A silent leap in Broadway (and theatre)
Every now and then we get a change in a traditional medium that has the potential to completely change the medium itself. In TV, we went from black and white to colour to 3D, and now to VR. In theatre, we've been seeing more use of screens, and other technologies.
In the last few years, Broadway saw two amazing game-changers - Hamilton, and Deaf West's revival of Spring Awakening. Hamilton, honestly needs its own post.
Deaf West, as their name suggests, casts deaf actors with other actors supplying their voices. American Sign Language is incorporated into the dialogue, songs and choreography. It adds a whole new dimension to existing works and allows the theatre medium to be enjoyed by a more inclusive audience.
I really hope to see productions like this more.
Thoughts? Anything new or old brought to theatre that you love? Any changes you'll like to see?
Thanks for sharing about Deaf West! This is the first I've heard of them. It sounds like they're contributing some unique work.
The transition from black-and-white TV to colored TV was definitely a lasting innovation. I'm curious, in your opinion, what have Hamilton and Deaf West's Spring Awakening contributed that you think will have a long-lasting effect on theater? Is it the willingness to cast "nontraditional" actors in certain roles?
I do definitely hope the willingness to cast nontraditional actors will be a lasting effect. In Hamilton's case, I believe they've already inspired some nontraditional casting in Phantom of the Opera. I honestly believe that being more inclusive in any and all stages of a production helps to draw a more diverse audience, and adds more depth to characters and stories in general. I also hope this has an effect of telling stories that will otherwise not be considered.
Broadway for me (and I'm Canadian, so we really only see safe shows tour) has always had a very distinct favour, with a few exceptions, like Lion King's use of puppets. So I appreciate anything that tries to break the mold.
Spring Awakening is old (original play written in 1891, and Broadway debut in 2006). Deaf West's revival was in 2015. More than casting nontraditional actors, they added new ways to interpret an old story, such as having two actors play one role simultaneously to covey internal feelings and dialogue. I hope more step outside the box.
Hamilton is wordy. I'm not sure what the actually word count is, but I'm guessing it's super high compared to other musicals. Maybe because it's so wordy, they're able to cover a relatively complicated and long story, with a fair amount of core characters. I would love to see more complexity in general attempted by this more traditional medium.
Ultimately, I hope they have an ability to draw more people to the theatre, both as part of production and audience.
Sorry for the long delay. Thanks for your response and sharing your insight into theater. I will keep my eyes peeled for new things coming out.
No worries. I'm happy to be able to share something I love!