WHAT shape will post-pandemic theatre take? Everyone predicts massive change. Sir David Hare recently said the art form was in need of a ‘revolution’. Kwame KweiArmah, announcing his new season at the Young Vic, revealed plans not only to livestream all productions, but to offer online audiences a chance to choose their own angle of vision.
The general consensus is that theatre cannot simply return to its old ways. I understand that. And one thing is for sure: audiences, sustained by watching shows on their laptops, will expect that to continue. But I have a strong belief that, once people feel safe, they will be hungry to attend live events.
Every theatergoer knows that one is far more than a passive spectator: by one’s very presence, one is helping to influence what one is watching. We also don’t talk enough about the purely social aspect of theatre: the pleasure of meeting old friends, of making new ones or the vicarious joy of seeing how one’s chosen companion reacts to what one is seeing. Thackeray, a passionate playgoer, put it well in Pendennis when he wrote that ‘a man who has long since left off being amused with clown and harlequin, still gets a pleasure in watching a child at a pantomime’. You don’t get that in front of a laptop.
Denne historien er fra May 19, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 19, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
