Particular technical considerations must attach to performances which take place beyond the walls of conventional theatres. Such performances have a very long and honourable history, which begins indeed in the mists of unrecoverable time. But certainly in medieval Europe (and beyond) troupes of itinerant players tramped high roads and by-lanes in search of audiences, perhaps the most famous to theatre historians being the Italian commedia dell’arte companies of Renaissance Italy. Amateur groups – folk actors – have also played alfresco from time immemorial, like the paper boys of Marshfield, Gloucestershire, who present a play every Boxing Day in the village square, or the mummers described
by Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) in his novel The Return of the Native.
Often, theatre beyond theatre, or street theatre, has had political overtones or has attempted to agitate and propagandise their audiences of ordinary people. Thus, the revolutionary street per- formances, which often shaded into processions or demonstrations, seen in France in the 1790s or Russia after 1917. In Britain, the workers theatre movement of the 1920s and 1930s performed short, sharp dramas from the backs of lorries to striking cotton workers or exploited tenants, and this agitprop urge reappeared in Britain in the politically volatile 1960s and 1970s. Such produc- tions may be classed as ‘guerrilla theatre’, one-off performances which aim to make a political point before the performers depart to avoid police interference. Different politically-motivated perfor- mances have been provided by Augusto Boal’s ‘invisible’ and ‘forum’ theatres which radically involved their audiences. (See the section ‘Forum theatre’ in Chapter 8 below.)
Other street theatres have been more celebratory, perhaps asso- ciated with carnivals or festivals. In the Second World War leading ballet performers appeared in parks in the East End of London to raise the morale of bombing victims and others. For the last thirty years of the twentieth century, Welfare State International com- pany delighted and amazed audiences at open air events all over Britain with their shows which often featured giant puppets and pyrotechnics, and in New York the Bread and Puppet Theater did much the same.
One of the most striking examples of the potential of theatre beyond theatre was provided by the National Theatre of Scotland’s inaugural production in February 2006. Entitled Home, the show resulted from work by ten different directors, each charged with making a work round the word ‘home’, and each working with local people in a different part of the country. Perhaps the biggest, most far-flung ‘opening night’ in theatre history, Home ranged from, in the south, the recreation of 1940s Dumfries by residents of care homes, to, in the north, a trip on the ferry to Shetland, listening to poems and songs by Jackie Kay (b. 1961). In Edin- burgh, schoolchildren provided a surrealistic version of the Scot- tish parliament’s First Minister’s Questions, while in nearby East Lothian there was a modernised version of an old fairy tale, as the
audience was loaded onto a bus for a kind of magical mystery tour. In Glasgow, there was an outdoor spectacular, with actors abseiling down high rise flats, and in Aberdeen a subtle and moving medi- tation contrasting local people’s experiences with their hopes. Caithness’ version was staged in a glass factory, Stornaway’s in a doll’s house, and Inverness’ Home was a highly energetic perfor- mance inspired by a series of photographs of local families in their own homes.
Home illustrates perfectly how in this kind of theatre, the actor or performer goes out to seek the audience, where usually it is the spectator who seeks out the performer. In fact, this kind of theatre often specifically attempts to attract non-theatregoers. For this reason, performances may be designed for specific sites: an alter- native name for this practice is ‘environmental theatre’, which may also overlap with ‘performance art’. The presupposition is that the chosen site will add something singular to the work, that the space will offer new ways for spectators and performers to come together, and therefore will question how we behave in specific places. The practice inherently challenges institutionalisa- tion, not least the institution of theatre itself, for the new site has been chosen deliberately to illuminate or subvert the history or significance of the place – a building, a monument, a disused fac- tory or an old canal bank. Moreover, street theatre has a here- and-now quality which undermines notions of the eternal in art. The performer has to grab the attention, and what is lost in sub- tlety may be more than made up for by gains in community- specific meaning.
For those who would engage in theatre beyond conventional theatre boundaries, there are important practical considerations. The most important of them concerns the chosen site itself, which may be in front of a building, out in the countryside (though natural amphitheatres are hard to find), or maybe in some kind of ordinary room. Performers need to think how the site’s natural or architectural features may be used so that the show can make the desired impact. Is noisy traffic (or aeroplanes overhead) going to interfere? The chosen performance area might need to be marked off by potted plants, or bollards, or delineated by something like a carpet, and exits and entrances need to be clear. Screens may be useful, and sometimes chairs for spectators are advisable. If the
performance is to take place indoors, what sort of lighting is to be used? If outdoors, what effects will the weather have? If costume is to be used, where will the actors change?
Other matters to be worked out in advance include considera- tions of public access and car parking, how audiences are gathered and how they find their places. Will there be an interval? How will the spectators know the show is over? Will there be a collection of money? What toilet facilities will be available? What about sight- lines and acoustics?
Street theatre, theatre under the sky, open air performance – these provide some of the most dynamic and exciting possibilities to the maker of theatre. After all, ancient Greece and Elizabethan London provided some of the greatest theatrical experiences in history, and theirs were open air theatres.
Summary
Historically, theatre architecture has reflected the social concerns of theatregoers as well as the artistic concerns of theatre practi- tioners.
Stage design complements the director’s ideas of the play; it must be practicable and take account of other design elements, such as lighting and costume.
The world of the stage is exciting, but has its own jargon which sometimes has to be ‘translated’ for its potential to be appreciated. Running a show depends on the stage manager and the deputy stage
manager.
Outdoor theatre has a long and honourable history, and still provides exciting opportunities.
FURTHER READING
Of many excellent books about the technical and practical aspects of theatre, the following are among the most useful: Trevor R. Griffiths (ed.) Stagecraft, London: Phaidon, 1982; Larry Fazio, Stage Manager: The Professional Experience, Boston MA: Focal Press, 2000; Francis Reid, The Stage Lighting Handbook, London: A&C Black, 1996.
Two recommended books about outdoor theatre companies: Tony Coult and Baz Kershaw (eds) Engineers of the Imagination, London: Methuen, 1983, centring on Welfare State International; Stefan Brecht, The Bread and Puppet Theater, 2 vols, London: Methuen, 1988, about the American Bread and Puppet company (see also Chapter 5).