The Audience is Always Right

After being involved in theatre for so long, I find it increasingly more difficult to visualize myself as a member of the audience. When I go to see a show, I often picture myself on stage, imagining what the performers are thinking, and rarely do I find myself simply sitting back and absorbing the experience. Perhaps I now empathize more with performers, or perhaps I am now more judgmental; either way, I find the audience to be boring.

I used to view the departure from the "plebeian" role of audience member as crucial to my development as a performer, but Lyn Gardner points out that this is potentially dangerous. In her blog on theatre (Note: with an "-re"), Lyn writes that performers and the audience have "a relationship that is often fraught with difficulties, suspicion, and lack of trust." Theatre without an audience is merely an exercise, and I seemed to have forgotten how important the relationship between performers and audience really is.

I think the problem lies in how the audience and ensemble are often seen as two completely separate entities who rarely interact outside of the performance space. As Lyn puts it, we must create theatre with audiences rather than for audiences. Theatre venues nowadays have realized this and are starting to reach back towards their patrons in an attempt to reconnect, but is it too late?

Recent Steppenwolf production of
"Lord of the Flies" that I saw

The Steppenwolf Theatre does an awesome job at reconnecting with the audience, and as a result, the theatre has acquired a cult following. After each performance at the Steppenwolf, interested participants can stay for a structured discussion of the play, during which the audience can actively contribute to the performance. To be honest, the discussion felt uncomfortable for me the first time—even though it was certainly interesting. I suppose I was so used to the separation between audience and performance that any interaction between the two felt "wrong." After participating in a few discussions, however, I grew to love the experience.

Ms. Gardner and the Steppenwolf both see the ultimate benefits that performer-audience interaction can bring, even if it is initially uncomfortable. Though it is still difficult for me to be an audience member, I hope in time to act both as a performer and an audience member, for there is certainly more overlap than I initially realized. 

"Illusions": A Reflection

As many of you already know, I am the producer of this year's One Act Show "Illusions" at GBN. This has been an incredible experience for me—something completely separate from what I am used to in GBN Theatre. Though I wish not to merely discuss my life and my experiences in this blog, this experience has been very meaningful to me and could perhaps provide some insight into theatre, performance, and life in general.

I've found that it is easy to get settled into a routine without realizing it. Although routine is crucial to organization and productivity, it also leaves little room for growth. During rehearsals for each show at GBN, our theatre director always tells us to "be in the moment"—to imagine as if we are experiencing the scene for the first time, regardless of of how many rehearsals have passed. Certainly scenes are rehearsed and repeated, but I like to imagine as if each rehearsal is a new experience—anything but routine. That being said, theatre productions as a whole are becoming routine in my life. Each year I do about three or four shows, each lasting for about eight weeks, and each new year brings new performances. While I loved every production, last year I began to desire a completely experience—something to break up my theatre routine—and for me, that experience has been producing the One Acts.

As producer, my duties include reading student-submitted scripts, choosing which acts will be performed, organizing rehearsals and show dates, running auditions and callbacks, generating publicity, and so on. It has by no means been a walk in the park, and that's why I have enjoyed the process so much. I constantly approach logistical and theatrical hurdles that require my past experience be resolved, and it is intensely satisfying to see my input help bring this show to life. I am no longer a piece of a puzzle; I am the puzzle-solver himself. 

"Illusions" has helped me grow exponentially as an actor as well. For the first time, I am experiencing a show from behind the scenes, in the once ungraspable realm where some stroke of magic is able to turn a bunch of discombobulated actors into a cohesive ensemble. I have been able to work with that "magic" first-hand, finally demystifying the many moving parts that make a production great. Whereas I could once only see a production from the perspective of myself—but one of many moving parts—I now hope to better adapt my own acting to the other moving parts—cast mates, directors, settings, et cetera.

Above all else, "Illusions" has been a humbling experience. I always thought producing or directing a show would be easy and straightforward. "Just tell the actors and directors what to do," I thought. Though I have always had the utmost respect for my theatre director Ms. Robinson, this experience has, more than anything, showed me how truly awesome Ms. Robinson is. She has incredible talent as an actress as well as a director, and she still manages to find time to bond with her students. In many ways, the One Acts title "Illusions" perfectly fits my experience with this show; the illusions of directing were holding me back, yet I now see that theatre and directing are not at all what they once seemed.