Plays vs. Film

   A live play, while not always the preferred choice of entertainment for some, has its own characteristics that earned itself a prime role among pastimes. A play, or any theatrical performance for that matter, is spontaneous. You see the physical as well as the emotional aspects of each character, no matter how they are portrayed, whether it be as puppets to the southern family of Dearly Departed. Dearly Departed is the story of a family who recently lost their father figure, a fresh comedy that brings culture specific laughs to the audience. Each time the performance is reenacted, it never seems to stay the same. This creates a whole array of diversity between live plays and film, with film being a static showing, whereas live performances create an encounter that can change depending on a number of factors. 

 

 

   Each performance done by crew of actors, as well as the background crew that you don’t see on stage, can and will have contrasts. With a film, the script is performed only a few times until the best execution is made, and this is not even in front of an audience, just cameras and colleagues. Where plays, or any theatrical performance for that matter, have that chance, all be it small, to be faced with improvisation, or something extra and/or unplanned. When these unforeseeable events occur, it can cause a multitude of happenings, anything from uncontrollable laughter from the audience, or possibly cause offense to a certain percentage of the viewers. A recent example of this could be seen in the Friday night production of the previously mentioned production Dearly Departed. An actor onstage, going by the name of "Junior" was wearing his wedding band onstage, while flailing his arms in one scene it flew across the auditorium and created a loud "ping" sound, he carried on however, like a true professional. There are several differences between the two genres of entertainment, but plays seem to give an intimacy from random occurrences like improvisation that no other form of entertainment can.

   A film on the other hand gives you a totally different experience from a play. With a film, you begin by buying your concessions, these range from popcorn to soft drinks to nachos. Once all the necessities are out of the way and the bladder has been emptied it’s off to find seats. The best seats always seem to be taken often referred , unless you come early. This is not the case for plays, where food and drinks are not permitted, save for the uncommon exception of bottled water. Seats should be one of the least of an audience member’s worries, unless the house is packed or sold out. With any theatrical performance, each seat gives its own perspective of the play, this allows each spectator to get something different from the show, no need to fight over that center row chair. 

 

   The seating provided by the movie theatres of today does cause problems, no elevation means that if a taller than average person sits in the seat before you, you might not be able to enjoy the majority of the film. Perspective too can be an issue, with the theatrical plays of today, no matter where you sit you can get a new look upon the lives of the characters. Yet with motion pictures you are forced into viewing the story from the directors viewpoints, some often changing radically by the minute which has been known to disorient older generations. 

Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre - Traditional and Innovation. 

     first. Boston MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006. 458. Print.