Because the first question is strictly opinion, I would encourage you to think about your experiences in going to the theater. What requests are made during the announcements before a show? Usually, they ask people to turn off their electronic devices. Smartphones have been a source of annoyance in both traditional theaters and in movie theaters due to the glare of the light and the very annoying disruption of ringing phones. You may recall an instance during a play starring the famed actor Daniel Craig (he most recently played James Bond). Visibly annoyed in the midst of his dialogue, he broke character to ask an audience member to tend to his or her ringing cell phone. Clearly, this is extremely rude, given the level of disruption this causes for everyone in the theater.
In regard to the second question, all technical elements are important, but some are more important, given the subject matter of the play. If, for example, we are staging Richard III in a traditional manner, costumes become very important to the integrity of the play. In Noh theater or commedia dell'arte, makeup would be more integral to our understanding of what is going on. Sound is important in plays in which we need to signal a lot of action occurring off-stage.
Personally, I would say that set design is vitally important, regardless of whether we are putting on a Shakespearean drama or an absurdist play by Edward Albee. The set design, if it is well-designed, gives the audience more information about the characters' lives and their world.
"Good" and "bad" acting, words which you rightfully put in quotes, is subjective. There is a difference between acting onstage and in front of a camera. Film and television actors engage in a more natural performance—that is, their voices are softer and their gestures are smaller, mimicking what people do in everyday life. Onstage, it is just the opposite: bigger bodily gestures and bigger voices. These conventions exist for the benefit of the setting. Without them, not everyone in the theater would be able to see the action onstage.
"Good" acting, whether onstage or onscreen, is acting that engages you in the story and the characters' lives and makes you believe in everything that is happening on the stage. The moment in which the stage explodes into life is the moment in which you know you are seeing a good performance.
It is difficult to think of an actor who would be "bad" onstage. The most likely candidates for bad stage performances might be those who have never performed onstage or those who entered acting through less conventional means, such as reality television.
Monday, September 29, 2014
What are some things you did not realize regarding theatre etiquette? Why has there been an increasing number of issues regarding theatre audience members and their etiquette over the years? This is strictly your opinion. If you had to choose between lights, costumes, makeup, and sound and set design for the most important technical element which would you choose and why? What is the difference between “good” and “bad” acting? Is there a film/television actor or actress you think would be “bad” on stage? Explain.
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