A Theater Manifesto
“Playwrights, directors and performers all seem to think that we want to be part of their act.” The Washington Post’s theater critic wishes to be left alone.
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“Playwrights, directors and performers all seem to think that we want to be part of their act, that during a performance we’re desperate for actors to descend into the aisles, converse with us, tussle our hair—even, occasionally, drag us back up into the footlights with them. … When actors come toward me, I go into defensive posture: I avert my eyes, twist away from them in my seat. Usually, that’s enough to keep them at bay. But even these tactics are not fail-safe deterrents. A few years ago a performer interrupted her show to pull my notebook and pen from my hands and toss them into a corner. Interactive, schminteractive. Can’t we restore that wonderful invisible fence between us and them?”
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