Audience as Performer
The changing role of theatre audiences in the twenty-first century
By Caroline Heim | Publisher: Taylor and Francis
About the book
'Actors always talk about what the audience does. I don’t understand, we are just sitting here.'
Audience as Performer proposes that in the theatre, there are two troupes of performers: the actors and the audience. Although academics have scrutinised how audiences respond, make meaning and co-create while watching a performance, little research has considered the behaviour of the theatre audience as a performance in and of itself.
This insightful book describes how an audience performs through its myriad gestural, vocal and paralingual actions, and considers the following questions:
- If the audience are performers, who are their audiences?
- How have audiences’ roles changed throughout history?
- How do talkbacks and technology influence the audience’s role as critics?
- What influence does the audience have on the creation of community in theatre?
- How can the audience function as both consumer and co-creator?
Drawing from over 140 interviews with audience members, actors and ushers in the UK, USA and Austrialia, Heim reveals the lived experience of audience members at the theatrical event. It is a fresh reading of mainstream audiences’ activities, bringing their voices to the fore and exploring their emerging new roles in the theatre of the Twenty-First Century.
Editions of Audience as Performer
- EBook
- ISBN 9781317633549
- PDF
- ISBN 9781317633556
Read an Excerpt
'Actors always talk about what the audience does. I don’t understand, we are just sitting here.'
Audience as Performer proposes that in the theatre, there are two troupes of performers: the actors and the audience. Although academics have scrutinised how audiences respond, make meaning and co-create while watching a performance, little research has considered the behaviour of the theatre audience as a performance in and of itself.
This insightful book describes how an audience performs through its myriad gestural, vocal and paralingual actions, and considers the following questions:
- If the audience are performers, who are their audiences?
- How have audiences’ roles changed throughout history?
- How do talkbacks and technology influence the audience’s role as critics?
- What influence does the audience have on the creation of community in theatre?
- How can the audience function as both consumer and co-creator?
Drawing from over 140 interviews with audience members, actors and ushers in the UK, USA and Austrialia, Heim reveals the lived experience of audience members at the theatrical event. It is a fresh reading of mainstream audiences’ activities, bringing their voices to the fore and exploring their emerging new roles in the theatre of the Twenty-First Century.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Audience as Performer about?
'Actors always talk about what the audience does. I don’t understand, we are just sitting here.'
Audience as Performer proposes that in the theatre, there are two troupes of performers: the actors and the audience. Although academics have scrutinised how audiences respond, make meaning and co-create while watching a performance, little research has considered the behaviour of the theatre audience as a performance in and of itself.
This insightful book describes how an audience performs through its myriad gestural, vocal and paralingual actions, and considers the following questions:
- If the audience are performers, who are their audiences?
- How have audiences’ roles changed throughout history?
- How do talkbacks and technology influence the audience’s role as critics?
- What influence does the audience have on the creation of community in theatre?
- How can the audience function as both consumer and co-creator?
Drawing from over 140 interviews with audience members, actors and ushers in the UK, USA and Austrialia, Heim reveals the lived experience of audience members at the theatrical event. It is a fresh reading of mainstream audiences’ activities, bringing their voices to the fore and exploring their emerging new roles in the theatre of the Twenty-First Century.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Audience as Performer?
The Arts > Performing arts > Theatre studies
Where can I read a sample of Audience as Performer?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781317633549
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Audience as Performer?
Caroline Heim
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Audience as Performer is available as ebook(ISBN 9781317633549) and pdf(ISBN 9781317633556)