OK -- show of (virtual) hands -- who remembers the TV show "Moonlighting" with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis? (All of you who weren't yet born in the mid-to-late 80's, stop making the rest of us feel old!) "Moonlighting" was the first TV show (in my memory at least) to break the "fourth wall" - the characters referred to themselves as characters on a TV show, frequently talking about the Network and the Writers and the Audience.
I thought of "Moonlighting" last night as I was watching the hilarious production of "The 39 Steps" at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Four actors portray a myriad of characters, and they let the audience in on the fun by acknowledging the "we're pretending" part of theatre. There seems to be a trend toward productions where a small number of actors play multiple characters -- as in our upcoming production of Fires in the Mirror -- and there's no attempt to hide the fact that they are actors switching roles.
When an audience sees an actor switch characters through a simple change of hat and posture, they become a vital participant in the theatrical exprience. The character and story are co-created by actors and audience, who use their imaginations to create a unique event which will never exist in exactly the same way again.
Theatre relies on the imaginative participation of the audience in a way that neither television or film do. We create a community which creates the art together.
So exercise your imagination. Choose to be an art-maker. See a play.
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