Everybody remembers the famous monologue delivered by Jaques, in As You Like It, Act 2, scene 7, which begins with Shakespeare’s philosophy, “All the world’s a stage, and all men and women merely players. How true is this speech with regards to the world? Well for some it is as true as the law of gravity and for others it might not hold any ground. However, what if we reverse this metaphor and try to analyze and examine the world of stage, what shall we come across?
The World of Stage is as fantastical as it is real. It confines in itself all the possibilities and the limitations of the actual world. On stage, a play can reflect the ongoing social scenario or distort reality and completely present the opposite or the far-fetched. For eg. On one hand we have, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and on the other we have ‘Doll’s House’. Both these plays present two ends of a spectrum, the former employing use of the mystical and magical element and the other giving us a picture of the Real world as it is in actuality. Therefore, the world of stage is as close to the real world as it can be away from it.
The world of stage is much more and beyond what meets the eye. Behind the spectacle of the stage, acting, props, music, art and other things, lie the incessant rehearsals, mind-boggling directions, tiring run-throughs, and finally the final performance that is critiqued or applauded by the audience. Hence, the world of stage is no different from the actual world full of trials, tribulations, victory, defeats, happiness, sorrows, etc. Therefore, can we say that all the world’s a stage or a stage in itself is a world? Think about it.
Music has been used in Theater for a long time. There are some productions that do not make use of music at all and the sound effects are created either by characters back-stage or on stage. There is no hard and fast rule as far as music is concerned in theater and is totally dependent on the script of the play. If the script demands it, then its inclusion seems but natural.
Musicals and Opera are two genres of Theater in which music plays a very important role and is the basis of the production. Musicals attract a lot of crowd and are favorite among the general public who love to see the beautiful spectacle and sensational choreography. Music in other productions is used to either highlight an effect, express the emotion of a character. Sometimes it is also used depict the state of mind of a character, communicate a particular feeling to the audience. Music, song and dance helps the audience to be aware of the fact that action on stage is unreal and is crafted. Inclusion of Music has been basically borrowed from Musicals and partly from the classical mode of Drama.
Entertaining the masses has become a rather tough job these days. They have become more aware, more discerning and not to forget more intelligent. Consequently, they have become even more selective in choosing their means of entertainment. The Entertainment industry sensing this change has already adopted a new approach towards entertaining the masses.
Entertainment today, therefore, is much more than cheap thrills, over-rated sensationalism or some manipulated faux. The entertainment industry is conscious of the intellectual taste of the public and strives hard to cater to it. Each mode of entertainment today be it music, movies, sports, showbiz, arts etc, has developed a wider perspective and presents people some food for thought. People want something more than just visual and sensual appeal. They want to carry home the truth with them and reject everything that goes out of their sphere of reason or common sense.
Modes of Entertainment in the 21st century have drastically changed from yesteryears thanks to the ever burgeoning technology and development. The revolutionized modern society has seen many changes since its beginning. The most effective change was that of advancement in technology which brought radical variations in the lifestyle of people. Gradually people started depending on machines for the fulfillment of their needs and the need for entertainment was no different.
These days, the moment the word entertainment is spoken, visions of TV, movies, etc. flash upon the eye, accompanied by thoughts of Internet, social media networking, play-stations, etc. In yesteryears, when entertainment meant family outings, sports, pursuing a hobby, playing outdoors, etc is no longer considered appropriate to satisfy our tech-fed appetites. These modes now seem primitive and slow that they cannot match with the fast paced graphic virtual world that the technology has presented us with. Entertainment today also means excess. Excess of emotions, violence, sexuality and finally entertainment. Thus modes of entertainment in the 21st century are not in the least like those of the 20th century and we can only imagine what would it be like in the coming years.
August 6, 2008 3:10 am | 
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