Well, yes, I think the fourth wall is a good thing
I was rather perturbed by reading this account of the production of Julius Caesar at The Bridge Theatre at which 'The production is staged in promenade, with some of the audience invited, in the words of the production webpage, to ‘become part of the action'. Count me an old fuddy-duddy that would rather watch than participate - it was quite bad enough that time before a production of (I think) The Tempest when the thesps mingled and chatted with the audience, not to mention various things where I have felt that not sitting right at the front of the stalls was a wise decision...
This seems to me open to the same objections that I have heretofore expressed about the concept of interactive fiction: that actually, one wants to sit and let the tale/play unfold, and if one wanted a different experience, one would be doing a different kind of thing. (Re-enactment, perhaps.)
Presumably those spectators in ye Jacobethan theatre who sat on the stage didn't actually anticipate being dragged into the action? Okay, can think of plays that bring ye meta with this: though in Knight of the Burning Pestle isn't it the rambunctious audience member who insists on intruding his apprentice into the play?
But am also not sure I am missing much by not seeing 3D versions of movies...
Is this notion of the 'immersive' a literalisation of metaphor? This entry was originally posted at https://oursin.dreamwidth.org/2735009.html. Please comment there using OpenID. View
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