They are exposed to diverse issues and cultures.Through movies, audience members have been exposed to film techniques.They understand, at least on a subliminal level, the use of montage andcan mentally register how different kinds of edits guide the viewer through thesequence of events. Inaddition, they understand and accept non-linear writing and the use offlashbacks. In addition, classic plays have been recently made into contemporaryfilms making theater more accessible.For instance, there have recently been two major motion pictures producedof William Shakespeare’s Hamletstarring Mel Gibson, and Kenneth Branaugh in the title role, not to mentionthe neo-punk/funk retro version of Romeoand Juliet featuring Leonardo Dicaprio.Moreover, audiences posses more knowledge and have more access toinformation about theatre in general through books, video taped productions, theWorld Wide Web, and courses like this.However, even with all of these advantages the major difference betweenfilm and theatre remains to be that theatre is a real time event and the actionhappens in front of the audience. Itis this single difference that establishes all live performance - and especiallytheatrical ones, as both a unique collective and personal experience for theaudience.

Theatre is a unique collective experience for the audience because it isseen by a single specific group of people for one particular performance.The play being performed may stay the same every night, but theindividual make up of the audience will change, and it is this complex mix ofindividuals, which create the audience’s chemistry.This chemistry is determined and influenced by a number of differentfactors. For example, what is thecomposition of the audience in regard to age, class, gender, and race?Is the audience mostly composed of workers recently laid off or did thecompany just give everyone a yearly bonus?The audience’s mood can shape and change the performance by how theirtotal mood influences their responses towards the actors. This happens because the actors are human beings notimages. The actors see youryawns and hear your coughs. Theyfeel the rustle of the distracted audience and they will react to you as much asyou react to them. It is thequality of this interaction that can determine the quality of the performance onany given night.

If you then think of theater as a journey, then consider the followingfive elements as the major participants in the expedition.The five interactive elements are:

·Script

·Direction

·Acting

·Design

·Audience

These elements are interactive and can shift slightly from performance toperformance. The first fourare collaboratively mixed and aimed at the audience. The playwright has developed the script so we canunderstand what the story is about, who the characters are, what the chain ofevents are, and how the story, characters, and events are tied together.The script serves as the map we follow to take the journey.If parts of the play are not fully connected or are missing we will havetrouble understanding the play. Themap must be complete.

Thedirector crafts the play into a cohesive unit so that we can understand thedialogue and action of the actors. Thedirector is like the navigator who uses the map (script) to chart the course.It is necessary that the instruction of the navigator be followed andunderstood by all of the other participants.Moreover, clear directions must be given.

The actor acts as our personal guide.He or she is the person we follow throughout the play.It is necessary that they speak clearly and portray their characterbelievably. If you cannot hear the lines, or if the necessarymovements of an actor's character are forgotten or not included, our attentionis distracted. It isnecessary, that as an audience, the actors take us on this journey, if not, wewill become lost.

The design provides the visual texture uponwhich the journey takes place. Itadds a sense of mood and provides the audience with more clues in understandingthe play. It also should makesense and serve the purpose of the play.For instance, it would make no sense to travel by boat through thedesert. Thus, the design is thevisual landscape of the journey.

The fifth element, the audience, is a wildcard. The audience adds asense of urgency and suspense. Anunruly or inattentive audience affects the production.Expedition members that do not pay attention might miss the boat or mightprove so distracting to the guides (the actors) that they too can become lostand forget to follow the navigator’s directions or misplace the map!Setting this “journey” analogy aside, it will become apparent to youhow these elements work together to create a total evening of theatre throughoutthis course.

In addition to the script, direction,acting, design, and audience, there are three final factors, which help createthe audience dynamic. Theseelements are best represented by three important questions.

Why does an individual go to thetheater?

Where do they draw the line?

What allows them to watchsomething they know is not real?

These questions are resolved by threedistinct answers: by the audience's knowledge and enjoyment of the experience,by their aesthetic distance, and by their “willing suspension of disbelief”(Colridge). Through thisclass you will learn many things about theatre increasing your enjoyment andmaking it less threatening and more personally accessible.You will find that people go to the theatre because they enjoy the natureof the live event and are not intimidated by it.In addition, if the theatrical audience enjoys the event, and they willprobably come back. Over time, thisbuilds a solid audience base and creates advocates of the theater.In addition, an audience has an aesthetic distance.Physically, this means that an audience is happy to participate byviewing and reacting, but their involvement usually stops there.Psychologically, the audience has a sense of taste and decorum that theywill not go past. Any attackon those sensibilities, whether intentional or unintentional, will change theaudience dynamic. Finally,when an individual goes to the theatre they are willing to suspend theirdisbelief. We know that theactors are only portraying characters and that these situations are the productof a writer-yet we allow ourselves to believe.In a sense, this is the imaginative mind at work, stretching andexercising. For the sake ofthe journey, we allow ourselves to believe the world of the theatre. As you can see, the audience interaction in theatre isquite complex and immensely important

The Audience as Critic

In this class, you will be asked to be bothan audience member and a critic. Criticismis a crucial part of the theatre experience.As you will discover, artists use criticism to test the approaches andtheories of their art form. Forinstance, actors use criticism to determine the current nature of their approachto a character and to the usefulness of various techniques.Playwrights may use criticism to test the clarity of the play’s contentand directors may use it to gauge the audience’s reaction and make changes ifnecessary. In general,artists of all mediums use criticism to discover the appropriate nature of theirexperimentation.

The classical definition of a critic is“someone who responds to theatre with knowledge and understanding." For the purposes of this course, it is more importantto find the difference between criticizing and critiquing. Someone who criticizes can only find fault in what theysee. They have the “theateras a blood sport, take no prisoners, and I refuse to accept the experience”attitude. In contrast, acritic who balances the good with the bad and presents an even assessment of thefaults and successes in the production is someone who critiques.It is this model of critiquing that you will be expected to emulate.You will be asked to do reviews of the productions you see. A review is very different from a formal criticism.A review is a surface exploration of the contributing parts of theproduction, the plot, and the characters.A review also covers the who, what, where, why, and when of theproduction, as well as, the how. On the other hand, a formal criticism is an in depthintellectual exploration of the production.It explores the play's relation to its place within dramatic history andtheory. Since you will be acritic, you will need to carry five important traits with you into the theatre.You will need to be:

·Observant

·Informed

·Sensitive

·Demanding

·Articulate

You will need to be observant and pay closeattention to what you see, hear, and feel.You will need to be informed-so read the program.This will help you to identify the characters when they appear.In addition, director’s notes can fill you in on any historicallyimportant aspects of the play, in the play's translation, or the director'sfeelings toward the work. Youwill need to be sensitive towards the nature of live theatre.If you need take notes do so as inconspicuously and quickly as possible.Better still, take notes immediately afterwards.If the play is bad, refrain from loud groans, sighs, and other bodilynoises and let the actors do their work.In addition to being respectful you also should be demanding and thereare two quite simple reasons for this.First, you paid for the ticket, and you should expect the best productionpossible. Secondly, youshould be entertained - meaning that you “enjoyed” the performance and gotsomething personally beneficial out of it.Finally, you should be articulate about your likes and dislikes, meaningyou should weave your emotional responses together with intellectualjustifications.

A critic also needs to see the play fromfive critical perspectives. Ithink of these perspectives as a series of windows in a tower, each looking outover a vista of the play. Essentially,the critic should continue to look at the play through these different windowsas the play progresses. The five perspectives are:

·Social

·Personal

·Artistic

·Theatrical

·Entertainment

From a social perspective, the critic needsto view the play in relation to the current human condition.What does this play have to do with reality? Does this play represent ongoing problems in societyand then try to resolve them? Doesthe play have a socially redeeming value?Does it connect or reconnect you to your culture or society?This particular social perspective is your connection to the play as amember of society.

The personal perspective is the check onthe critic's perceptive filter as outlined by the communication model in Chapter2. There are questions youshould ask to see if your perceptual filters are at work.Did I misunderstand the play because it was incomplete and confusing, orwas it because it is against everything I believe? Am I being fair in my approach to the disturbingcontent of the play? How doesthe critic relate personally to the play?Have these circ*mstances happened to you?Have they happened to a member of you family, or a friend? This particular perspective is your personal connectionas an individual with the play.

Moreover, the artistic perspective relatesto how well the style of the production matched the script and the action.Was the production well done artistically?Was a sense of mood created? Didthe colors, shapes, and textures convey the feeling of the play?Were the production elements coordinated, and if not was it intentionalor was it a mistake? Inprevious chapters we discussed what art is and you defined what art means toyou. This perspective is youraesthetic connection to the play.

A theatrical perspective includes thestructure of the play and its place within the theatrical spectrum.You will have a better sense of this when we learn theatrical history.Where does this play fit in the spectrum of theatre history and style?What is its genre? Thisserves as a reference or as a benchmark by which to examine the text and itshistorical relation to the past. Thisperspective is your analytical connection to the play.

Finally, there is the perspective ofentertainment. From thisvantage point you should ask, “was it entertaining."Did it hold your attention? Didyou feel involved? Did yourelate to the content? Did youenjoy yourself? Were youmoved emotionally? Essentially,this is your connection to the play as an audience member.These five perspectives should be viewed during the time you watch theplay. It is too hard toreconstruct these windows of perception after the fact.

Finally, a critic needs to ask these foursimple questions of any play after it is over: What is the playwright trying tosay and did they succeed?

What is the production trying todo and did they accomplish it?

How well was it done?

Was it worth doing?

You will find as a writer that these fourquestions will be immensely useful in unlocking your ideas for your review.