Prompt 4

I watched a documentary once called Superheroes. It is an interesting tale of several people who dress as vigilantes at night and patrol the major cities in an effort to bring justice to the unjust. These remarkable people have costumes, secret identities, super-alliances, the whole nine yards. It's a little bit ridiculous in my opinion. These people are entirely dedicated to their vocation, and they truly believe they are serving out their purpose on this earth. To me this act has numerous theatrical aspects and even acts as a form of destructive theatre. It disrupts the daily lives of those lucky enough to live in the vicinity of such beings, and also contains a certain amount of spectacle used to turn heads towards the good cause. The various costumes and character persona's each display a certain aspect about the people and what their goal as a superhero is. It is disruptive to daily lives in small ways. Sometimes these vigilantes are able to bring criminal activity to the front steps of the courthouse by notifying the correct authorities. While the "superheroes" state that their goal is to bring hope and awareness to the masses, and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. I'm not convinced that it is entirely effective. Most people who encounter the hero's see them as having a serious mental instability, and therefore the validity of the task force is questioned. Also, the documentary shows times when the vigilantes themselves are behaving criminally in order to entrap more criminals. This is also a contradictory act in the eyes of the audience, those who notice these men and women patrolling the streets. 

I think the most effective way to bring theatre into the 21st century is a new vision for the spectacle of theatre productions. Theatre, while often thought as the least important aspect, is often the easiest part of theatre for an audience to digest. This puts more pressure on technical designers and operators to design theatre that can pull an audience into an entirely different world. It should serve as a way to transport the masses into an entirely new reality by overloading the senses with new sights, sounds, waves of emotion, etc. Another way to accomplish this notion is to blur the lines between audience and performers. In The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, members of the audience are brought onstage and become part of the performance by acting as participants in the competition. While I have never been one of these lucky participants, I can imagine that their experience becomes far more real when they become equal to the actors. If we can find a way to fully involve every audience member in a similar way, theatre will have changed in meaning and purpose by creating an entire virtual experience for everyone involved.