Thanks Amanda for such a fun prompt! I immediately thought of a YouTube clip that
I watched a few months ago. This clip,
marketed as a prank in a coffee shop, came about to create a buzz for the Carrie remake that came out last year
which starred Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. It is a very theatrical experience. Actors were used, a NYC coffee shop got rigged
to accommodate the special effects, and most importantly the public, or
audience, was expected to be in the right spot at the right time. The action
took place right inside the coffee shop during the normal hubbub of the day. The conflict arises when an actor bumps into
another actor and spills coffee. After
the outburst of the confrontation, all hell breaks loose. The patrons in the coffee shop are reacting
with shock, horror, panic, disbelief, fear, etc…as the cozy atmosphere gets
pummeled with the chaos of flying furniture and effects. I am including two
examples of this prank. The other
example was “Part Two” when pranked in a foreign country (Rome?). I included this other clip since some of the
effects are more exciting and chilling than the original NYC premiere. The door
slams, trapping customers inside the coffee shop, as lights burst and more
chaos ensues. The reactions in the
second clip are even better than the first!
I’m not sure if the people involved immediately wanted to go
see the film, but the effect of the prank really caused a stir. It is an experience that, I’m sure, they will
always remember. Perhaps these people
will now identify with the horror in the film, piquing their interest to go see
the movie? Whether they laughed off the
whole event afterwards or got pissed about being innocently involved, it
changed them for the moment. And I think that’s what theatre should do. People should leave the experience changed in
some way. Artaud writes in “No More
Masterpieces” that the “…theatre is the only place in the world, the last
general means we will possess of directly affecting the organism…”(5). I don’t necessarily agree with all of his
extreme theories; however, some of his ideas are worth pondering.
Artaud comments, writing about Theatre of Cruelty, that the
spectator is in the midst of the spectacle around him. We live in a very
technological age, surrounded and distracted by nifty gadgets, inventions, conveniences,
and mini events that hold our interest.
We wonder why audiences are fidgety or restless during our productions
but seem right at home in the movie theaters. As artists, we need to somehow
affect the audience whereby they leave changed.
Maybe by more spectacle, who knows. But whether enthralled, horrified, or inspired, “…the theatre can reinstruct,
because a gesture carries its energy with it, and there are still human beings
in the theatre to manifest the force of the gesture made.”(4).
Theatre should also be accessible to everyone, in my opinion. Artaud writes of the theatre being only for
the “self-styled elite and not understood by the general public”. He is
talking about what kind of theatre that is being done. Moreover, prices for theatre tickets are
ridiculous and they keep on rising. I
know running a theatre is no cheap affair, and artists should be paid for their
work. But is theatre really meant to be
a “once in a while” treat? Shouldn’t it
be a must? Football games are a must, movies are a must, going to restaurants
and bars are a must…It’s very interesting to learn how theatre is viewed in other
countries. Sean Daniels, guest director
of Dove, told the cast that theatre
is such an important part in the lives of Estonians. Even their theatre actors are paid a “normal”
salary which is much different than in America where most actors can’t even
make a living doing just theatre.
Whether we take the theatre to the streets, like Artaud
suggests, or create imaginative, entertaining spectacles in the style of Brecht,
I believe we must adapt the theatre to our quickly, ever-evolving age. We must pump up the audience’s adrenaline
somehow, and wow them into re-examing truths that are important to the human
experience. Whether theatre is
realistically, stylistically, or technologically driven…audiences should
leave the theatre with a sense of a “purification”, a change for the moment, to
draw them back again for more.
Joe,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for such a fantastic blog this week. Watching this video made me question what I would’ve done if I was one of the coffee shop patrons witnessing an emotionally volatile young lad, through the use of supernatural powers, telekinetically move people and décor. Would I stand speechless and dumbfounded or flee the moment I saw the man being driven up the wall? I think that this would be an amazing marketing technique to help promote the movie. It allows the patrons to authentically experience terror and connect them to the movie. They can compare their reactions with the cinematic ones. How dope would it be if LSU Theatre used this marketing technique for Carrie the Musical? It would be even more useful if these same theatrical prank elements were experienced while the Musical was taking place. Books and tables sliding and flying across the theatre or above the heads of audience members sitting in the seating bank. That would be a mind blowing experience, cause LSU Theatre to be the talk of the town, and establish repeat audience members. This would be an example of appealing to the ever evolving theatre and technologically advanced society that makes up our theatre audience!
-Amar
While I do agree with you gentleman in regard to the effectiveness of this marketing campaign, I tend to dislike these kind of over the top exploit the public kind of demonstrations. This is actually my general feeling towards individuals taking disruptive theatre a bit too far. Flash mobs are typically innocent enough, but when your public performance creates a sense of endangerment towards its intended audience you start to factor in raw emotional responses that could never truly be fully accounted for. I can't help but think about factoring in the "on edge mentality" that our society has come to adopt in the wake of tragic events like public bombings and school shootings etc.... This is why I feel these over the top gimmicky ad campaigns are perhaps a bit too personal as they are incredibly invasive leaving those involved no choice but to respond with a purely emotionally driven rationale. In turn it is very likely that on occasion survival mode will kick in and could potentially have disastrous results if someone's psyche is pushed too far.
ReplyDeleteThose videos are great! Definitely a disturbance, and something I find so interesting about them is that the bystanders in the coffee shop don't know that they are seeing a disturbance of theatre, it is like a combination of Artaud's theatre of cruelty and guerrilla theatre. It is absolutely something that jars the unsuspecting public out of a sense of security in a way that just seeing the movie could not do, and that's the amazing thing about theatre; it is capable of creating an atmosphere for the audience where they are part of the action, which can be unpredictable and scary in a way film can't really touch.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Garrett in his comment. Although entertaining on Youtube, those prank would be absolutely terrifying. I don't think I could go to a coffee shop again out of pure terror. I'm not sure if I would want to see a horror movie again (well I don't want to see them now, so it wouldn't change much)
ReplyDeleteAlso, about your brief comment about theatre being so expensive in certain places and comparing it to football games, it's quite similar. LSU football tickets can up to $300. People will be selling their Alabama student tickets for $100 minimum. I think it just depends on where you are. I know not everywhere is like that. Unfortunately, it's just how things work in Baton Rouge. Hopefully that could change with making theatre more "adrenaline pumping" as you said. People will react to something that they're excited about.
Maybe we should try a similar prank next semester for when we do Carrie!