Theatre: Art or commercial art?
Theatre practitioners these days are faced with a perplexing question — are we artists, entertainers or “professionals”?
“Artists” is probably what we would prefer. Part of that group of people for whom application of ideals and creation of the greater aesthetic have almost religious fervour. We want to create beautiful, intellectual and often esoteric work.
Which in turn, has given rise to one of the biggest and most generalised criticism of the theatre — it is too “niche”. Unfortunately that is the inevitability of the medium. Unlike a film which can be watched by a million people simultaneously in multiple locations, a play can be watched by at the most 1,000 people in one space. So naturally it is a little more niche because access to it is limited.
As a result, “theatre” in Maximum city received a reputation as a purely intellectual activity. At different times it was seen as “a mirror for society”, “a comment on the world we live in”, “a portrayal of how things can be better”, “a breakthrough in a particular artistic movement”, but never really just “a good evening out”.
From the practitioners’ point of view, we need bums on seats in order to put food on the table. So the work needs to be made more identifiable and accessible to the general public. Some might even say to “compromise” the work. This is not new. Shakespeare wrote for the elite and the masses alike.
Nowadays the distinction between “art” and “art for entertainment” has narrowed. Theatre is especially susceptible. The medium depends on the audience. Without an audience it is incomplete. A book never read is still a book. A movie never watched is still a movie. But a play never seen is only a rehearsal.
Just like in the days of Shakespeare, theatre is slowly becoming a big player in the entertainment genre. But Shakespeare never had to contend with the mediums of television or cinema for his audiences. Theatre was all people had. Even novels weren’t really published till much later.
By adapting to the new situation, theatre is losing its “nicheness,” or rather maximising it’s “nicheness”, where it becomes a unique and special evening out, not shared by millions.
This has led to a sudden spurt of big budget extravaganzas, where often the publicity material talks less of the story and more of the scale of the production. But even on the smaller scale, the more successful plays are those that seem to tickle the funny bone, but are not necessarily artistically unique.
This sudden popularity means that today a theatre actor can actually call it his or her profession. By performing in up to 200 performances a year, they stand to make a decent living. Not one where cars and houses can be bought, but definitely one where rent can be paid and food can be put on the table.
Theatre has definitely moved from high art to popular art. But the real challenge for the community is that can it still create Great Art?
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