Although Aragon puts on a musical and play every year, there are many opportunities to experience other varieties of live theater in the Bay Area. From San Francisco based theater companies like Shorenstein Hays Nederlander (SHN) and the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) to local companies like Hillbarn and high school groups, a wide variety of shows are offered around town.
Film and theater are similar art forms, but considering the major difference of platforms on which they’re performed, some prefer one over the other. Junior Sam Rose, a stage manager for the Aragon drama department, describes her experiences with theater by saying, “[theater] makes the stories come [alive], because instead of just watching a screen you get to see real people doing things and it’s really exciting and very personal.”
While Hollywood booms with funds and stardom, theater still maintains a unique quality of one-time realization since every performance is slightly different. Additionally, it often seems more personal because the actors are physically present, rather than being separated by a screen. Some consider the acting more ‘real’ because there aren’t multiple takes and the performances are presented live, but others find them to be equal in impressionability.
As with many old traditions, theater can be met with stigma and disapproval from high schoolers. However, Rose feels differently. “A lot of people think it’s boring because they think ‘Oh theater, that’s for stuffy old British people’, but theater is really relevant to life and you have so many commentaries on policy and everything.”
Whether it’s a social, political or socioeconomic commentary plays and musicals use humor or melodrama to parody religion, the government and other institutions seen as needing reform. Another deterring factor of theater is the lack of accessibility as compared to more popular platforms like Netflix and Hulu. Since easy entertainment is available at a stroke across a keyboard, many youth might not feel inclined to spend $15 to $30 to go see a local theater show that might be old fashioned or overly political.
There are, however, innumerable productions out there that are designed to compete with popular movies and TV.
“There’s lots of cool stuff in San Francisco that you can find of people doing their own takes or versions of interesting stories that I always feel are worth seeking out,” says sophomore Graham King. Revamping old productions is among the trends circulating the theater world right now. In the spirit of new classical interpretations to fit with today’s ideals, some companies may change shows — like Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” for example — from a perceivably misogynist work to a more modern, socially acceptable one.
Classical plays are still in wide circulation with the Shakespeare in the Park company and many local high schools and groups. Junior Aech Loar says, “Shakespeare’s plays are often relevant to things that happen today and once you can understand the language they’re pretty funny.” And although the dense language and high school English class flashbacks deter many from going to see Shakespeare and other classics, it still seems like the Shakespearean narrative is still widely popular and remains among the best known and most often performed productions.
Live theater holds some special elements that have kept it alive and popular throughout centuries, and one of the most powerful is the collaborative element. King is especially keen on this because it’s what first got him interested in theater. “It’s the idea of working towards a sole product as sort of a group entity,” King describes, “the idea that everyone is working towards a common goal, and that’s what’s special to me about it.”
Some may argue that without collaboration, shows wouldn’t go on. Whether it’s stage crew, cast or directors and producers, theater is an art of teamwork and shared creativity unfounded in some Hollywood circles. Perhaps, this fundamental need for teamwork and a large crew is part of what keeps theater intriguing and engaging, and it may also be why the rise of Netflix won’t be taking out the industry any time soon.
