Theatre is a game of hide-and-seek. For both the hiders and the seekers, the thrill is in the discovery. When the rules of the game are too vague or too complicated, however, the audience can lose its urge to play; the prize no longer seems quite worth the hunt.
Interpretation
Theatre involves a playful exploration, but clarity in its rules is essential for audience engagement.
In this quote, John Lahr reflects on the nature of theatre as a playful and engaging experience akin to hide-and-seek. He emphasizes that the excitement comes from the act of discovery, but if the parameters of the performance are unclear or overly complex, the audience may lose interest and feel that the effort of engagement is not worth the rewards that theatre can offer.
In practice
During a theatre workshop, I quoted Lahr to emphasize the importance of clarity in directing.
I was the first critic ever to win a Tony - for co-authoring 'Elaine Stritch at Liberty.' Criticism is a life without risk; the critic is risking his opinion, the maker is risking his life. It's a humbling thought but important for the critic to keep it in mind - a thought he can only know if he's made something himself.
Writers don't always know what they mean - that's why they write. Their work stands in for them. On the page, the reader meets the authoritative, perfected self; in life, the writer is lumbered with the uncertain, imperfect one.
You need to keep something for yourself. As a writer, I feel that even more strongly. I feel like I need to be able to freely observe the world. That's the way I like to move through the world; I don't need to be the focus of attention. If I am, it impairs my ability to write and to do what I do.
I am very depressed and deeply disgusted with painting. It is really a continual torture.
I don't outline at all; I don't find it useful, and I don't like the way it boxes me in. I like the element of surprise and spontaneity, of letting the story find its own way.
While musical experts of the world focus on what choir members can do, I would like to focus on what choir members can be.
Intolerance respecting other people's religion is toleration itself in comparison with intolerance respecting other people's art.
There's no doubt I was a bit of a misfit in the Hollywood of the forties. The race for glamour left me far behind. I didn't really want to keep up. I wanted my stardom without the usual trimmings. Because of this, I was branded a rebel at the very least. But I don't regret that for a minute. My appetite was my own and I simply wouldn't have it any other way.
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