Theatre's historically changing image

[colliric]

In the 17th century, the Theatre and theatrical productions were often base affairs considered by many Religious to be a sinful endeavour that drew vice(Theatres often being near brothels, especially in England).

What do you think changed that opinion?

Personally I believe the rise in different entertainment options like the Cinema and Television(especially this one) allowed the Theatre to change into a more artisan approach in order to entice people to “go out” proper. Cinema initially provided a cheap alternative and drew much of the baseness out of Theatrical endeavour.

 

[GEddie]

From the resumption of the theater after Puritan times, it became progressively more high-end; as such, the productions themselves became more refined.

Just a WAG.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Exiled_Child]

Yeah, I also think television and film are probably largely to blame. Theatre used to appeal to all strata of society, not just the wealthy and cultured. Farces, for instance, were popular with virtually everyone from at least the early Middle Ages on, and probably much earlier. I may as well mention that the word “farce” originally didn’t have any of the overtones of bitterness or negativity that the word usually carries with it in modern usage. They were just light hearted fun, probably similar to The Simpsons in spirit, or to other well done absurdist television fare.

 

[Digitonomy]

Personally I believe the rise in different entertainment options like the Cinema and Television(especially this one) allowed the Theatre to change into a more artisan approach in order to entice people to “go out” proper.

I think the growth of the middle class was probably key to allowing Broadway plays and musicals to be more sustainable. I also think Prohibition may have played a role, making alcohol-related dining and entertainment less attractive for respectable couples out on the town.

I know that in World War II, many servicemen waiting to sail for Europe saw Oklahoma. So there was apparently at least a strain of G-rated entertainment in theater by that time, well before television took hold.

 

[Midwest88]

That’s an interesting tidbit. Thanks.

Cinema initially provided a cheap alternative and drew much of the baseness out of Theatrical endeavour.

In terms of mediums, personally, I always saw theater as the most ‘noblest’ of the three. I see it closer to the level of, say, ballet and opera ie Steppenwolf Chicago.Tv isn’t as seen as “artistic” as movies within the industry, but with refection, out of those two - tv and movies/film - I think film is the most narcissistic and the most degrading of the two. Movies were once seen as entertainment but now, at least by its makers and fans, is treated like some sort of grand intellectual medium (Cannes, TIFF, Sundance, NYFF etc). It’s clearly not. That particular sub-culture of movies, the “big” festivals and its award ceremonies, have overstayed their welcome. They are making movies into something it clearly wasn’t meant to be and wasn’t fit to tackle.

 

[patrick457]

From the resumption of the theater after Puritan times, it became progressively more high-end; as such, the productions themselves became more refined.

Just a WAG.

ICXC NIKA

Historical tidbit. Did you know that the custom of sitting at a theater and watching a play silently was only a recent affair (18th century I believe)? In the time of Shakespeare, theaters were noisy, messy, crowdy, dirty places - pretty much like movie theaters today.

 

[carmelitenovice]

Not the only reasons, certainly, but I think significant factors in these times are pricing and convenience. I can watch TV for free in the comfort of my home once I have a set (You get what you pay for, right? ;D)

I can go to a movie for relatively cheap (especially bargain matinees) and relatively close by (I’m in a rural area but there are three small movie theatres within a 20-minute drive.) Prices aren’t too bad.

By comparison, it would be a 90-minute drive to get to a city that has major theatrical events. Even if I could find the time to go, ticket prices are beyond my reach. I don’t see how a family can afford to go to a show when tickets are a minimum of $15 (if you’re lucky and don’t mind sitting in the nosebleed/obstructed view area), plus parking, plus incidental costs (dinner, babysitter, etc.) I remember being floored several years ago when I heard Barbra Streisand charging something like $300 per ticket.) I realize that these shows are often spectacles – they’d have to be in order to compete with TV and movies and it costs money to mount a major show, but…

It seems to me that major theatre performances are comparable to major league sports. They were once popular entertainment until pricing put them out of reach for many.

Just my two cents.

 

[Digitonomy]

In the 17th century, the Theatre and theatrical productions were often base affairs considered by many Religious to be a sinful endeavour that drew vice(Theatres often being near brothels, especially in England).

Came across this article on Wikipedia:

Restoration comedy refers to English comedies written and performed in the Restoration period from 1660 to 1710. Comedy of manners is used as a synonym of Restoration comedy. After public stage performances had been banned for 18 years by the Puritan regime, the re-opening of the theatres in 1660 signalled a renaissance of English drama. Restoration comedy is notorious for its sexual explicitness, a quality encouraged by Charles II (1660–1685) personally and by the rakish aristocratic ethos of his court. The socially diverse audiences included both aristocrats, their servants and hangers-on, and a substantial middle-class segment.

So even at the end of the 17th Century, theater was a respectable form of entertainment. More recently, we have Lincoln attending a play when he was assassinated. It’s questionable how big a role television and cinema had in the transformation you describe, since most of it seems to have happened in previous centuries.

That said, as a general rule it is still the case that the world of theater is home to looser morals than wider society.