ensemblism, agonism, and you

Last night Scott brought up the idea that this script, fundamentally different from traditional, representational works of drama, can function similarly when it comes to character. In other words: whereas the "well-made play" uses character action to drive the events of a plot- every character generally wanting a specific outcome from another character- this play seeks a direct reaction from the audience itself.
While it could be argued that all plays seek this to some extent, whether the reaction is delight, education, shock, or entertainment, the nature of this particular script makes the audience itself a character. If we view Thousand Kites as an ensemble piece, wherein the entire production crystallizes into one single protagonist, then the "opposing force", or antagonist, must manifest outside of the players. Why? In general, I think a play is considerably stronger if the objective of the protagonist is concrete vs. abstract-- a corporate lawyer wanting his colleague to step down due to an embezzlement scandal versus wanting justice, for example. Therefore, if there are essentially two characters, the players and the audience, and a clear objective is wanted by the ensemble (the definition of protagonist being "to struggle") then a strong, core opposing force must be decided on by the cast. Should it be ignorance? Passivity? The very idea that our current prison system works?

The next element that, I think, should be addressed by the production team is how to interact with the audience. While admittedly the playwright has already taken care of some of this, in regards to characters' text, something unique happens when actors choose tactics that seek to influence the audience. To start, the audience is made up of potentially five hundred different individual perspectives and emotions concerning the prison system, all of which are being lumped into one. While this may not be such a bad thing, similar to the act of a group of chorus singers harmonizing: some raising their voices while others fall- it is unavoidable that, even in the best of cases, the audience is being reduced to a preemptively-selected emotional mold.
While it can again be argued that all plays do this to some extent, Thousand Kites lacks the benefit of a fourth wall from which the audience can objectively observe. There is also much less of a story arc which, in a realistic performance, could go on regardless of the presence of an audience and find its own climax.
That being said, I have great faith in this play and this team. As a community-oriented, presentational work of drama, I think this play has potential that many other scripts- some of which only interact with their audience for two minutes during curtain call- may not have.

Should we find answers to these questions and ground ourselves in a deliberate cause, the results could be no less than staggering.


This ends my heady interlude!
-Brian