― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:29 (eighteen years ago) link
― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:36 (eighteen years ago) link
We need a rolling Theatre S/D thread really, but as you all say, nobody cares.
― Johnny B Was Quizzical (Johnney B), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago) link
xp i care
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago) link
Yes, but why? (I'm not being flippant.)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:51 (eighteen years ago) link
speaking of revivals, though, when I was in LA, I took my grandmother to one of the Reprise! shows, which had great original choreography and housed in a small enough theatre (at UCLA) that the amplification (live orchestra) wasn't overbearing. one of the leads, Tami Tappan Damiano, was moderately impressive too. they also do one-weekend shows with some medium-sized Hollywood types (when I was there - Working, with among others Camryn Manheim).
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:25 (eighteen years ago) link
I basically prefer fringier theatre... partly this is the indie kid in me, but I think also that fringy theatre is more true to what the theatre is all about. It's still more expensive than I'd like it to be... why can't they just replace all actors with cheaper non-unionised Eastern Europeans?
The thing I hate most about the theatre is that in general you have to book in advance and can't just show up on whim to things like you can with other things.
― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:26 (eighteen years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link
when i say "beyond realism" i mean it in the most mundane way that you might not find interesting at all, that's cool. for example, in film a table is always a table but in the theatre that exact same table could be a table, a bed, an autopsy slab, a raft, a shelter, or any number of things. e.g. a Robert Lepage play i saw where a washing machine doubles up as a space ship (not as ridiculous as it sounds). there are any number of things you can "only do in the theatre" whereas the public perception is that theatre is limited in some way, compared to film. i think it's the opposite. this needs lots of examples & i don't have the time to go into it now but i'll come back to it later.
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:33 (eighteen years ago) link
theres a bunch of interesting stuff on in london, and here in the provinces we've got "the romans in britain" next month in sheffield, dario fo's "mistero buffo" in april, and in leeds the trinidadian "three sisters" at the WYP, which i was reading about the other day.
I love the crucible, but the last thing i saw there was a hmmmm version of "much ado about nothing"
saw the history boys too in sheffield which was excellent, although i thought the set was a bit showy.
i dont understand going to the theatre in london, from what my parents go through it seems as though you have to book tickets a year in advance or something?!?!! up here i just turn up generally.
mind you, that yforward planning allowed me to see the full 9 hours of "coast of utopia" at the national which was pretty fucking special, if a bit harsh on yr ass
― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link
ok - i think the the table thing is an example of something that opens out wider possibilites for theatre, i dont mean it just like "props in the theatre can be many different things and that's why it's important" but as i said i'll give more examples later.
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:05 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:06 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:18 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:21 (eighteen years ago) link
realism SuXoR.
― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:35 (eighteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link
the point for me would be the same as that for going to London in the first place
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:54 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:23 (eighteen years ago) link
it's at the national, right? they keep back a certain number of tickets for every performance and sell them for a tenner (i think) on the day. the seats could be anywhere. they start selling them at 10am iirc, the only time i did it i got there for about 8, was the third person in the queue, spent a pleasant couple of hours reading, chatting and peoplewatching and got a front row seat (not as great as it sounds as the stage is at head-height) for the philip pullman/archbish rowan 'platform' debate (that wasn't a tenner actually, it was £3 or something. anyway it was brilliant). so er, yeah, if you get up early you can get a ticket.
― emsk ( emsk), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:40 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― emsk ( emsk), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:48 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:51 (eighteen years ago) link
― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:56 (eighteen years ago) link
I think the title of the Gorey show was "Dispirited Diversion for Christmas," but I get a little confused since the Hypocrites also adapted "The Curious Sofa" as a toy theatre piece. That also ruled.
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― Laurel (Laurel), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 19:26 (eighteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:47 (eighteen years ago) link
the point is that theatre fought back by going beyond realism, it's that kind of theatre (devised theatre especially) that i find so vital.
I am more interested in the other reaction, personally -- of saying, "wait, film might be able to throw in more realistic details but in theatre you, personally, are really there, as are the actors and everything else." Which is to say that it seems largely hard to justify a proscenium stage, since that comes off as a poor recreation of film. But, without going into boring and painful forms of "interactive" theatre, you can still engage an audience in a more literal way.
Which is to say, most of what I think could be interesting in theatre these days come closer to "installations" or even "performance art" if that weren't so loaded with unpleasant associations.
― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:18 (eighteen years ago) link
― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:18 (eighteen years ago) link
― sgs (sgs), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:19 (eighteen years ago) link
I think I've heard of Justin Tanner, but I'm not really in the mood to watch a play about wifeswapping.
― youn, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:29 (eighteen years ago) link
where they really do fall down compared to other devised theatre groups i have seen and loved - Lepage's Ex-Machina, The Wooster Group, Theatre de Complicite - is that they don't move so well and it's not as tight, performance-wise. also they totally wear their research on their sleeve as a sort of badge of honour "hey aren't we clever?" - really really trying hard to make it clear to the audience that they've done alot of reading for this thing. whereas with those other groups the obvious heavy research they have done to get where thay are just falls away because the performances themselves and the mechanics of the staging are generally so stunning. as i said it WAS a work in progress but i have seen works in progress from those other groups too.
also i saw a devised piece from the belgian thatre company Wayne Traub about a month ago that had obviously had alot of money thrown at it, was technically very impressive: split screens displaying alternate narratives simultaneously; hoists for the props to dissappear and reappear mid scene; gorgeous sets and constumes... and it was one of the most empty and vapid and depressing theatrical experiences ever. the critics love them.
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:37 (eighteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:38 (eighteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 22:41 (eighteen years ago) link
Goat Island is fabu. DOG Theater in Chicago is heavily Goat Island-influenced and totally recommended.
― ng-unit, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 23:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― emsk ( emsk), Saturday, 18 February 2006 12:32 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 18 February 2006 12:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― emsk ( emsk), Saturday, 18 February 2006 12:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 28 April 2006 16:32 (eighteen years ago) link