Throughout history, "entertainment" has included spectacle of all sorts: plays, sports, music, poetry, dance, vaudeville, clowns, court jesters, bear baiting, cock fighting, human sacrifice, CNN Headline News... The list goes on and on.
The one common element among all forms of entertainment, though, is the presence of an audience. Whether noble or common, genteel or barbaric, audiences bring a spirit of enthusiasm and camaraderie to any event.
Beginning in the 19th century, though, a schism began to differentiate theater audiences from audiences at other types of events.
Once upon a time, audiences and performers all shared the same space -- outdoors, with natural lighting. Such an arrangement usually still exists at sporting events.
In the theater, however, the introduction of the proscenium arch created a clearly-defined physical separation between performer and audience. The use of gas and, later, electric lighting instruments furthered this separation, illuminating actors while allowing audiences to sit in darkness where they could see without being seen.
Later, the development of such slice-of-life dramatic styles as Realism and Naturalism completely rejected any direct addressing of, or involvement by, the audience. 20th Century technology drove the final wedge between audience and performers. With film and television, performers and audiences don't even share the same space and time any more.
Modern audiences take this separation for granted. Theater-goers have become passive, complacent, and seem perfectly willing to be spoon-fed their entertainment with a minimum amount of effort and activity on their part. Others who have never been to the theater dismiss the art form as "boring."
We here at Saturday Players are saddened, annoyed, and, ultimately, inspired by this passivity of American audiences. We aim to shake things up, get the audience involved again, and dispel the preconceptions of ennui and elitism associated with "the theatre."
The theatre is a living, breathing art form. Audiences and performers consent to share time, space and lives for a few hours. Therefore, both performers and audience members have an obligation to contribute to the magic of that shared experience.
The performers, artists, and technicians of Saturday Players are committed to making the theater fun again. We require our audiences to be nearly as active in a performance as the performers. Our audiences have permission and, indeed, an obligation, to cheer the hero and boo the villain and scream "Look behind you!" During a Saturday Players production, people of all ages and backgrounds are allowed to become entirely involved and uninhibited.
The hopeful result is an immediate and visceral experience, transforming both the performers and the audiences
