What is Theater

Theater in the simplest definition is a building in which people gather as an audience or group to enjoy some type of performance. The word theater is derived from the greek word theatron meaning "to see or place of seeing. It is both a noun and verb. A building with a stage designed for live, public performances."However, theater can also mean the process of putting on some type of live or recorded performance for an audience. Theater can be found anywhere in life, because theater in the traditional sense is an attempt to portray certain elements of life. The theater is " a subculture of artists and craftsmen who spend thei lives in the buisiness of adult make believe."Most people see only theatrical performances such as plays and musicals as forms of theater. It is my opinion that theater can extend to types of performances such as speeches, ceremonies, sporting events as well as others. When a person is performing any type of act for an audience, there is always an element of theater involved. It can be anything from specific hand gestures in a speech to convey emphasis, to the professionalism shown by a team captain to help gain support from the fans and rally the team together. A theatrical performance in the more literal sense takes actors who use themselves as their own tools. They posess the ability to use "voice, body disicpline (including observation, control, and style), and though (including imiganiation, memory, and intelligence." Theater can be broken down into a simple equation known as the theater equation. If the character is known as "X", the audience or spectator as "S" and the actor as "A." In the simplest way it can be understood as "A pretends to be X while S looks on. The actor and spectator are fully aware of each other."