New theatre list

[kenneth mccoy]

ANNOUNCING
 
A new list devoted to theories of acting, voice, movement, directing, etc.
I am merely one of the subscribers, but I'd like to see this list take
off; I think it fills a void.
 
It's called THEATRE-THEORY.
 
To subscribe, send a request to <quijote at mit.edu>. Please make it a
personal note; subscription is not automatic.
 
To post, send messages to : <theatre-theory at mit.edu>.
 
I'm enclosing a recent post by the list manager, Andrew Kraft.
 
Please join us...
 
        Ken McCoy
        kmccoy at andy.bgsu.edu
 
 
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 94 18:14:58 EST
From: quijote at MIT.EDU
To: theatre-theory at MIT.EDU
Subject: This List and a few Topics.
 
Hello everyone.
 
Yes, this list is still active and currently is sent to 54 users. Please
feel free to publicize this list to anyone you know who might be
interested. Now, for some topics of discussion:
 
1) Audience Involvement. I would very much like to see a discussion on
the topic of audience involvement in a show and what that does/doesn't
do to a performance. Some noteable examples are Drood, in which the
audience as a whole votes for an ending, or Night of January 16th, in
which 12 audience members are selected as jurors and actually sit up on
the stage in the juror's box and decide the fate of the main character.
 
2) Blocking theory. Some directors find that certain positions and
certain movements are stronger than others. There are "rules", so to
speak, but other directors totally ignore those rules. I am wondering
what people on this list might think of this.
 
3) What is the purpose of theatre. Some people feel it is just for
artistic expression. I personally feel that theatre must take the
audience into account, and a group producing a show must take into
account what their audience is going to want to see. (I'm much more
interested, personally, in the "theory" of this, rather than the
practical side, ie, that you have to choose certain shows for financial
reasons. If you had more than enough money to do anything, what would
your ideas be?)
 
4) Death on stage. How do different ways of showing death affect the
audience? I personally am interested from a directorial standpoint, and
am particularly interested in regard to shows like "Assassins".
 
I'll come up with some more...meanwhile, discuss away!
 
--Andrew Q. Kraft
        Theatre Major at MIT (specializing in Directing)
        Theatre-theory list administrator
        quijote at mit.edu