I think a lot about how much I love theatre, and why that is. Playwright Jiehae Park gets at one of the big reasons: the audience’s requirement to be present.
“Being in the life that I lead, I think I can be sort of half present. I’ll be watching TV and on my laptop at the same time. Or at a coffee shop, but also on the phone. There is something really frightening about that to me, how easy it is. It gets you away from yourself. And to be in the theatrical space, together without distractions, the energy of a group of people being fully present, I think it’s really powerful. I’ve had experiences certainly, because of performance, where I felt like I’ve been changed or understood something through the act of the people performing, investigating something in front of me.
I think it’s really powerful, and not something you can get from watching Netflix. And I mean, I love Netflix. But it’s a much more passive, consumptive experience than in the theater, even though you are not necessarily thinking more or that your participation is necessary.”
Photo via Jiehae Park’s New Play Exchange page.