Immersive EVITA- Page 4

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 12:27pm

All we can do is theorize about why theatre is in the sh*t right now. And comparing these theories to something like Y2K is just silly. Just open your eyes and look around, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Theatre is far from okay, on the whole. All it takes it some open minded thought to realize that. Maybe one day I'll do a survey, take a census, and you won't have to pick apart every single thing I say because I can't back it up with conclusive proof. Perhaps if you offered up your own opinion I'd get to psychoanalyze your words as well.

My views of the future of theatre are far from narrow... In fact, they're intended to open up theatre more broadly than ever before. Enhancement of theatre as a live event is crucial. Capitalizing on that is a necessity. Bringing theatre to the people and being inclusive is a necessity. Offering something the technology generation can't satisfy by watching Netflix is as well.

How about this? Prove to me that theatre is, on the whole, fine. (you seem to want me to lay out every possible exception, but I should hope it's clear that I'm looking at the bigger picture and acknowledging that there are exceptions to every rule). Show me some of your statistics that make your case any more compelling than mine, rather than arrogantly picking me apart and offering nothing new. And good luck offering compelling statistics regarding ART.

Here are some articles that back up my theories: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2012/06/17/theater_audiences_are_getting_older/

A link to Theatre of the Unimpressed. I strongly advise you to read the provided excerpt. Maybe buy the book. Educate yourself. http://www.chbooks.com/catalogue/theatre-unimpressed

Safe theatre is made to feed a demographic. That demographic is usually white, old, and rich neigh to afford high ticket prices. I've attended over 200 professional shows in the past three years and have seen this myself. I'm usually the youngest person in the audience, and it's usually a sea of white faces. And these lifeless plays still exist because theatres, as business, shy away from the risk of trying something new and potentially sacrificing their audience. What they don't realize is that these steps into the future will not only recondition our audiences, but also invite in a whole other demographic that has, until now, felt excluded.

There are few plays that speak to minorities, visible or otherwise. There are few plays that are accessible, in all senses, to anyone that doesn't fit into the current privileged demographic. And there are few plays that make people really WANT to go to the theatre beyond some sense of cultural obligation.

From Theatre of the Unimpressed:

"In a theatre, the spectre of failure raises the stakes for onstage action and, consequently, increases the possibility of beauty.

When a piece of theatre doesn't feel quite alive to me, it's often because it lacks this imperative quality. A cookie cutter touring production of a Broadway hit, for example, in which the muscle memory of a hundred rote performances is tangible. Nothing is at risk of faltering, nothing unexpected will take the performers or the audience by surprise, and thus nothing feels truly 'live' about the experience."












Updated On: 7/13/15 at 12:27 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 1:03pm

I've been a fan of so-called immersive productions, but I have yet to a large-scale one that is any more accessible than a Broadway show, in terms of cost or diversity.

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 1:16pm

Kad, I agree. And I apologize if I have come across as though immersive theatre itself is what will transcend our declining theatre culture. But immersive theatre DOES institute ideals that, I believe, will revitalize theatre and capitalize on what makes our wonderful live artform so unique: it highlights the experience, the live event, the coexistence of audience and performer in a present moment where humanity and failure loom. 

Further to my argument, here's a PDF of some research by the Toronto Alliance of the Performing Arts regarding attendance and engagement: http://tapa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TAPA_Audience_Report_FINAL_REVISED.pdf

[newintown]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 1:37pm

I've always thought that this fad that some call "immersive" theatre is little more than Theatre for People Who Can't Bear For Others To Be the Center of Attention.

So perhaps it is the best way to go in an Age of Narcissism.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 1:57pm

Will Playbill bore us to death with endless coverage of one regional "immersive" production the way they did that Les Mis last year?

 

Les Misérables Gets Contemporary, Immersive Make-Over at Dallas Theater Center; New Revolution Begins Tonight

[Showface]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 2:03pm

"There are few plays that speak to minorities, visible or otherwise. There are few plays that are accessible, in all senses, to anyone that doesn't fit into the current privileged demographic. And there are few plays that make people really WANT to go to the theatre beyond some sense of cultural obligation"

Really? I would say this past decade alone has proven this statement false. Look at all of the shows that have made a big impact with bringing in audience members of different races, ages, genders, etc....here's a list of a few:

-Wicked
-Avenue Q
-Hairspray
-Spring Awakening
-In the Heights
-Newsies
-Fun Home
-Hamilton


Oh, but, yeah, it's Broadway, so it doesn't count...

But wait! It does count.



Kids, Tweens, and Teens all around the country of different races have taken more interest in the theatre (especially thanks to High School Musical and Glee)!



So maybe that chart from Toronto shows a certain lack of diversity, but if you look at the bigger picture from around the country, it is so clear...theatre is most certainly not dead! And it doesn't matter if it's commercial or not-- it's still the theatre.

Updated On: 7/13/15 at 02:03 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 2:37pm

Taking a specific example, how do you think the last Virginia Woolf revival contributed to the "decline of theater?" It was just four (white) people sitting in a room talking, and yet it was absolutely thrilling from start to finish. There is also a perfectly wonderful film version, one that I've seen many times, and yet I still attended the Broadway production. It's hard to find a better script and the performances and direction were first-rate too. 

How was this production not accessible, challenging, present and unique? 

Why would an immersive production of Virginia Woolf have been better? (I personally don't believe one could have been.)

[newintown]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 3:04pm

How would one even DO an "immersive" production of Virginia Woolf? Would the audience be other people George and Martha invited over (but who are ignored by them the rest of the night)?

Or is the audience the furniture in George and Martha's house?

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 3:13pm

I don't necessarily mean a production must be immersive, just inclusive in all of the ways you outlined. There was a presence, liveness, and spontaneity that not every show possesses, sadly.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 10:18am

How was this production not accessible, challenging, present and unique?

Because it wasn't the way he wanted it performed.  Only old rich white people like yourself attend dead theatre. 

[Showface]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 1:51pm

Here are some highlights from this "re-imagined" "immersive" Evita. 

(meaning: the audience is just close to the action)

https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=1082498

Updated On: 8/11/15 at 01:51 PM

[tourboi]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 5:16pm

Here's what people are taking issue with, generally speaking.

You: Commercial Theatre and Broadway (which is, shockingly, theatre... whether you admit it or not) are bad. Shows that are rehearsed (which is funny because even the tiniest of storefront indie theatres usually rehearse their shows with the goal of having some semblance of similarity throughout the run, whether you like it or not) are inferior to in the moment pieces, or however you'd like to call them (improv, whatever).

The reality is, there's room for both. You praised SLEEP NO MORE shortly after deriding commercial theatre. You are aware, aren't you, that SNM is very, very, very much a COMMERCIAL production? 

If you want to only see, or do indie improv theatre. That's great. More power to you. But to chastise commercial theatre as less-than-worthy is just silly, and immature. It reads as a theatre snob, and elitist, and because of that your comments aren't just inaccessible to most... they're downright offensive.

The same argument happens all the time in Chicago and to a growing extent that I've seen (sadly), Toronto. People complain that commercial companies/producers/presenters do have a broader reach and higher marketing capabilities than indie houses (because they've got a bigger budget obviously, complaining about this is like a little clothing boutique in an area like Toronto's Annex complaining because GAP ads are everywhere. It's silly.). What's lost is that people who may see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, or WICKED, etc may decide that they love theatre... and then decide to explore deeper. I've produced commercially and indie in a rather divided market (Chicago) and when polling new audience members actually found that this WAS the case. So before you chastise the commercial demons, give that a thought.

And for the record, even a "cookie cutter" PHANTOM began its life from scratch in rehearsal studios with many ARTISTS putting it together. You may not like a show, but any commercial show is still a creation of art. Good? Bad? Art itself is subjective. 

And I think the various actors who continue to work and come into some of these long runs, whether on broadway, on tour, or in sit downs who DO put their own spin to the role would have a bone to pick with your statement that it's always the same. 

 

[broadwayindie]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 5:36pm

In response to the actual clips that were posted, does there seem to be pitch problems? Also I've seen many productions that are in the round and take advantage of the aisles, this looks like the same idea. Has anyone seen it yet? Has it opened?

[theleadingplyr]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 9:29pm

I saw the show on August 1st. This was my third time seeing Evita, I saw Judy McLane do it years ago at Pittsburgh CLO, and the most recent 1st National tour. Serenbe is a really unique theater that builds the stage depending on what show they are doing. This was very remote in the woods, they even give you bug spray lol. I thought the show worked very well in the round with a minimalistic feel. Randi sounded great when I saw it. I'm pretty sure they changed the order of where You must love Me came in which I thought was a little odd. Overall it was a good evening of local theater. 

Updated On: 8/11/15 at 09:29 PM

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 9:41pm

Has "You Must Love Me" been officially added into the licensed script (I know it was used in the revival, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the licensed version was automatically updated to include it)? Or is it an optional rental, the way Tams-Witmark now has an option to add the revised "Spanish Rose," "Let's Settle Down" and "A Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore" from the television version of Bye Bye Birdie?

[BWWMatt]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 10:46pm

I haven't seen this production of "Evita," but I used to live in Atlanta, and Serenbe Playhouse shows are almost always fantastic. Brian Clowdus has done amazing work building that company into an exciting place to see unique theatre in ways that you almost never do anywhere else. For example, they just did a "Streetcar" starring Matt Davis (from "Vampire Diaries" and Warner in the "Legally Blonde" movie) that made its set out of shipping containers: Photos

I also have to say that Randi Garza has stolen the show in everything that I have seen her in: "Godspell ('Learn Your Lessons Well'," "The Rocky Horror Show (Janet)," and in the ensemble of "Bull Durham: The Musical."  I wish I still lived close enough to Atlanta to make the trip to see this. 

[theleadingplyr]

Posted: 8/11/15 at 11:22pm

AEA AGMA SM, I was wondering the same thing about You must love Me. On http://www.rnh.com/show/34 under musical numbers the song is not listed. 

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 12:00am

tourboi, of course there's room for both. But I know that, at least in Canada, theatre as a whole is 'dying' as many artists put it (and I wholeheartedly agree). In our Netflix age we need to figure out how to engage that new generation tat is instrumental in revitalizing theatre as an artform and giving it new life. To do that, we need to find ways to make theatre that doesn't make people say "I could have just as easily watched that on my TV screen." 

This does not necessarily mean improvisation, but just ways of capitalizing on the liveness and immediacy of theatre... This human event occurring in the present. With this unique feature, why the hell are most productions afraid of embracing that? And further, why are artists encouraged to take deeper risk and yet that same risk is absent on an institutional level? There's so much wrong it makes my head spin. And I don't have answers yet... Just lots of questions. 

[tourboi]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 2:43am

Agree to disagree. I've produced in various Canadian markets and toured into all the major markets as well, and always found hungry audiences. 

Give the ticket buyers something they're interested in, or take something they're on the fence about and package and promote it smartly, and they will come. 

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 3:25am

Wouldn't an immersive Evita just be Here Lies Love?

 

The problem with Evita as a whole is that it's all exposition. It takes a brilliant director (Hal Prince) and phenomenal actors (LuPone, Patinkin) to draw us into the story and care about the characters. The reaso the revival was so lukewarm is that it was very literal-minded, unlike the brilliant Brecht-esque staging in which politics is really just a three-ring circus. Evita is very much a "concept" musical and without a concept it just doesn't work.

 

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 8:54am

In our Netflix age we need to figure out how to engage that new generation tat is instrumental in revitalizing theatre as an artform and giving it new life. To do that, we need to find ways to make theatre that doesn't make people say "I could have just as easily watched that on my TV screen."?

Saying all this again still does not make it true.  Millions of people are still attending the thearte and not performing a staging a show in the particular style you prefer doesn't mean it's "dead".  

There's so much wrong it makes my head spin. And I don't have answers yet... Just lots of questions.

To which you will probably get no answers because you've closed your mind to latch on to someone's pretentious thesis.  If you just say that you prefer a different style of theatre instead of regurgitating tortured-artist conjecture, you'd at least sound more astute and convincing.

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 10:51am

Mister Matt, millions are attending commercial shows in commercials houses. I am not a commercial artist, I work in independent theatre. I recently conducted a survey called Why We Don't Go to the Theatre and targeted specifically to non theatre people. And the reasons people had were quite varied, but a lot of them came down to this false perception that a low budget indie production is going to be of lesser overall quality than a commercial Broadway touring show. There's also the perception that theatre is too expensive... In fact, that was the number one reason given in the survey. People don't know that there is quality, entertaining, provocative theatre that's as cheap as a movie ticket. 

Why I think theatre is dying is that its chief audience is of a much older generation. Seniors with lots of money and time. But when they're gone, who's next? And why are we not making more of an effort to engage an emerging generation of audiences? 

None of this is to say I prefer a certain type of theatre, unless you mean that the certain type is theatre with liveness, immediacy, fallibility, and a universality that is inviting and inclusive of EVERYONE. 

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 11:10am

What, exactly, does "independent" theatre even mean?? You're either for-profit (commercial) or not-for-profit. Which is it? I've never heard of the term "independent" with respect to the theatre industry... 

[Showface]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 11:14am

"Why I think theatre is dying is that its chief audience is of a much older generation. Seniors with lots of money and time. But when they're gone, who's next? And why are we not making more of an effort to engage an emerging generation of audiences? "

 

I'm pretty sure that "Hamilton", "Spring Awakening", "Wicked", etc. would disagree with that statement.

 

Tbh, I don't know about theatre in Canada...I'm an American, for all we know, maybe the theatre scene is a little bit different, but I know for sure that the theatre scene here is most definitely not dead.

 

 

I LOVE this part of turboi's post:

 

"People complain that commercial companies/producers/presenters do have a broader reach and higher marketing capabilities than indie houses (because they've got a bigger budget obviously, complaining about this is like a little clothing boutique in an area like Toronto's Annex complaining because GAP ads are everywhere. It's silly.). What's lost is that people who may see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, or WICKED, etc may decide that they love theatre... and then decide to explore deeper."

 

 

Updated On: 8/12/15 at 11:14 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 8/12/15 at 11:15am

"Why I think theatre is dying is that its chief audience is of a much older generation. Seniors with lots of money and time. But when they're gone, who's next?"

 

When they're gone, you and your friends will be senior citizens to take their place.

 

Theatre has been the interest of the older audience since the advent of cheaper, livelier entertainment like radio, movies, television, and rock concerts. And then you grow up and start to like something quieter, more thoughtful, and challenging. Just the way it works. Worrying about bringing the younger generation in to the theatre in large numbers on a regular basis is futile.

Updated On: 8/12/15 at 11:15 AM