A Quick Thought on Good Theatre

I saw some really good theatre yesterday, a fortunate occurrence that happens far less often than it should.

The show I saw wasn't perfect; honestly I don't think a perfect show exists. However what made the show fun, entertaining, and inspiring to watch was the extraordinary sense of bravery and humility from the ensemble. Bravery and humility seem to be the more artistically constructive relatives of fear and fearlessness I've explored in this earlier post.

Firstly, the piece was a brand new work of theatre, not something from the pages of an anthology. This meant the show was attempting to comment on the here and now in very immediate and contemporary terms. Additionally, the staging seldom resembled the standard film-envying methods of most modern drama, conventions that often serve as aesthetic crutches for many theatre artists and patrons. Breaking convention and addressing the now are always a scary prospects, and a significant amounts of bravery and humility are absolutely necessary in committing to this kind of work.

It's a difficult balance to navigate.

Nevertheless, it was quite refreshing to watch a group of performers who understand the risks they are taking and approach them with thought, sensation, and engagement. It was a really good time.

peace.