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Theatre Is...?
I was asked to write something that was slightly irreverent,
A hopefully intelligent analysis of why some young people find theatre completely irrelevant.
A decadently bourgeois pastime for the middle class masses,
Devoid of sex, guns, drugs and high speed car crashes.
The fact is, that is what theatre is, for the prejudiced few,
Unfortunately for you, this is exactly who “Theatre Is…” is trying to get through to!
The youth group;
The group who view theatre like a hula hoop:
An outdated fossilisation used to fill the gap between the invention of Youtube and Playstation.
The castration of entertainment, to be avoided at all costs,
“Fuck theatre! I’m on the final level of Grand Theft Auto, in this Porche I just robbed!”
The loss of innocence seems to be accompanied by a loss of imagination,
A sedation of the senses and creative starvation,
I feel their frustration, but I also feel their weakness of mind,
Coz passive apathy only thrives where it’s allowed to survive.
THEATRE IS:
“The crucible for the East of England’s exploration of theatre,
For, by and with young audiences, creating a fusion of hearts
And minds while providing an environment
In which excellence and innovation can thrive. “
Nice.
But a typically verbose reply to the question of
“Why do most young people have no place for theatre in their lives?”
Drama offers them a friendly hand, and beckons them to come,
And yet the only time they make the trip is when their dragged here by their mum!
Is there is a whole generation, who think theatre is crap,
Who shy away from the stage under the veil of a baseball cap?
So are we entering a new age where Youth Theatre will have to become the slave to youth trends?
Hip hop operas with dumbed down dialogue, and explosions at the end?
An age where a stage that is not furnished with projected scenes and grimey beats,
Will be left by the wayside and deemed deceased?
An age where “proscenium arch” will be used as a pejorative term
An archaic ideal forgotten and burned, the ashes placed in an urn inscribed with the words: “Theatre Once Lived”?
I hope not.
For on this stage we pay homage to the ways of the artisan,
The masked man who communes in symbols and stitches together
A fabric of deceit that we watch in unbroken silence from these velvet covered seats.
An interactive experience not available on TV:
A stand against reality that will be seen live for one night only.
But still the kid’s don’t come.
Tons of graffiti fonts on flyers, and the blurb sounds really cool
But how can you compete with the MC battles that they flock to after school?
It’s not a problem of performance coz they all love to take part,
Rap workshops, Street dance class, Street poetry and Street art.
But the drama scene has been saturated by overpriced shows,
Paying 40 quid to watch Woman in Black from the back row?
“Thanks but no!”
These kids want stuff they can relate to, stuff they could take their date to,
Stuff that’s gonna raise their heart rate and make them hate and love feel emotional engagement
That will blow the dust from their brains and leave them stunned in amazement!
But the change won’t happen just like that,
And it’s a dangerous game to play to think that they’ll be attracted to the stage
Just coz your piece contains a rap.
In chats with Stuart he seemed to think that there were 3 things that we need:
Live action, great story, and a superbly acted piece.
These 3 are what theatre needs if it’s to succeed
In getting young bums sheathed in low slung denim jeans on to its seats.
Easier said than done.
But it’s our job to give it a try,
To stand on the edge of the abyss and try to fly.
Charlie Morley (Throwdown Ltd. Copyright 2006)
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