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Week 3: Theater

This week, we took a brief look at Shakespeare's The Tempest (see the Assignments section). This five-act play opens with a storm at sea (a tempest) and throughout, Shakespeare has planted allusions to apparitions and magic, such as the character Ariel who, at times, appears to be invisible to the other characters. It is a given that the special effects, such as those often used in films, to actually give the stage the appearance of a deadly tempest or actually make Ariel an invisible presence are not achievable on the stage. To fill in this gap, audiences suspend disbelief.

In this thread, let's discuss the power and limitations of theatrical imagination. Please feel free to draw from productions you have seen. (The old high school productions count, too!) Why are we willing to suspend disbelief when we see a play, yet we demand so much more from a film production? Do you think that the limitation on special effects and alternative demand on the audience member to suspend disbelief is a weakness or a strength of the theatrical experience? Would you rather see The Tempest on stage or in film? Why?

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From student S. H.

Professor and class,

As stated in our reading, “Thus the audience feels that it is experiencing the action in real time, that it is directly involved in and affected by the play’s action” (Sayre, 2013). I would have to agree with Sayre in saying that being present and watching the play in actual time it means so much more. You almost feel involved, like you are there with them. Experiencing the noises and imagining while listening or watching the play brings it all together. I think that’s why I like it so much. As mentioned by New York Film Academy, “Everyone in the audience needs to see the action and hear the dialogue on stage, so theatre actors must exaggerate their movements and speak loudly to bridge the gap” (2015). I think that’s way there is such a hype about seeing the play. It almost as if they are talking to you and you are directly in the play with them. You hear what they hear, when they hear it and see what they see, when they see it. With that it is also something that is rehearsed many of times so that it’s the same every time and when something goes wrong the actors know just how to cover it up, even though the audience knows they forgot something or did something wrong. When it’s a film or movie they are able to have multiple takes until they get it right and no one knows about it. Its not really life.

I believe that’s why we demand so much from films because they are able to redo takes and scenes to get the best result. While plays its all real time and if things go wrong, they need to act on it fast and bring it in the right direction. When I was in grade school we had to put on a play for our families and friends. It was by far one of the hardest things I had to do. I practiced my lines every day for months and when the days came it was hard, standing in front of a hundred people or so, trying not to get stage fright. One of my classmates forgot to play the song at the right time and we were all waiting for the song to play, to be able to go to the next scene. We all looked at each other wondering what we should do and suddenly the song began to play, just a few minutes late. My classmates and I noticed because we performed the play so many times to make sure we got it right, but in the end, it turned out just fine. When we think about special effects or props in plays, we think about the work it must go into it and all the practice it must take. But then we look at the special effects on the movie and talk about how good it was, but most of it was performed many times and more than likely with the use of a computer.

To me I think going to the play you get more of the meaning of the play. To imagine what they are doing with the special effects or seeing what they are doing makes it that much better. To me it’s a strength, you need the imagination and feeling of the play to make it worth while and live in the experience. Watching a film to me there all the same and there isn’t anything special to it. When you are actually there experiencing it, you pick up on the small special effects and the props. All that to me makes the play unique and original. That is why I would like to see The Tempest on stage rather than on film. 

References:

Sayre, H. M. (2013). Discovering the humanities (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Influence-of-Ancient-Greek-Architecture (Links to an external site.)

(2015, August 14). New York Film Academy | Acting, Photography, & Film School. Stage vs. Screen: What’s the Big Difference?. Retrieved July 24, 2019, from http://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/stage-vs-screen-whats-the-big-difference/ (Links to an external site.)