Student Blog: The Journey of Discovery

As the semester is winding down, I have had more time to take in theater in a multitude of contexts. I have spent evenings reading more plays, watching musicals, and even planning trips to the theater. As I am expanding my knowledge of the industry and the art within the canon, I have learned how my friends take in media as well. We talk about everything from what we are watching or reading, to where we see it and how long we spend researching. There are so many different ways to become invested in a new piece, and I wanted to list a couple of the processes I found most interesting.

As someone who is extremely busy, when I have the time to read or watch plays and musicals I struggle with what to pick. A couple of years ago I created a list of all the media I had not become familiar with yet, in an alphabetized and numbered list. Whenever I struggled to decide what to learn about next, I would simply use a random number generator and watch whatever the computer had chosen for me. It was a great way to read plays and watch musicals that I may have never heard about otherwise. Rather than going by a certain year or playwright, I was able to get a well-rounded scope of theater and really take risks with what I was experiencing.

While I am taking in new shows I love to research them. I usually look at the production history of the show as well as the cast that I am watching. I like to also see what else this writer has written, and what sort of criticism it received. Especially if the show covers any controversial material, I love to explore audience reactions of the time, and learn how people view the content both historically and in the present. I think it is wonderful to see plays and musicals that have laid the groundwork for future progress, and I enjoy tracking it back to the beginning to see what truly inspires other artists.

Sometimes when watching a play or musical, I will find a copy of the script to follow along with the story. When missing that live aspect, program or general guideline, it can be difficult to get a full view of what is happening and truly take in the material. There is a tremendous amount of information that can be lost in a recording, so I enjoy following along if I am having trouble with the presentation. I can also see how actors made choices, from what was in the script to how it was shown on stage. This process helps me become a better performer as well.

I believe that it is valuable to be an informed audience member when taking in new media in the theater. There is so much to learn beyond the source material, and all of it is vital to the greater art presented. Taking that time to be more knowledgeable in content you care about can allow for deeper conversations in the arts and a greater level of analysis within classic works.