#plays

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[the-evil-clergyman]

Illustrations from Aristophanes' Lysistrata by Norman Lindsay (1930)

[metamorphesque]

What I love about theater — something one cannot get with movies — is the singularity of the experience and the absence of a final product. The "same" play can never be performed twice. Even if the actors follow the script word for word, letter by letter — even if they enter and exit the stage at precisely the same moment as before — a single breath taken differently will alter the performance.

And what about the audience? You can’t expect to have the same audience for different performances of the "same" play, and you certainly can’t expect everyone to behave exactly as they did in a previous one. A cough, a whisper, or even the disruptive ring of a phone — all of these ripple through the space, shaping not only the audience’s experience, but also the actors’ performance itself. The theater is an exchange, a living, breathing dialogue between those who perform and those who witness. As such, even if you watch the “same” play five times, you are, in truth, watching five distinct performances — five unique creations that will never exist again.

This singularity is not the only wonder of theater. There is also its lack of a fixed, final product. Each play leaves an impression, an aftertaste, a mark, so to speak, on the spectator, but that’s all you are left with. With cinema, the final product is the movie. With theater, there is no such thing. With plays, every minute is the product of itself. Its finality lies in its continuity.

Of course, some might argue that this notion collapses once a performance is recorded. But trying to record a theatrical performance is a futile pursuit; it’s like attempting to capture the moon and its light with an average phone camera. The essence slips through your grasp. The beauty of theater is that every second counts. There is no final creation because each second is a creation, constantly metamorphosing into the next, and the next, until the whole experience dissolves into memory, an aftertaste, a mark. The beauty of theater lies in its immediacy. Every second matters, for every second is a creation in its own right, an act of becoming that dissolves as it unfolds. In this way, theater mirrors life itself.

Both theater and life resist finality. Their "product" is their continuity. This is why theater so often serves as a metaphor for life. Both in theater and in life, every second matters because, at the end of it all, there is no final product. In the end, all that remains is a memory, an aftertaste, a mark left on those we have touched.

Man, don’t I love theater!

musings on theater

[notaseriousactor]

HATE the fact that the “less important” Tony’s (the tech awards) are thrown into a pre-show instead of being as important as best actor or show.

Without tech, there’d be no theater. THEY are the most important awards.

They are not the ones getting recognized at curtain or stage door. The Tonys are the only time they’re acknowledged by the common audience so put them in the main show with the energy, devotion, and love they deserve.

(Edit: as an actor myself, techies are literally my favorite people on the face of the earth)

[mrs-starkgaryen]

Favourite Shakespeare's Tragedies

After my other poll, I am going to be specific.

There shall be a battle of the favourites!!

For the love of Shakespeare, please reblog for a better analysis

[mournfulroses]

Albert Camus, from Caligula & Other Plays; "State of Siege: A Play in Three Parts,"

[starwars-dyke]

I love when I see a post saying “WHEREFORE ART THOU [insert name of a missing person],” while my Old English nerd ass knows that their usage of the phrase is completely wrong.

Quick history lesson:

“Wherefore art thou Romeo” is a well known phrase from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet (obviously). During the time period it was written, the term “wherefore” meant “why.” The line right after this one is “deny thy father and refuse thy name.” In the play, Juliet’s family (Capulets) are an enemy of Romeo’s family (Montagues). Here, Juliet is asking Romeo why he must be a Montague. Not where he is.

So next time you guys are about to say “Wherefore art thou [insert name of a missing person],” remember that you’re not asking where this missing person is; you’re really asking “why are you [insert name of a missing person].”

Thank you for coming to my Nerd Talk. *Mic drop*

[luthienne]

Jean Anouilh, from Antigone (tr. Barbara Bray)

[funeral]

Sophocles, Antigone

[faithfullarchives]

Marianne Faithfull as Irina in the play The Three Sisters at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England. April 1967.

[incognitopolls]

Include nonprofessional productions, like community theater or school plays. This is asking only about seeing them live– do not include times you've watched recordings of plays/musicals. DO include shows you've seen multiple times. For any productions you were involved in (as cast/crew/etc), use your own judgement to decide if that counts.

If you don't know the exact number, just make your best estimate.

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We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[depressedraisin]

antigone & creon // annie & chris

antigone (sophocles, trans. paul woodruff) // the other place (alexander zeldin)

[metamorphesque]

Salomé, Oscar Wilde

[mrs-starkgaryen]

Favourite Shakespeare's Comedies

After my other poll, I am going to be specific. There shall be a battle of the favourites!!

For-

Two Gentleman of Verona (comment 🐕)

Winter's Tale (comment ⌛️)

For the love of Shakespeare, please reblog for a better analysis