Entertainment industry is one of the top revenue generating industries. The reason is that even when economic conditions are not good people still want to have some sort of entertainment to relieve the stress. They are ready to spend money, if it means forgetting the troubles and having some fun even if it is just for few hours. In that regard, watching a live theater performance has always been the top entertainment choice for people of all ages and cultures. Besides entertaining, theater also provides an excellent opportunity for meeting and socializing.
Theatre is a very collaborative effort. Besides the main identifiable figures of playwrights, directors and actors, there also is involved a team of technical people who handle creation & execution of the theater production. That team commonly includes a set designer, costume designer lighting designer, sound designer, stage manager, a dramaturge, and production manager. Hence the final outcome is the result of the joint endeavors of the artistic personnel and the technical theatre personnel.
Taking on many forms and incorporating elements of gesture, music and dance, theater stemmed from the basic human penchant for storytelling. Looking back, the traces of theater in the United States of America go back to the latter half of the Seventeenth Century. During that time there is an evidence of attempts to stage plays in some American colonies. However, there is no record of the exact time and place when the first theatrical performance was staged on the North American continent. The reason being, it was an age of intolerance towards the theatre and the players. In that Puritanical America, it was considered immoral and those who indulged in it were given severe penalties. As a result, the journals of the time couldn’t give information about the activities of player-folk. The little advertisement of the coming performances that was done was by the actors themselves who would hand out handbills at the houses of the likely theatre goers. However, there was a certain class consisting of people with means and leisure which grew and expanded mostly in the important cities. These people had crossed the Atlantic recently and who wanted recreation. So naturally they turned to theater as a form of amusement which was quite popular at home. Thus as the Colonies grew in importance, the intolerance also weakened giving way to establishment of any theatrical companies especially in the important towns like New York and Philadelphia.
Over the next century, theater evolved at an unbelievable speed in terms of the form, performance and technique. It also increased the demand for theater tickets among the masses. Today, there are several kinds of theaters with all sorts of performances in almost every town and city. These include Opera, musical theaters, classical concerts, comedy theaters, drama, puppetry, regional and folk theaters, Repertory Theater, dance shows, kids theater, etc. Then there are many touring theaters, theater festivals, Shakespeare Festivals, voice recitals, various types of professional dance theater etc. In the USA, Broadway theaters are very popular with a wide range of performances from contemporary musical theater to avant-garde and non-musical performances. Another type of theater that has evolved is known as Improvisational theater festivals, where multiple groups perform and are not limited by style usually. These festivals are mostly hosted by one troupe, but then there are also other Improv Festivals that are managed by groups of troupes. Besides offering opportunities for collaboration between groups, these festivals are the place to discover new talent as well. |
