A Brief History of the Theatre: How theatre has lost much deserved attention in a world that once created it as a necessity

So sorry for the delay, my schedule caught up with me a little too soon and for far too long.

Theatre was first created for the purpose of serving as a personal therapist of sorts to the community.  The subject matter tended to be very relatable even for people who may not have actually experienced the situation first hand.  For example, very few people in Greece suffered from the problem of committing incest with one’s own mother by mistake.  Yet by either the efforts of the actors or Sophocles himself, the audience understood the character of Oedipus and his guilt-stricken fate.  Often times, in such circumstances, an audience member would experience what is known as Catharsis, or a purging of the emotions.  This was very important to the people of Greece and the other later civilizations that would copy their culture.  A good therapist or psychiatrist will recommend a good cry to someone who has experienced trauma. Instead of burying the pain down deep inside and allowing it to accumulate, later implode, releasing the emotions in several sessions of tears, discussion, or even throwing items about the room in a secluded place without people around to avoid suspicion of insanity, is essential to healthfully coping with pain. The theatre was an artistic alternative. Catharsis was also available to people even if it didn’t necessarily “hit home.” Even the most naïve of citizens were able to not only experience an emotional release, they were able to grow in life experience without having to live out the situation.  Younger members of the community would understand through stories like Antigone that for absolutely no rhyme or reason, people die, and this is what makes real life as tragic as the Greek interpretation of it.  Such stories were very effective for teaching people to cope with loss, especially for people who may have suffered very little.

                                                  Oedipus and Antigone: Brodowski 1828

Later in the world’s history, such views on theatre would reverse.  After the stock market crash of 1929, people were one catharsis away from suicide.  Instead, they needed an escape to cope with the harshness of their lives. Therefore, Hollywood brought theatre to the movie screen as an accommodation for the struggling middle class.  In this light, I can say with a clear conscience that MGM studios probably saved thousands of lives through their popularization of the theatrical movie.  Director Busby Berkeley captured elaborate, colorful images coupled with dazzling choreography in a fashion that proved mesmerizing to even the most distressed of families. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers brought smiles to everyone in their classic ballroom numbers, and for a minute in time, a worried mother forgot about her inevitable circumstance.  These two purposes for theatre were essentially the antithesis of each other, but as clearly showcased, they served a vital purpose: to remind people of the different aspects of their humanity.

                                                  Busby Berkeley directing 42nd street

Today, theater is known as a cure for boredom serving the lowest of purposes: to simply rouse.  Thanks to this uncultured ideology that has now become the basis of our “culture,” the stage has no funding and empty seats.  Hoping for the tides to pass, New York has tried to bring back members with attention grabbing, action packed shows like Spiderman: the musical.  I’m sorry but did you read that? What I just underlined? It just looks ridiculous, and I highly doubt that Astaire or Aristotle would disagree.  

 I cannot count the times in which I have heard people say that they are going to a show “to have something to do.”  In sharp contrast, I can only count three times when I have heard the reason is their “need to see and experience art.”  The sooner we can get a firm grasp as a society upon the fact that theatre is not just a choice over the movies of today, but that it is a mandatory act to restore the soul and to cure either ignorance or woe, the sooner we can begin to classify this time in history as one that has finally attained what the Greeks have always had but what we in America lately have lacked: a legitimate culture.