On the spectator’s return to the theatre

During the pandemic, theatre has maintained a certain presence via technology. Now, as theatre gradually returns across the globe, there is an opportunity to rediscover theatre as a phenomenon. In particular, we may juxtapose two different kinds of modern spectator experience. No, not passive versus active, but rather: remote versus communal.
Technologically mediated performance cannot recreate the experience of a group breathing the same air and experiencing the same flow of time. For me, this communal experience is mysterious and vital. Its absence has contributed to my own arrhythmia in the pandemic era. Returning to the theatre has also heightened my appreciation of the spectator’s craft. Yes, active and engaged spectatorship is a skill. Like all skills, it requires time to develop and, when lost, demands patience to reacquire.