The Concept and definitions of theatre

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The concept of Theatre: Introduction
The concept of Theatre is a controversial topic as scholars struggle to outline the coverage and reach of the word or practice, theatre. 
Wilson expounds that:
     A theatre event passes through many hands
     and the contribution of each person is                 essential to its success.
Theatre is one of the widest words in English and it's scope is defined by different eras in different ways. As an imitation of life, theatre embraces almost everything that life embraces including much of life's chaos and confusion. 
As a result, there exist contradictory attitudes towards theatre and whiting posits thus:
    To the Greeks, the theatre was a religious ritual commanding the best minds in the community; to the Romans, on the other hand, it eventually became little more than a degraded pleasure, a project by slaves for the litillation of their masters. To the early church in the medieval age, the theatre was an evil to be crushed alongside thievery and prostitution; to the same church few centuries later, some of the great mystery and miracle plays become almost holy rites. To many entertainers, from strolling players, to television comedians, the theatre has usually been regarded as a means of earning a living through a few jokes and antics designed to catch the momentary fancy of the general public.
This means that different eras view theatre different. To theatre practitioners it is a means of probing for truth religiously, honestly and fearlessly.

The Definitions of Theatre
Most words in the English language can assume multiple definitions in isolation, theatre inclusive.
  The word theatre was coined from the Greek word Theatron, meaning a place. In Greece the slope of the Acropolis was the Theatron. But beyond the place , Theatre means the group, the troupe or the company... Sometimes, the word designates dramatics' style- either writing, directing or acting.
Theatre is also a special building for the performance of plays, it is also the work and activity of who write, direct and act plays. 
Jacobus asserts that "it is a building in which a play is performed and also refers to drama as an art form" From above postulations, it is agreed by all that theatre predominantly is a building erected or bulit for the performance of plays.

Conclusion
To me I believe theatre transverses a building or the activity of men and women who write and act out literature because if one stops crowds on a street and performs for them it becomes theatre but there's no building erected. If people act out historical situations they were involved in or witnessed, it is still theatre but without written literature.
As such theatre encompasses all performance spaces; erected or not, all performances; scripted or non scripted and/or any form of regular or sparing entertainment done by one or more persons in an effort to capture the momentary and gullible fancy of the audience.

References
Whiting, Frank. An Introduction to the theatre. New York Harper and Row publishers.

Wilson, Edwin. Theatre Experience (Tenth Edition). New York MC Grace Hill, 2007.

Jacob, O Udofot. Issues in Theatre practice: An Introduction.
The Colleseum in Rome.


© Copyright Nano Inyon, 2022.
© Nija Info-Tribe, 2022.

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