All The World's A Stage

Theater is defined as a building, part of a building, or outdoor area for housing dramatic presentations, stage entertainment, or motion-picture shows (Merriam-Webster Online, 2009), but not all “theater arts” take place in structures designed specifically for arts and entertainment. In fact, one of the keys to understanding the basics of how theater arts came to be and why certain performances are so powerful and others, not quite up to par, is understanding that “theater” is constantly happening all around us. Actors can so skillfully embody a character or audience members be moved to tears by events on a stage, because theater is an art form based on observing and re-creating actions and events. We are all (albeit often subconsciously) actors every day. We put on different “costumes” for different events (i.e. wearing a different outfit on a job interview than on a date), and we change our way of speaking in order to be perceived differently in various situations (speaking one way with our friends and another to our teachers). We often do things to get attention, hide our flaws, be taken seriously, thought of as funny, etc., the list of acting and performance qualities in our daily life goes on and on. It is perhaps these factors that help explain why some of the most well-known and adored instances of theater have taken place not in the typical structure defined so clearly above, but in some of the most unstructured environments available. There are countless forms and instances of theater that occur outside the so-called “designated space.”


Mobsters from “On the Waterfront” on a floating dock in Brooklyn, a re-enactment of the famous V-J Day kiss in 1945 live in Times Square, a few hundred or so people break into synchronized song and dance in a crowded shopping mall (pictures at http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/upstaged/2009/07/street-theater-break-out-in-song-this-week/) ; all of these scenes represent theatrical performances that have take place in the ’08-’09 season. On the street, in public spaces, or in outdoor areas is where theater transcends all barriers and becomes not just an audience watching a performance, but a truly interactive, innovative, and all encompassing experience.


Perhaps one of the most original productions done recently, was this summer’s staging of “IRT: A Tragedy in Three Stations”, performed entirely in subway train cars and on various station platforms in New York City. Teased as being the “longest running theatrical production In New York – it runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan”, this piece truly embodies every benefit street theater has to offer. IRT took advantage of a well-known public space and turned the everyday ordinary into something extraordinary. Costing only $10 a ticket, this play was affordable for audiences of all ages and incomes and even gave a few lucky commuters a chance to glimpse the excitement for free. The New York Times review and accompanying photographs can be seen here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/nyregion/02underground.html