An audience has the potential to laugh, or respond emotionally to a live performance sometimes in a way that is unexpected by the performers. This can further enhance or distract the performance if the nuance of the tone is thus changed.

Perhaps one of the best examples that demonstrates how this can happen is satirizes in Mel Brooks film The Producers (1967, and later its musical update). Here the playwrights serious play is at first seen as shocking to the audience, but once L.S.D.–oddly cast as Hitler–appears, the audience perceives the show as a comedy; much to the dismay of the author of the play!

Discuss how performer’s interpretations can impact our perception of a theatrical production. What are some ways a production can insure the intent of the text of a play to better guide the audience?

Reference:

Sporre, D.J. (2013). Reality through the arts (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.