10. Theater is the most ancient performing art form. Support it for its sustenance.
An Uninvited Evening
Although theater has survived over the ages, survived the onslaught of technology and competition from other media, it still needs support from the audience. So watch a live theater show and help this art form survive.
9. Theater art is ephemeral. If you miss it, you may not get another chance.
A theater performance is born each day on the stage, and it dies on the stage. The next day, a new show is born. To catch this spontaneity, you must watch live theater. Video recordings of plays can only serve archival purpose, but it cannot replace live viewing.
8. In theater, REAL people do REAL things on stage. No dummies, no CGI. Your experience is REAL and visceral.
And you don’t need 3D glasses.
7. Watching theater is an intellectual exercise.
Theater invigorates your imagination and refreshes your mind. Watching theater can be good for your brain.
6. Theater is not controlled by big money and commercial interests.
Hence theater can often speak the inconvenient truth which is often necessary for our society.
5. Watching theater boosts the local economy.
Have dinner at the local restaurant before or after the show. Discuss the performance with your friends and family over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
4. Theater is a shared experience.
Watching a live performance with hundreds of members of the audience gives a sense of community and belonging. You laugh together, cry together. You are not alone.
3. Study shows watching live theater enhance literary knowledge, tolerance and empathy.
A study conducted by University of Arkansas, Dept of Education Reform demonstrated that viewing the theatrical productions leads to enhanced knowledge of the plot, increased vocabulary, greater tolerance and improved ability to read the emotions of others.
2. Theater makes us take a hard look at ourselves, our values, and our behavior.
It is said, that theater serves as a mirror. It shows us what we are, and how we behave in situations. We see ourselves in theater. And as Aristotle had said, it leads us to experience catharsis to cleanse ourselves of our deep rooted feelings.
1. The audience is an integral part of the performance.
A live audience can affect the performance of a live theater in ways that you can’t even think of. So watch live theater, because it needs you.
Perhaps the following are covered in your 10 reasons,
* A film cost’s minimum $x to make, hence practically the film maker will try and cater to a wider audience (masses); compared to a play where generally profitability and appeasing to the masses is the least of the Play troupe’s concerns. Hence plays tend to cater to the classes, instead of the masses.
* Some plays are subsequently made into movie, in which case you can say you saw it first, before the movie was released.
* On the other hand, some movies are made as Plays, as the post says, to get an ” an enhanced knowledge of the plot”, and to enhance the message in the movie.