What is the definition of theatre? As stages are increasingly filled with technology, use of video, and concert-format events the landscape of theatre is shifting and becoming a little harder to clearly define.
Once a musical was a string of sketches, loosely tied together with a 'story'. Then it became the integrated storytelling approach using book, music and lyrics. Now it's.... what? Is American Idiot any less of a musical because it falls somewhere between a concert and vaudeville with screens? Does Come Fly Away not count as a musical since the songs are not sung by the protagonist, but an entity who never physically appears on stage?
In this article on the Guardian's Theatre Blog, Mark Fisher looks at some people's attempts to define theatre, including Vicky Featherstone, boss of the National Theatre of Scotland. She is quoted as saying a particular act turned an event into a piece of theatre, adding "whatever theatre means". Her work with the National Theatre has been consistent in it's adventurousness, including productions taking place in ten venues simultaneously, and others sending audiences off on a scavenger hunt.
Some people say all you need is an audience. One commenter suggested that if it's rehearsed it's theatre, if not it's life happening while a bunch of people watch. How you define it doesn't really matter; doing it counts, whether it's to serve as a vehicle for your expression, your message or simply to spread some joy around.
The likes of Stockhausen or Autechre might not be considered to be music by some, but that hasn't stopped them being critically acclaimed and hugely successful. Let's not get our knickers in a twist trying to define what we do. Just do it, and let the definition find you.
