The Stage

“The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.” – Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet, particularly remembered for his epigrams and plays[1].

This quote reflects the qualities and importance of the stage – albeit built and beautiful or a couple square meters of clear earth in the center of the market place, it matters not. The stage is the center of the actors’ universe – it’s the space wherein the story is reality, the focus that draws the audience’s attention, the paper on which the message is written.

The stage can also be considered to be a melting pot of the arts – various talents collide and mingle upon it; dance, song, dramatic arts, comedy, action and romance (etc.) all clash and mix on a single platform.

But art, especially in the theatrical domain, often looses some of its ‘life’ and energy when one reads it as a play, depending on the vitality of said readers imagination, and thus their ability to mentally visualize the performance, bringing it to life.

Therefore, seeing the art performed on stage fills in the gaps that caused the play to fall flat mentally, but allows for the performance to be embellished and spring to life.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde