Audience

 

Audiences don’t realize how important they are to a play. It’s not just ticket sales. They are part of the show.

As I write this, last night we had our dress rehearsal for the play we are about to put on: The Outsiders. After the rehearsal our director told us that even though we have been working at this for six weeks, we have not yet produced “theatre.” He said that tomorrow, after we do it in front of an audience, that will be theatre. He was correct. A play isn’t a play without an audience, just like a song isn’t a song without someone to hear it. A stage play is a symbiotic relationship between actors, crew and audience. The audience draws energy and emotions from the players. But also, the actors draw energy from the audience. Not just in a comedy when they can hear the laughter, not just at the end of the act when there is applause. The energy is there. It is palpable. The actors feed off it.

A play performance is a tenuous thing. It only exists once at that particular time. If you come to a show on a Friday night and then see it again on Saturday, you will see a different show. Why? Each actor will be in a slightly different head space each night. As much as we try to make all the performances consistent, slight variations will creep in. An actor may say a line slightly differently which may make his scene partner react slightly differently. For another thing, the audience will be different. Each member of the audience is a unique individual. They are all going through things in their personal life that may affect their reaction. They are all different ages, different sexes, of different religions and political persuasions. Put all those individuals in a big bag and shake them up and dump them in a theatre and you will get the audience for that night. It is wonderfully, beautifully unpredictable.

Each time a play is performed it is an ephemeral piece of art that only lasts for one night and then is gone. Each performance is unique. The cast and the audience should feel privileged that they participated in creating a piece of art.

 Fast-forward one day: It is now the day after our opening night. We had a great audience. Again, this is a drama, so not much opportunity to hear laughter, but we could still feel the engagement of the audience. Even with my brief bit on stage, I could feel it. Others around me could feel it too.

So, the next time you go to see a play just remember, you have an important job to do.

Star Liner