I don't really care

Robert Reynolds, 17 July 2012

As a person who does not really care greatly about theatre, I thought i'd create a discussion space for the topic and see what developed.

As it was likely that the group was populated by pro-theatre members it was an interesting challenge.

There were many discussions around the issue although generally the issue of funding was ignored as it is a common reason for not engaging with theatre but there was a recognition that there are other ways of engaging people.

Some of the main themes and debates that appeared through the sessions included:

Theatre as an institution/building and cultural connotations.

People feeling/being ‘worthy’ of theatre

How does funding ‘shape’ theatre. Can people do theatre that they want to do.

The importance of street theatre to engage the public.

Lack of street theatre in Plymouth.

The importance of the ‘quality’ of the theatre.

Do people understand theatre.

Culture vs entertainment. Which one is theatre?

The comparison of theatre and television/film

Drama in everyday life, what engages people

There were discussions around the contrasts of theatre, art and drama and how people approach these. The main thrust of the topic being that theatre is larger and broader than institutional theatre and there was a lot of alluding to discourse of the culture surrounding theatre in Britain. This linked to discussions about popular TV and other forms of entertainment and how it contrasts to theatre.

There were discussion about the general decline of live entertainment as a broader theme and an interesting counter that more people go to theatre than to football.

There was a feeling that Theatre Royal and TR2 are a great asset to the area but questions about why theatre didn't pervade the community more.

Some quotes of the session:

“I care about specific types of theatre”

“There are things you can do in theatre that you can't do in film”

“Does theatre have to challenge?”

“The worthiness of theatre”

“How do I find the audience to listen to what i have to say”\

“It's up to us to make theatre that people care about”

“If theatre is there to annoy you, you will become aware of it”

“Theatre of truth”

“It doesn't have to be great art”

“A style that people understand”

“Make popular theatre”

Tags:

plymouth, street, care, Theatre, theatre