Swept into a bright, enchanting jungle of the fictional characters of her favorite childhood movie, “The Lion King,” sophomore Sophia Rogers watched the live birds and flying animals twirl throughout the ice rink. Although Rogers already knew the storyline by heart, she was still spellbound by the Disney on Ice Rendition.
“I’ve seen ‘The Lion King’ since I was a kid, but this was the first time I’ve experienced it without the cartoon animals, so the story became an actual adventure.”
According to the National Endowment for the Art’s survey on performance attendance, there has been a 33 percent decrease in non-musical plays in the last decade. In contrast, Broadway attendance has stayed at 12 million visits per year since 1996.
Although movies and television can appear more realistic, drama director Shane Smuin says that live performances allow a shared experience between the performing artists and the watching and listening audience. “When you go see a movie or watch television, you see actors and they’ve already delivered their performance, and its not as personal, because they’ve already done what you see them doing.”
Even with the recent, modern adaptations to classic plays, sophomore D’Marko Spencer, who’s favorite plays are Shakespeare’s, would still rather watch the them live. “Last year, I watched a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ performance at my grandma’s school and the acting was really passionate and sincere. I also watched the “Romeo and Juliet” movie last year in English, the Leonardo Dicaprio version. The movie had more action, but with all the killing and the dramatic screaming, I really couldn’t follow the plot.”
With a similar stand, sophomore Matthew Blum says that live performances draw a close connection with the characters. “When you see a something done live, you get more of a human connection from just being in the same room with the person acting.”
Students who share Spencer’s appreciation of live performances can partake in musicals, plays, and concerts at Aragon. For instance, junior Danya Sandler likes that live musicals allow the audience to interact and contribute. He says, “The audience is a partaker in the performance. It’s easier to connect to people, just by making eye contact with them while singing or saying a specific line. I can see whether an audience is uninterested, lively or tired. This heavily affects the adrenaline rush and my performance.”
Moreover, junior Regina Lisinker says, “There’s a different vibe in knowing that something could go extremely wrong in seconds. Actors on television have a chance to run their scenes over and over again until its perfect, but I have one chance each night to wow the audience.”
Overall, Smuin sees the benefits of diverse live shows. “I think that it’s important that performing artists provide our communities a variety of artistic performances, including theater, but also opera, ballet, live music, symphony, rock concerts. Quality is most important. I loved sitting down and watching performers show me a story. If it’s a good quality play, musical, or any other performance, that’s what I find more entertaining.”
