Is theatre important?

Question

Because I work in it and I'm getting a horrible feeling that it's a load of pretentious w^^k. Backstage and not appreciated, stupid actresses giving me a pain in the a** and when you watch the TV news and all the bombings...
I thought I was contributing in a small way to something worthwhile and saving for wheels. I'm really down.
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Hi huggy_bunny17
Thanks a bunch.

Answer 1

Hay!!!! i'm a total theater buff, i do it all basically, i act i do tech i direct, u name it i do it basically. you are making a great contribution!!!!! you bring people joy, w/o ppl like u the show literally could not go on!! yes plays can be done w/ little to no sets, lighting and costuming, but then it's not much of a play is it? I know exactly what it's like to be trampled on by pain in the neck actors and actresses, i was most hated the first year i was on the job because the lead actress had some bogus thing against me (that's show biz) but we're really on the same team here. There is allot of crap going on in the world and if u feel that there is a need for you to temporarily leave the biz and do bigger and better things, that is your decision and we're all behind u 100%. and if u do, just know this, u will be greatly missed. Theater is awsome, so awsome that it beats film (u wouldn't get me to say that if it wern't true!!!)
God Bless!!!

Answer 2

well, it all depends. The kind of theatre that you talk about, i.e. with a stage, a ticket office, lighting booth, directors and horrible actors is definitely not important, although it gives something to do and allows millions of people worldwide to earn a piatnce.
What is important, though is to remember that theatre is also the oldest and simplest art form in the world and, for that reason, the most basically and intrinsically human. There are societies without drawaing, I know of societies, or rather micro-societies without music, but there is no such thing as a society without theatre. From the moment that a half moronic Homo Erectus had to explain to another how to get a sharp edge by breaking up a stone and without the use of speach, then there was theatre. From the moment that a Cro Magnon had to tell the others where to find game and when fruit would come back on the trees, there was theatre.
I suggest that you read the shifting point, by Peter Brooke (or any of his books, for that matter) and you might find out that theatre, i.e. real, "live" theatre, might very well be the most important thing in the world.

Answer 3

Of course theatre is important!

Theatre is one of the oldest forms of communication and human expression. The basic tenents of theatre are the building blocks for language, history, religion, and nearly ALL forms of entertainment still utilized and enjoyed today. Without theatre, humans would not exist as they do today.

When you tell someone what you did today, you are telling them a story. Storytelling is a basic tenent of theatre.

When you speak with your lawyer about a case that is important to you, you are utilizing language which is an outgrowth of theatrical presentation as a primary form of communication.

When you listen to your father tell you about what it was like when he was a kid, you are participating in the theatrical experience as the audience for the information being distributed.

Stage plays, musicals, radio, television, films, books; none of these would exist without the basic human instinct for theatre.

And modern theatre is the most evolved representation of that need, that inherent desire to experience something as a participant or as an audience. Nothing in the world can duplicate the feeling, the energy, the verve of being at a live performance; a performance which has never happened before, neither will it ever happen again. Theatre is basic to life. Anyone who says differently has lost touch with his humanity and his humility.

Dear God yes, theatre is important!

Answer 4

Is Theatre important? Simply, yes it is!!!
Like with Cinema and Music, Theatre can be a form of entertainment which people use as a means to escape the realities of life.
It can aslo be used as a means of education, teaching kids how to play safe or adults how ti smile :->
Some of the technical knowledge and equipment is simply some of the best and most fascinating skills I've learned.
In addition, people can be free to use their imagination and join the characters in another world, pehaps one of excitment and adventure.
In addition, it can be used to make people aware.
Many plays - for example "The Cosmonaught's Last Message To The Woman He Once Loved In The Former Soviet Union" by David Hare - can bring to the front the not-so-merry side of Humanity and make us explore questions like "What does it mean to be Human?" In plays like "Permanant Way" by David Hare it shows the apparent short-mindedness of poilitical policy. "Vinegar Tom" by Charyl Churchil brings the audience face-to-face with the injustice Humans can do to each other.
I've worked in ameature theatre, both backstage and in front, and have loved it all. Yes you get the obnoxious fools but, unfortunetly, you get them everywhere.

Answer 5

Doctor B is a moron.


Anyway.....


I am a Techie. I build the set, fly things in and out, I load props, I check props, I did costuming and I did makeup.


Theatre *IS* important. It's a BEAUTIFUL way to show a way to expose things in a manner that is personal -- The actors bring the audience onto the stage with them, without physically doing it.


You ARE appreciated. The actors are dumbasses, but that's why they're actors.


Just walk about backstage and know that without what YOU have done, what THEY will do wouldn't be happening. :)


POWER TO THE TECHIES

Answer 6

It's a pity, because actors like you get paid little and not appreciated for doing true acting while we have smug adn spoiled talentless actors in Hollywood that make TOO much money.
It's actors that work in the Theaters, and not in Hollywood that impacted history greatly and deserve more attention. Just remember great plays like Shakespears will always be remembered but crap being churned out by Hollywood will be forgotten in a few years. Maybe someday Theater will have another impact.

Answer 7

I work in tv news and believe me, something like theatre is a wonderful break from the negativity we portray and have to deal with. Theatre can be escapism but it can also reflect real life in dealing with contemporary issues. It is also a collective experience for the cast, crew and audience, it can be creative, challenging - and crap! Unfortunately, we have to deal with stuck up people in all walks of life, particularly in television and theatre, just have to deal with it (with the odd outburst!). My only complaint is that theatre can be expensive! (Just remember your main goal of wheels.)

Answer 8

mmm, maybe the actresses give you such a headache because of the way you are around them. i'm not saying that it's your fault, maybe they were irritating first, but i know that anyone who works backstage and complains about everything gets nothing but greif from the actors...possibly your spirits would go up if you had a new mindset, like that your job really is worthwhile. if you think you're wasting your time, then quit. duh.

Answer 9

Theatre tends to attract people who are insecure when they're not getting applause. Ignore them, and tune in to the other people who can be very wonderful. There aren't any? Wrong theatre!

Answer 10

Sh*t and I thought banking was until I got made redundant.
How do I get a job as an actor?