Topic > Essay on Theater - 2352

In general, theater as an art form has always been a hybrid, a fusion of other artistic endeavors. After all, arguably, the very essence of what actually constitutes theater is the human voice and the spoken text; the living presence of an actor in an empty space: a stage. But if we were to consider theater as a whole, we would find that in reality there is often much more going on than the core qualities that theater espouses. When we think of theatre, we can't help but think of the connotations that have become synonymous with it, for example a group of lights illuminating an intricate set on a large stage and, more recently, perhaps, a large screen onto which images are projected . Of course, these production elements are seen almost as a necessity to create a dramatic production, however we must remember that they are simply borrowed theatrical tools that work towards the remediation of theatre. Being at the forefront of the latest innovative technologies, it comes as no surprise that the use of screen technology in theater appeared soon after the invention and birth of cinema. At the same time the avant-garde movement was taking off with theater professionals looking for new and innovative ways to radicalize theatre; new ideas that aim to overcome the boundaries of the status quo. This was to be realized as a much-needed step in the right direction as cinemas attracted larger audiences than the theater and black and white television screens were becoming increasingly prevalent in the homes of those who could afford them. It would seem that to compete with the wave of film screenings, the theater would have to live the saying "if you can't beat them, join them" by borrowing yet another theatrical device... paper......a purely theatrical language textual which distances the public from theaters; such performances often cause ambiguity in a viewer's understanding. Decoding media representations is arguably much simpler, it is now possible to bridge the gap between text spoken live on stage, visual images and an understanding that is presumably much more innocent. Let us once again consider the multimedia forms of The Shankly Show as an attempt to popularize theatre. The Shankly Show incorporates a wide range of technological applications to enhance the spectator experience, appropriately draws audiences into the realm of football and gives a real flavor of archaic Liverpool. Some of the notable techniques used include: live video broadcast or feed, projected video recordings, stock footage, CGI, and green screen technology