The Pros and Cons of Watching a Live Theater Play

Over the course of this term I saw a lot of shows that I would have never seen if left to my own devices I saw stories and methods of telling these stories that were in some cases new to me. I enjoyed almost every show seen this term and even the ones I liked less I managed to find something I liked about them I also got a tour of sorts of a good number of theaters in the Portland area, giving me a sense of where I might like to return to see other shows in the future.

I‘d say the biggest pro to live theater is the more intimate nature of it compared to film or television Having the actors right there in front of you creates a personal connection of sorts. It was in the show Francesca, Isabella & Margarita on a Cloud that I also noticed that in live performances I am more willing to find enjoyment in something that has aspects that don’t appeal to me I noted that if a movie doesn‘t particularly appeal to my kind of humor, Ijust move on to something else, where as a play I continue to watch and if it has other enjoyable merits i can take pleasure in those.

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The biggest cons to live theater I can come up with based on my experiences this term is that it‘s just more effort and commitment than going to see a movie. A big complaint I have that seems like such a small thing is that none of the theaters I’ve been too have their own parking lots, it adds an extra level of stress to the overall process.

Before the term I had the assumption that live theater has to be more expensive than a movie ticket, where that is the case for some shows, I learned it’s possible to see great quality shows for incredibly agreeable prices. I prefer assigned seating over first come first serve, so it was disappointing that a lot more of the shows this term were the latter, Because I got to see so many theaters, some unlike the kinds of theaters I’d been to before this term, I got to find out what things made me like or dislike a theater. My least favorite theater was The Shoebox, I didn’t care for the area and it was just too small.

I enjoy the story it had behind it but it was too cramped. Alternatively my favorites were Portland Playhouse, Portland Center Stage and the Sylvania Performing Arts Center. I liked the feeling of community Portland Playhouse provided, the old converted church made for a nicely sized venue with a lot of feeling in it. Though I felt the quality of the show that I saw didn’t match the quality of the venue, Sylvania’s Performing Arts Center had lovely architecture and looked very professional yet still approachable As for Portland Center Stage I really liked seeing a venue that hosts high quality, professional productions but the architecture was inviting and approachable. I also appreciated that they had costumes and other things from other shows to look at. I don’t think I saw any bad sets in the shows, there were shows with minimal sets but none were bad. My favorite set was the one in Peter and the Starcatcher; I thought it had a nice mix of built and improvised set devices, They made the set almost into another character to the show that added personality and humorr Another set I really enjoyed was the minimalist set for Experimental Performance, the set simple set still managed to a storage room/ loading bay like area into something completely different.

It was nice to see personality and aesthetic added into an area with so little materials. The set forA Streetcar Named Desire was probably the most technically impressive set due to it’s size and how it was used. It was a good rendering compared to how it’s portrayed in the movie. Something I put a lot of value on in theater is live music, that aspect to Peter and the Starcatcher and Experimental Performance added a big amount of additional enjoyment to those shows. Arabian Nights Pt. 2 also had live music and it was my one of the few aspects of that show that I enjoyed. I think of the shows this term Peter and the Starcatcher did live music the best but had the advantage of having the most of it. I really liked that during that show I was in a seat where I could very easily see the 2 musicians to the side of the stage, I really admired that they played multiple instruments and also had some simple instruments, like a slide whistle for sound effects.

A small touch that was in two shows that I thought was fantastic was the use of characters in the background staying in character, this was used in the shows Peter and the Starcatcher and A Streetcar Named Desire. In Peter and the Starcatcher the pirates or ship crew would be still doing their own thing in the background, they added interest and little gags that you had to be looking in the right place at the right time to see, In A Streetcar Named Desire the ensemble cast was peppered into the backgroundjust smoking or having a conversation, this added to the immersion of the show and added additional interest to the set. I had a really good time over the course of this term I saw a lot of shows I would have never seen without the class and feel a little more cultured than before.

My parents both work in theater a lot so I’ve always been around it and seeing shows, I had the assumption that there wasn’t whole lot left for me to see other than the same stories with new or different skins and twists. This term opened another batch of new material to me and showed me that the way theater is experienced is affected by so many factors before even taking into account acting, writing or directing. Beyond those there’s still the venue, location of the venue, set design, costume design, lighting, music and more and they all change the feeling of a shows I have gained so much more respect for live theater through this class.