Today, most of our entertainment comes in digital form. Through the internet, through screens, through social media, and even film and television. We’ve all gotten so used to constantly looking at this form of entertainment that we forget what is special about it. Many years ago, watching a film was an event. You drove to the theater, watch moving pictures tell a story in a big, silver canvas, and then had a dinner with your friends or family and discussed the wonders you had just witnessed in the cinema. Today, that experience is so easily achievable with the commodity of modern technology that, even though still special, it’s not exactly an event.
That is why live theatre is still so alive. In a world dominated by the digital, the organic and unpredictable art of live theatre gives audiences a breath of fresh air. Being forced to use the imagination in order to comprehend and appreciate the world that is being represented on stage is something that has become very special because those worlds are today brought to life so easily in film through special effects.
Let me be clear, sitting down at home to enjoy a movie on the sofa on a Sunday evening is great, and I am not trying to bash on that. My point is, planning a trip to the theatre, the old fashioned process of dressing up, driving there, wondering what the show is going to be like creates a beautiful atmosphere of anticipation we just don’t see too much of anymore in a world where everything can be had in an instant.
Sitting down in a live show, listening to the orchestra play, and seeing the actors perform right in front of you is something to be witnessed by those who know how to appreciate the craft that is dedicated to a live show, and, much like hand-made products in a world where everything is produced by machinery, it is a luxury as well.