Thursday’s video reminds me of the fact that I do not like the acting that takes place on a stage. This is random and unwarranted, but when I was watching the medieval performances in the videos, I felt uneasy and nervous watching the actors. The acting is too loud and affected (I understand the obvious problems of acoustics and sound range), but I look for a reality in theatre and I do not find it. Plays like Everyman and Dr. Faustus are important historically, but---and I’m saying this as a lover of art in any form---if theatre wants to be as important as it once was, aged material like this shouldn’t be played. The language is distracting and hard to understand. On a less negative note, learning about the cycles in York and New England helped me realize the effect theatre has off the stage. I do not think of Theatre as something that can interact with things off stage, so I found the video’s comments interesting and novel. The outdoors plays are probably more popular in Europe (especially in England, I assuming), so the lack of appreciation for poetry’s off-stage influence I had could deal with living in the United States. I would never have thought that I would be saying this, but I’m somewhat disappointed that the chorus is leaving from the plays. I enjoyed the lyricism and found the singing a positive part of the theatrical viewing experience. The chorus gives a “spectacle” feel to the plays, which is more entertaining and easier to watch.
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