Comparing The Play And The Movie

For millennium, live theatre, reading books, plays, and even viewing film has acted as a way for men and women alike to escape their dull lives, to get away from a world saturated with daily tribulations and see through the eyes of an observer rather than a participant. People could get away from the identity of the weaver, the miller, or even the all-powerful aristocrat to become a spectator. This is the point however, where the live theatre and the other forms of “escape” from reality separate. When reading a play or book, one may be transported to an entirely different world, they may use their imagination to create wonderful places and storylines. They are unfortunately, confined to the words on the page. They have no power to become a part of the story, become one with an act or a chapter. …show more content…
Even more confined, is film, where most of the world is already created. From actors faces, to the setting, and even music and effects, all is pre-generated and already imagined. Little creativity exists for the viewer of a movie, while it may take an effort to truly engage in a movie they possess no power to change or participate in the storyline. Live theatre however, goes beyond imagination and enters reality. Like a movie or film, live theatre has sets and characters already dressed in costume. Yet like a book, a great deal of imagination and creativity flows into the stage, as the spectators must create the world around them. What viewers are presented with are the barebones to generate a mood, be it with lighting, sounds, or a painted backdrop. It is up to the actors, and the observers, to give life and meaning to a play. It is the awes and boos that create the emotion actors have on stage. It is the interaction of the audience the can bring many to tears in live