I believe theater will live or die depending on how well it capitalizes on one thing. In theater, there isn't a piece of glass or a measure of time/space between the audience and the performance -- actor and audience share the same space at the same time. Frankly, this is the only advantage it has over TV or film ... but it is a huge advantage ... or a disasterous disadvantage.
If theater artists don't see this and put it front and center, they are signing a death warrant for their piece. If they do see it and work tirelessly to maximize it, theater can win.
The responsibility starts with the playwright, of course. It always does. But directors, designers and actors must also learn to crash through the idea that the audience is somehow "out there" and apart from us. That myth must die, and the sooner the better.
If theater artists don't see this and put it front and center, they are signing a death warrant for their piece. If they do see it and work tirelessly to maximize it, theater can win.
The responsibility starts with the playwright, of course. It always does. But directors, designers and actors must also learn to crash through the idea that the audience is somehow "out there" and apart from us. That myth must die, and the sooner the better.