Conventional wisdom holds that theatre in Canada (as in much of the world) is in crisis. However, the malaise goes much deeper than attendance issues.
In fact, theatre audiences surprisingly continue to attend productions despite unengaging performances by actors who are, at best, technically competent but emotionally disconnected from their roles.
This is particularly evident in community theatre productions, but professional companies are also not immune to lifeless acting. These theatres often fill seats, despite pedestrian play choices and wooden performances.
The challenge is raise the level of our performers. Our appetite for entertainment and story telling certainly has not diminished in recent years…the opposite is true.
New markets have opened up for actors as blogs, pod casts, independent videos, and other media flourish. The demand is there, but too often we settle for uninspired acting.
Regardless, the stage is a proven training ground for actors and is often an entry point to the entertainment industry. To bastardized John Kander’s song, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere…”
The theatre remains one of the best opportunities for learning the craft of acting, and for witnessing “inspired” performances.
David Plouffe 