Live Theatre Production: relationships between performers and audience

Understanding Performer-Audience Relationship in Live Theatre Production

The performer-audience relationship is a crucial aspect of live theatre. It refers to the interaction between the actors on stage and the viewers in the audience.
This relationship is dynamic and can dramatically affect the interpretation and experience of a performance.

Role of Performer-Audience Relationship

The performer-audience relationship can significantly contribute to the atmosphere of a performance. It can shape the audience’s emotional and intellectual response to the production.
The degree of audience involvement can greatly vary between productions and depends on factors such as style, staging, and the nature of the performance.

Types of Performer-Audience Relationships

In a presentational relationship, performers are aware of their audience’s presence, and there is a direct interaction between them, it’s common in pantomime or stand-up comedy.
In a representational relationship, the performers ignore the audience and carry on as if they were not there, commonly seen in mainstream dramas and films.

Audience Participation

The relationship can also be influenced by audience participation, which can range from clapping or laughing along to becoming part of the performance through interactive or immersive theatre.
This kind of interaction can create a sense of shared experience and blur the traditional boundaries between performers and audience.

Using the Fourth Wall

The ‘fourth wall’ concept in theatre plays a key role in performer-audience relationships. The wall is an imaginary barrier between actors and audience in a representational theatre.
A performance may choose to ‘break’ the fourth wall, acknowledging the audience’s presence, which can heighten engagement and foster an intimate connection with the performance.

Influence of Performance Space

The theatre layout or performance space can powerfully affect the nature of the performer-audience relationship. For instance, an end-on stage creates a distance, while a theatre-in-the-round or traverse stage allows for a more intimate, immersed experience.
Site-specific or non-traditional theatre can also employ unique ways to redefine the dynamics of the performer-audience relationship.

Performer-Audience Relationship in Contemporary Theatre

Like many aspects of the art form, contemporary theatre often challenges typical conventions to reimagine performer-audience relationships in bold and inventive ways. For example, through a two-way dialogic relationship facilitated via digital interactivity or through site-specific performances.

The performer-audience relationship in live theatre production is fundamental to shaping the performance experience. It plays a significant role in the emotional resonance of a piece, and creative manipulation of this relationship can dramatically enhance or shift an audience’s theatrical encounter.