Answer to Question 1
The action in live theater takes place in a unified area that has specific limits,
usually defined by the proscenium arch. Drama, then, almost always deals with closed
forms: We don't imagine that the action is being continued in the wings or the dressing
rooms of the theater. In the theater, it's more difficult to withhold information in this
manner. In the live theater, the viewer remains in a stationary position. The distance
between the audience and the stage is constant. Of course, an actor can move closer to an
audience, but compared to the fluid space in the cinema, distance variation in the live
theater is negligible. In the live theater, space is three dimensional, is occupied by
tangible people and objects, and is therefore more lifelike. That is, our perception of
space is essentially the same as in reality. The living presence of actors, with their subtle
interactionsboth with other actors and the audienceis impossible to duplicate in film.
The stage player interacts with viewers, establishing a delicate rapport with each different
audience.
In the live theater, the audience generally must be more active. All the visual elements
are provided within a given space, so the viewer must sort out what's essential from
what's incidental. Disregarding for the moment the importance of language in the theater,
drama is a medium of low visual saturation. That is, the audience must fill in certain
meanings in the absence of visual detail.
Answer to Question 2
The human being is central to the aesthetic of the theater: Words must be
recited by people; conflicts must be embodied by actors. The cinema is not so dependent
on humans. The aesthetic of film is based on photography, and anything that can be
photographed can be the subject matter of a movie. For this reason, adapting a play to the
screen, although difficult, is hardly impossible, for much of what can be done on the
stage can be duplicated on the screen.
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