Live Play versus Film
This past Saturday, I attended Lynchburg College Theatre Department's production of Dead Man's Cell Phone. The set up was constructed differently; the audience was actually seated on the stage. As a result, seats were limited to only 100. I brought my ticket online a couple of hours before the show because I wanted to avoid the disappointment of the show being sold out. However, to my dismay, the play did not sell out that night. There were a few empty seats, which were noticeable due to the way the stage was set up.
As I walked into the stage, I felt the stage lights warm up my back and I felt I was part of the play. At first I felt a little weird walking up the stage because part of me was worried that I would have to interact with the cast members. The stage had chairs line up along three sides of the stage with rows going up. It looked similar to the picture shown below. The stage set up is called a thrust because it extends out to the audience.
Having the stage set up as a Thrust was beneficial because it allowed the audience to focus more on the performers and the show itself. There was more intimacy between the audience and performers which you would not otherwise get if you were watching this performance in a film version. Additionally, there was more pressure on the audience to engage completely in the play. During Gordan's funeral, someone behind me started to talk through the scene. It was a lady who was explaining to the person next to her that the scene was taking place in a catholic church. People around me immediately started turning heads towards the lady, giving her obvious signs of disapproval.
In a film version, it would be easier to pause the scene and explain to the person the missing details. If the film is being viewed at a showing, where there are multiple people around, then it will still interrupt the people around them but not the actors. Moreover, while watching a film, if a phone vibrates it is easier to look at it or answer it. However, as opposed to a live version, where it would be incredibly rude to look at your phone. During the play, my phone started vibrating, I had the urge to quietly look at it to see what the notification was, however, since we were on the stage if I were to look at my phone, the light that it emits will be extremely noticeable to the people and the actors around me, since it was really dark all around me.
In a live play, especially when you are seated on the stage, you feel
drawn into the play. When Dwight and Jean started to fall in
love, you could feel their emotions too, because the lights and the
sound were surrounding you. It was as if you were living the moment alongside the couple. Furthermore, the cellphone that Jean had with her actually rang. In a live play, you can tell where the ring is coming from regardless of where the cellphone was on stage. This made the play more believable and real. If you were watching the film version, you would not be able to distinguish where the sound of the cellphone ringing was coming from.
Overall, the play concluded nicely and I was able to better understand the plot. By having the audience on the stage, the actors were able to engage the audience more. This play would not have had the same effect if the audience members had been seated in the regular audience seats or if we had been watching this play through a film version.
Works Cited
Teckle, Selome. "Theater
Appreciation. Blog #1: Blog 1: Proscenium, Thrust, and Arena." Theater
Appreciation. Blog #1: Blog 1: Proscenium, Thrust, and Arena. N.p., 02 Feb.
2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.
