Is Theatre Dying?

Whenever someone questions me, “Is the Art of Theatre dying?” I always answer, “It would be a major need in the future because we know that this age of digital progression is making us more isolated from our surroundings and especially from our society”.

In general, we are lacking tolerance and patience towards each other. We are more indulged in surfing and chatting online rather than talking to real people around us. We even do not want to listen to each other’s point of views, because in our virtual world everything is according to our wishes; and what we don’t like, we just do not bother to go into it. In contrast, whenever we encounter real people, we have conflicts of ideas. Theatre is a collaborative activity and involves major human interaction. It injects a sense of tolerance in its practitioners and audience.

I have noticed that the quality of improvisation is lacking the emotional input. The human experience of the latest generation is very limited, as they are more comfortable in interacting through online platforms. For instance, they could not imagine certain scenarios and the human reaction in some particular situations. However, we all agree that action is the ultimate way of communication. When we lack linguistic expression, we use actions. Theatre is purely action; therefore, it is the sole means of communication between cultures. Through theatre, we can reach people globally because emotions are received and absorbed with a great enthusiasm by people regardless of their region or culture.

Cumulatively, I believe that theatre would never die in future, but it would exhale and grow with the power of wings of new technology. Theatre, which has an immense history of five thousand years, can’t be challenged in any way. I have confidence that theatre is an essential element of humans and it is there with them from the beginning and it will last till the end of time.