Thursday, July 22, 2010

Theatres Are The Doorway To Magic

By Adriana Noton

In the entertainment industry, theatres have always been a key character in the show. It is where the stage or screen is housed. It holds the seats for the patrons. It also sells the eats and drinks that cap off the experience. No matter which type of one you visit, the reason is to be carried away on an imagination journey.

Ancient cultures from different continents, like Greek, Egyptians, and Asians, had dramatic shows. There is evidence of stages that were home to the dramas and comedies of the day. Outdoor performance areas built with stones still exist today for tourists to visit. Artifacts of the actual performances that took place on such stages have also been preserved.

As the entertainment industry blossomed, dramas have gone from one main place into many different ones. One such building might show mainly live stage shows. The shows might be musicals or plays. Some plays are funny and some are serious. Most major cities have at least one playhouse that puts on these live shows. A few of the largest cities, with an emphasis on the arts, might even have several.

How many types of performances are there for a city to have them in the hundreds? The playhouses can limit the shows that are performed by category. A children's theater will only show performances for kids. The focus of a gender, race, or sexual preference may be the types of shows at a particular place. Plays spoken in one language could be performed in a separate building.

The most popular of these buildings for performance are movie houses. Even the smallest of towns has at least one cinema. The cities and suburbs have movie complexes that show twenty or more movies at once. Watching movies is a common pastime for people living in this era. Although, many movies can be viewed at home on the television, the importance of the theater going experience is evidenced by where the movies are originally released to the public.

As with live stage shows, the movie houses also branch off into specialized places. Some might only show children's films. There are those that charge a nominal ticket price for movies that have had a run at the big cinemas. Just like in olden days, some show the movies outside. These are called drive-ins.

Performance houses can be different in structure as well as content. The live shows have arrangements that compliment the art while the screen versions accommodate the viewer. Most often, stage or screen, the audience faces forward where the acting is happening. A variation in live shows can be where the stage is "in the round", or center while the chairs surround it. The arena may have balconies to watch from above. For cinemas, the floor is gradually elevated so that all the rows are facing the screen at approximate equal distances.

Whether taking in a play or a movie, theatres provide the public with entertainment. The buildings have a place in very old societies as much as they do in modern times. There are various types of them for live shows as well as various types for film. In yet another spin on the viewing of the shows, not all of them are even constructed the same. People love to be swept up in a great story and these places provide the venue to do it.

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