What's the Point of Theatre?
By Charlie Flynn
Theatre: what’s the point? Seriously, why does anyone want to go to the theatre? First off, it’s eye-wateringly expensive. With the money you spend on the theatre you could probably get yourself across the world and back with enough time to pick up a respectable suntan. For a fraction of the price of a theatre ticket, you can listen to any song ever made. Ever. Of all time. Likewise, for a fraction of the price you can subscribe to a service that not only has all the Disney films ever made, but also the Planet of the Apes and the entire Die Hard Franchise. All of that can be accessed whilst draped in the comfort of one’s own pyjamas in the bed or couch of your choosing. To take in even the most casual of plays, you’re at the very least expected to wear underwear. If the draconian dress code wasn’t enough, the plays themselves don’t exactly scream ‘entertainment’. At the movies you can expect gorgeous scenery, exotic locations, beautiful people, action, adventure and all sorts of thrills. You can be in New York one minute, then in Tokyo, then in a desert in space filled with worms that poo the secret to interstellar space travel. More often than not you’ll get to look at Timothee Chalamet’s face. Failing that you might get Tom Holland or the fella who plays Krusty the Clown in IT; he’s pretty. What do you get when you head to the theatre? Three and a half hours in an uncomfortable seat watching a gaggle of actors in silly polystyrene costumes who aren’t good enough to be on TV sitting around on cardboard furniture. The backdrop: a poorly painted woodland scene that doesn’t change despite the action taking place in a densely populated urban centre. As for the action; conversation after forehead-grating conversation about the intricacies of provincial Russian life at the turn of the 20th century (Chekov you bastard).
Hyperbole aside; theatre is an odd one. While it is steeped in history and prestige, to the uninitiated it can come across as snobbery. To some, it probably resembles an art from a different time, with archaic practices that now seem laughable. The idea of the ‘hot new play’ is something that only really touches those in the ‘theatre scene’ and very rarely breaks out of that tight-knit circle. The plays that most frequently grace our stages, the so-called classics, are often only truly enjoyable to a particular type of well-educated person with a hefty wallet. Equally, when the theatre attempts something at little more ‘down to earth’ we are more likely than not provided with a play that is so insecure about its own ‘relevance’ that it ends up suffocating the audience with its insistence to appeal to all that ‘young people’ love; social media and social justice. In other words, theatre can be completely insufferable.
But, as an admitted lover of theatre, it does have its saving graces. At the end of the day, I think it’s important to take theatre with a pinch of salt. Going to the theatre isn’t like going to the movies, it’s not something to fill an evening with. It’s a little more like going to a concert. It’s an experience, something special that you’ve got to fork out for. At the risk of sounding pretentious; it’s more of a cultural experience. You don’t necessarily go to have fun, although you probably will, you go because it gives you the opportunity to experience the best the performing arts can be.
Why is that? Well, you get two fundamental things. First, theatre is an actor’s medium. It’s the ultimate test of a performer. There are no second takes, no fixing in post, no chance to quickly gloss over a mistake. It all happens right there, right in front of you. All the peaks and troughs a character might go through, the highs, the lows, the laugher, the tears; it’s all happening right there in front of the audience. It’s raw, it’s honest and seeing it done well is incredibly special. It’s the best place to see the craft of acting on display. Secondly, theatre is where you will encounter some of the best writing on offer. The medium itself offers a challenge to writers. You can’t have heart-pumping action scenes, exotic locations, big explosions and car chases to keep the audience engaged. You can’t hide bad dialogue with flashing lights and special effects. All a playwright has to craft their story with is characters and a room. That’s it. So, by necessity, a play is going to be well written. Plays, more often than not, are some of the most beautiful utilisations of the English language that you’ll find anywhere; they are works of literature as much as they are scripts.
In light of these two things, I think theatre still has a great deal to offer. It’s an artform unlike any other. Nowhere else will you see pure, unadulterated human drama distilled brilliantly into a few hours of breath-taking performance. It might be a little antiquated, it might be a little snobby, but maybe it has earned the right to be.
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