"Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasize about a world we aspire to." ~~Willem Dafoe

Why Live Theatre is My Favorite Medium

I can remember as a little girl getting very excited at the thought of attending a production at the Emmy Gifford Theater. My Grandma got us season tickets and I looked forward to every one of those shows. I do not know whether I liked the actual play more or the question and answer period (with cookies!) after the play. These people actually cared about what they were doing and were very nice to the kids that attended. There was just a completely different energy there than in a movie cinema.

After I got a bit older we stopped going to the Emmy Gifford Theater. Also, it was closed and moved to what is now the Rose. I still caught the occasional play and found that I still preferred a play rather than a movie. My favorite Hollywood actors could not even summon the energy that was at a live performance. It is only with in the last month or so that I began to contemplate why my preference continues to lie with live theatre. I like it so much I started using the English spelling of theater so people would know when I meant a live theatre. Theaters were for movies. Theatres were where the real fun was.

The first conclusion I came to was that I appreciated the work of the local people more. Many of them have second jobs but they spend hours on their productions. They're definitely not getting one million dollars a show like the Friends cast. It is not that I think the people behind Friends do not work hard. However, they are not moving scenery around and doing double-duty behind the scenes like many actors in live theatre do.

Sitting in a live theatre is much more personal and almost pulls you into the story. I will never forget a production of Godspell where they handed out glasses of grape juice during the Last Supper scene. That was also the same production where "Judas" mixed my Shirley Temple before the show started. There is no screen separating you between the stage. In addition, everything happens in real time. You are not watching a movie or TV show that wrapped months ago. If there's a technical glitch you can laugh along with the actor who has the ability to write it right into the script, as if it was meant to happen. This all gives live theatre a certain energy that movies and TV programs do not have. You never know what will happen on the stage.

Most primetime shows and movies do not concern themselves with Nebraska. ER mentioned us because they needed a location with an army base. Law & Order and shows like that actually mention Omaha on occasion. Anytime I have heard it, it is because that is where the fictional victim was from. It almost gives the impression that we are so sheltered we would be devastated to here one of the locals met an unfortunate end. There does not seem to be a genuine grasp of what Nebraska life is like. At our local theatres these people know. They live here. They can write a joke about the uncertain weather into the script and you know they have gotten up early in the morning to scrape snow off their car. It adds credibility to the show and the theatre.

When you attend a show at one of our theatres, there is always the chance you might know one of the actors. During the Emmy Gifford period, it was always a kick for my brother and me to visit with one of the actors who worked with my Grandma at a bank. I still occasionally attend some of his shows. At the high school level, my family has seen my cousin and my brother perform as Daddy Warbucks and Tony from The Boyfriend, respectively. These were life changing experiences for the boys. They developed a new self-confidence and met new people. People's attendance at these plays helped the --------- and --------- drama departments so other students might have the same wonderful experience.

Whether it is supporting local high schools and inspiring young actors or attending performances at local, professional theatres, a patron is investing money into the local community. The majority of that money does not go to massive conglomerates or millionaire actors. Instead, it is helping to guarantee that Omaha and the surrounding areas will be able to enjoy great stories in the years to come.

I mentioned meeting my Grandma's co-worker when I was young. That is not unusual at a live theatre. My personal favorite, the Millenium, typically allows you to visit with the actors. In fact, during their December show Santa will visit and everyone can enjoy cider and cookies. This gives the audience a chance to visit and, if previous experiences are any hint, should be really fun. You just cannot find this in a movie theater where everyone stares at a screen and then rushes out as soon as the credits roll.

Finally, I personally feel more invested in the story presented if I have witnessed it as a member of the live audience. For example, I have seen John Hurt's portrayal of Joseph Merrick in Mel Brooks' The Elephant Man at least three times. Hurt was absolutely amazing and, since he did it for no money, really garnered my appreciation. However, when I saw The Elephant Man at the Playhouse I was considerably more moved by the story. The play featured Merrick actually speaking to the audience. That, I feel, tied the audience more into the hopes, dreams, and fate of this man. Sometimes, at odd moments of the day, I still wonder how Merrick did not just give up and become a horribly disagreeable person. Even though the play is generally considered less historically based, its themes of life, love, and hopes are what stuck with me.

ETA 8-19-18:

What I left out of that last paragraph is that my Grandma was with my mom and me when we saw The Elephant Man.  At least in the production I saw but I think in most, he wears no effects make-up.  Instead, the real Merrick's condition is invoked by the actor contorting his body and face.  I say this because, after the show, we were able to visit with the cast and my Grandma was convinced that I should ask the rather cute fellow out...  In my mind's eye, he looks a bit like a blonde Eddie Redmayne.  I did NOT ask him out.  But that definitely doesn't happen when one's watching a movie or TV show.  That's probably a good thing, actually...

Reading this over all these years later, I think my younger self sounds quite jaded about TV shows and movies.  And that's ironic since here I sit writing a newsletter based off a TV show.  I also have to report that everything that happened in the wake of John Dye's death felt as real and electric (for good and ill) as anything I've seen on stage.  So I don't think the lines are as cleanly drawn as my younger self would have it.  That felt like it hit as close to home... closer even... than the passing of any local actor outside of my family. 

I shared this with the YG shortly after it happened but, a month or two before John's passing, I had a dream.  I was in a concert hall comprised of several smaller theatres.  I entered one and John was giving a talk.  And he didn't look well.  Happy and at peace... but ill.  I remember listening to him and wanting to focus but I kept thinking "Oh God...  He's dying and I'm going to be the one to tell the girls" by which I meant the JABB membership.  I woke up feeling very sad but I shrugged it off as my unconscious mind processing the recent death of a co-worker and my leaning heavily on John's portrayal of Andrew through that grieving process.  Nonetheless, I found myself wondering what I would do if it really happened.  How would I tell all of you?  Would I really be the one to have to tell?  And then it happened and I did tell the YG.  Now, to be clear, I don't think the dream was prophetic in the sense that John was actually dying when I had it.  I mean, technically, we're all dying every moment as we get closer to death.  By all accounts, what happened was immediate and sudden and not linked to anything from a month or two previously.  I still think the dream very well could have been just me processing a recent loss.  But I also think there's a chance that God sent it to prepare me.  And, if that's the case, then I guess it's no wonder He set it in a theatre: the place where reality and fiction, here and there, now and then all blend in a more real way than something viewed on a screen.

So I don't think it's any great coincidence that the Dyeland stories evolved to contain a theatre, St. Genesius', and a troupe of actors turned Friends.  Even though I know my dream wasn't literally representative of life, in a way, I feel like a theatre is the last place I saw John Dye.  So it's nice to sometimes go back to the theatre and see him there in the guise of Andrew, healthy and happy, and, oh yeah, sometimes Jesus is there, too.  But that's a whole other story...

Below is a chart I made for my professor.  I really don't know why.  Must have been a requirement.

Theatre v. TV/Movies