Our experiences and views of theatrical events are greatly affected by our interpretive lens. Interpretive lens refers to our way of seeing and defining the world in terms of cultural, sexual, age, ethnic and gender orientation. One of the ways through which our interpretive lens affects our theatrical experience is by creating a feeling in the theatre. Selden (1958) suggests that the feelings of pleasantness or unpleasantness in a theatrical event may be caused by changes of bodily posture and other aspects of inner body organs such as the heart.
rSimilarly, cultural orientation may cause someone to develop a sense of pleasure or displeasure over a given theatrical event. The choice of words in a theatrical event may also be influenced by the gender, age or cultural orientation of a person. There are words preferred by older people and words that are preferred by younger people. Similarly, some cultures prohibit the use of certain words in public. Seen as an element of culture, language may also affect our views and experiences on theatrical events. If we don’t understand the language used in a theatrical event, we may not be able to participate effectively in the event.
People’s view on knowledge, power and representation may also affect how we experience theatrical events (Jay, 1994). In some interpretive lenses, authors and artists may be dismissed because they belong to a certain gender or because they came from a given cultural society. This is what humanists refer to as representation crisis. How we represent or understand other people determines how we experience theatrical events.
References list
Jay, Gregory. S. “Knowledge, Power and the struggle for Representation”. College English, vol. 56, No.1 (1994), pp.9-29.
Selden, Samuel. “Creating a Feeling in the Theatre. Educational Theatre Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2 (1958). Pp. 97-100.
