Theatre is an amalgamation of artistic creativity and skilled craftsmanship. There is a fine line of differentiation between art and craft. Art is the expression of creative skill through a visual medium. Craft is an activity involving skill in making things. These are the technical descriptions of the two words, given in the Oxford dictionary.
While the word ‘theatre’ brings to mind elements like script, direction and action, there is another integral facet called stagecraft including but not limited to the light and sound effects, the costume design, the property and the stage setting.
Theatre direction is the art of orchestration of all the entities of theatre, envisaging a concept – an interpretation of reality or imagination – with creativity. How this interpretation which maybe something banal or fantastic, presents itself as a meaningful array of thoughts for a viewer depends on how it is depicted on the stage. Acting is the art of storytelling by an actor through the portrayal of a character, while sometimes disassociating oneself from it, ensuring that the original interpretation is impervious to personal prejudices.
Not all actors or directors can create works of art. Good craftsmanship is what constitutes an art form. An actor portraying a character succeeds if the impact of the illusion he crafted blows the audience away. When they start to believe that the actor is the character, it becomes a work of art. In modern times, stagecraft has become an essential element to add to the aesthetic aspect of the production. The magic woven by the artists on stage is accentuated by the effects and the surrounding, mesmerizing the audience.
The director becomes Michelangelo and the stage becomes the Sistine Chapel. The perfect coordination of artistic creativity and skilled craftsmanship is delightfully transformed into the myriad forms of Theatre, where art transcends craft and a masterpiece is created.
While the word ‘theatre’ brings to mind elements like script, direction and action, there is another integral facet called stagecraft including but not limited to the light and sound effects, the costume design, the property and the stage setting.
Theatre direction is the art of orchestration of all the entities of theatre, envisaging a concept – an interpretation of reality or imagination – with creativity. How this interpretation which maybe something banal or fantastic, presents itself as a meaningful array of thoughts for a viewer depends on how it is depicted on the stage. Acting is the art of storytelling by an actor through the portrayal of a character, while sometimes disassociating oneself from it, ensuring that the original interpretation is impervious to personal prejudices.
Not all actors or directors can create works of art. Good craftsmanship is what constitutes an art form. An actor portraying a character succeeds if the impact of the illusion he crafted blows the audience away. When they start to believe that the actor is the character, it becomes a work of art. In modern times, stagecraft has become an essential element to add to the aesthetic aspect of the production. The magic woven by the artists on stage is accentuated by the effects and the surrounding, mesmerizing the audience.
The director becomes Michelangelo and the stage becomes the Sistine Chapel. The perfect coordination of artistic creativity and skilled craftsmanship is delightfully transformed into the myriad forms of Theatre, where art transcends craft and a masterpiece is created.
