THE ART OF THE THEATRE-THEATRE 100

The Relationship between the Audience and Actors

Robert Cucuzza, the author of the book “Introduction to Theatre,” explains the relationship between the audiences and the performers. The audiences in the theatre have a responsibility to engage with performances in a play. That makes them feel involved and engaged. The performers can identify with their audiences even before the commencement of the performance. The author argues that a packed and vibrant theatre can cause an upsurge of actors’ energy that synchronizes with audiences’. The contrast is true where the audiences may only focus on the actor’s energy and critique the performance. The currency in the theatre is the transaction that occurs between the performers and the audiences. The response whether in terms of laughing for comedy or listening for stories is the best experience the performer gets. Losing the audience, on the other hand, can be depressing for a performer. The audience relates with the performer either as an individual or as a group. Listening is key in the transaction between the actors and the audiences. Without listening to actors is essential as it helps to know what the audience wants. A current exists related to an electric impulse between the performers and the audiences. That is called the current of theatre.

Patti Lupone had to stop her performance when she noticed a photographer taking a picture against theatre policies. She is heard shouting at the person taking a picture, “I won’t continue if they are taking pictures! Get them out! Three times! You took a picture, you heard the announcement in the beginning on intermission.” Though mad at her audiences, Lupone is applauded by most of them meaning that they are with her. She finally continues with her performance after a while. Jeremy O. Harris says that audiences can distract actors during performances, especially those who do not switch their phones in theatre. During the performance of the Slave Play, Harris also was distracted with text during performance, something he felt should not happen.

Sometimes, when I was doing a presentation, I noticed that some audiences text message being sent to me by one of the audience, a friend of mine, asking me to hasten the presentation because he was hungry. I felt angry, but I carried on with the presentation till the tail end. Such instances are boring, but one has to remain firm and focused on the delivery of the main content.

Works Cited

Cucuzza, Robert (2018). Introduction to Theatre 2nd edition. Great River Learning