17 posts
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Post by theplayer on Oct 12, 2017 22:06:47 GMT
I prefer going to see new plays as opposed to fresh productions of established ones. For the same reason I prefer original films to remakes.
This is why I tend to frequent off-west end London theatres, as they normally focus on showcasing new writers and unique plays.
What do you think?
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Oct 12, 2017 22:49:34 GMT
I'll make more of an effort to see new plays - I feel they're more flexible and responsive to current issues than film or tv or even novels, which have to go through so many layers of establishment filtering and risk-assessment before they're given the go ahead. I also really enjoy watching new plays develop if I get the chance to see them in preview and then later in the run, and to talk to the writers if they're approachable.
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2,058 posts
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Post by Marwood on Oct 12, 2017 22:51:16 GMT
Depends on what the 'old' plays are and who is in them, must admit I'm not (usually) too excited when I see somewhere is doing another Shakespeare production.
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7,189 posts
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Post by Jon on Oct 12, 2017 23:51:45 GMT
I've seen more new plays this year than revivals but the revivals like Twelfth Night and Angels in America, I've never seen on stage before.
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Post by Jan on Oct 13, 2017 6:06:02 GMT
I stopped seeing any new plays at all in about 1990. In general, with a few exceptions, I only see plays written pre-1950.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 13, 2017 6:39:16 GMT
It's very wise to avoid new plays at the NT
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Post by loureviews on Oct 13, 2017 7:08:21 GMT
Both. I'll probably go to most classic revivals or a Shakespeare, but will also try new plays if they appeal.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2017 7:52:51 GMT
When it comes to my checklist of whether or not I'll see a play, it being old or new has very little bearing on whether I go or not. I have my theatres I regularly frequent, which I usually like because the prices are good and the quality's usually okay too, and I have my favourite actors and directors. I do also have my favourite playwrights, but I'm as likely to go see a Shakespeare play as a Philip Ridley, so I can't think about it in terms of new vs established. There are times when I'll say "oh I don't need to see that, I saw it last time" (like Glengarry Glen Ross) but there are also times when I've revisited a well-loved play (just *try* standing between me and a production of Arcadia). I think if I took my list of shows and did the adding up, I'd probably have more new plays than established ones, but I think that's just the state of London theatre.
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Oct 13, 2017 8:39:55 GMT
It's very wise to avoid new plays at the NT If we had a time machine, and went back to see what are now considered classic plays in their first weeks of performance, it would be interesting to see how many of them were a bit of a baggy mess. I like seeing new plays, though most of the ones I've seen recently by big names on big stages felt like they needed more work, whilst the small, low budget studio productions were often little gems. I wonder how many of them will get revivals, and if so, in what form. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2017 11:15:56 GMT
I used to go to a lot more new plays than I do now but I got fed up with the hit-and-miss nature of them... I saw some really dire stuff (Polar Bears and The Cut spring to mind, both at the Donmar) and it was becoming expensive to fork out for something I might sleep through. Nowadays I tend to stick to musicals which I prefer in the main, and I feel that- most of the time- they deliver, for me. The downside is I can miss out on superb new plays and only discover them after they've been and gone. (I didn't see Jerusalem, and having seen The Ferryman fairly recently, I really wish I had...) Having said that, Martin McDonagh has never disappointed so I'll book anything he writes.
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Post by peelee on Oct 13, 2017 15:02:09 GMT
'Do you prefer seeing new plays or established works?' What difference does it make? They are not opposites. There have been good new works in recent years and also bad ones. There have been welcome revivals of plays with reputations, and new productions of old plays that would have been better left sleeping. I avoid a lot of plays and they're being old or new doesn't come into it. There are also plays new and old that I'd like to have seen but could not afford to buy tickets for. Surely theatre-going is an experience that can leave you pleasantly surprised that you've seen something you only saw because you couldn't get tickets for what you had wanted.
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Post by Jan on Oct 13, 2017 17:41:57 GMT
'Do you prefer seeing new plays or established works?' What difference does it make? They are not opposites. All subsidised theatres have a requirement (albeit self-imposed in some instances) to put on new plays, some of them put on only new plays, the sheer number of new plays that need to be put on and the necessarily small pool of talented writers that can supply them means that the bad or indifferent tend to greatly outnumber the good. For a revival though the director has a choice from a much bigger pool of many hundreds of plays and can select good ones more reliably. I saw a lot of new plays in the 1980s and concluded it simply wasn't worth the time and money based on their overall quality. I'm also really not that interested in seeing plays about current "issues", I tend more to the unfashionable "theatre as mere entertainment" view. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2017 17:50:37 GMT
What difference does it make? Obviously, anything you see for the first time is new to you. A brand new work however, you get to witness something close to the act of creation, and see it grow in its infancy, which can be a wonderful experience. In a medium as traditional and slowly-evolving as theatre, anything that speaks directly to a new, and probably younger, audience is to be warmly welcomed. |
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Post by kathryn on Oct 14, 2017 7:46:19 GMT
What difference does it make? Obviously, anything you see for the first time is new to you. A brand new work however, you get to witness something close to the act of creation, and see it grow in its infancy, which can be a wonderful experience. In a medium as traditional and slowly-evolving as theatre, anything that speaks directly to a new, and probably younger, audience is to be warmly welcomed.
Why do you think that new plays will be speaking to a new audience?
In my experience new theatregoers are more likely to be seeing something old - something they've heard about before and are reasonably sure they'll like - whereas it's the old hands who are willing to try out brand new stuff.
It's the regular theatre goers (including critics) who make enough noise about something new being good and attract actual
new audience members in to see it - in the absence of star cast/creatives who have their own draw, anyway.
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Post by David J on Oct 14, 2017 8:59:24 GMT
It's a tricky question for me right now
Once upon a time I would have been going up to London on a Saturday for two shows, maybe sneak in another trip during the week, and try and see every show in the south, as well as go up to see all the RSC shows
Now my priorities are changing. I am taking Meisner classes in London, not just for acting but to help me get out of my head and talk more with people. I'm right now taking a course with Wednesday and saturday classes till the end of the October, but this isn't something you simply accomplish just like that. There will be more classes and courses to come, and part of the fun is that I get to socialise with the class members on Saturdays, leaving only the evening to see a show
Soon Im going to have to think seriously about my spending. After so many years I'll be turning 26 and the young persons tickets will have gone (though the RSC is offering another year if I join up for the £20 membership).
From next year I want to prioritise shows by the genres i love to see which are
New musicals
William Shakespeare revivals
Musical revivals
Now new plays and revivals I'd love to see but only if they are REALLY good. New plays are trickier obviously since you have no idea if they are going to be good. So I would have to wait for reviews and hope there's still tickets
More and more I want to see shows that are worth the money and effort to go up to London. Not that I want to be snobbish, but even the 4 star shows that are just good and commendable don't feel worth it. I want shows to bring something new to a play, or blow my mind. Something that would make me think that I want to see it again
And that's something that at end of the day only you yourself can decide when the curtain falls. The reviews and even the great comments on this forum can take you so far.
Simply going to see your favourite writers work or performer in the latest production doesn't guarantee that the show will be a dud (even Shakespeare isn't infalliable). I can't rely on favourite theatre companies these days. After 11 years ill only go up to see the RSC's swan theatre and winter productions and leave the main shows for the cinema. The opening season for Chichesters new artistic director doesn't spring confidence. Then again companies will always have their ups and downs
Honestly I knew the day will come when my theatregoing will have to be minimised and hope next year will bring me mostly outstanding musicals, Shakespeare and plays. I don't even mind the occasional awful one. I sometimes think the worst are actually the ones that are just plain average.
And I can still rely on the comments from this board. Even Parsleys reviews can make choosing a show a whole lot easier I feel.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2017 13:11:30 GMT
I don't especially mind old or new plays really but I do admit to having a fondness for a play with a few wigs and a corset in it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2017 13:23:36 GMT
Do like I do, Ryan- don’t fork out for a play for that kind of thing. Just invite a couple of mates round for the evening.  |
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Post by Dawnstar on Oct 15, 2017 17:48:44 GMT
I don't like seeing shows unless I can look up the plot beforehand & check there shouldn't be anything too gruesome in it. This therefore limits my willingness to see brand new pieces unless either they're based on something in another medium whose plot I can check (and even then I got totally caught out by The Light Princess) or it's clear from reviews & word of mouth that there's nothing too unpleasant in the piece.
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Post by joem on Oct 15, 2017 18:10:05 GMT
It depends first of all on whether a play is new to me. I am always fond of watching something for the first time. I don't have a problem with seeing classic plays more than once, preferably different productions. It all depnds on time and what is on offer.
Without new writing and new plays though the theatre will eventually become atrophied and die or become something of merely historical interest.
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 15, 2017 18:11:11 GMT
Using a sample stick for whether a play is 'new' or 'established' doesn't work for me as both are very capable of putting the biggest grin on my face and sometimes the biggest frown and rarely just leaving scratching my head. Theatre does have a definite hierarchy for me and I try and see as much as I can, but am limited by time and sometimes money, but other factors do creep in such as production, cast, theatre it is produced by, word of mouth and reviews. 2 plays that have been poorly received recently one being Heisenberg, which I adored in New York, so now curious why the British production is so poor, so will see this again, to re-evaluate so now near the top of my list. Conversely George and the Dragon just keeps slipping down the page, I may see it yet, but it depends what else comes up.
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Post by maggiem on Oct 18, 2017 13:44:33 GMT
With me it's been a mix over the years.
Some old "warhorse" plays e.g. The Miracle Worker, Our Town, Rope, simply because I only knew them by reputation. (Feel free to argue the description of them!)
Some new plays if the subject interests me e.g. Little Eagles, Oppenheimer, Photograph 51.
Plays I heard about when they were first performed, but only got to see in later years e.g. Breaking the Code, Art.
Plays by writers I know and have already seen some of their other work:- old - Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance (via the cinema relay in a few weeks' time): new- Labour of Love, (because I'd seen This House and loved it.)
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