As the world of the arts becomes increasingly wide, we are more and more exposed to a variety of options in terms of shows and stage events. Of course, these take several shapes and come in a wide variety of versions: from highbrow opera and theater shows to street festivals and community celebrations.
Regardless of whether you are staging a play or offering awards for your local movers and shakers, a show should be a great and memorable experience both for those who are involved, but mostly for the audience.
In this sense, a show is supposed to have a strong meaning and a great form. Unfortunately, we are seeing a strong decrease in the value of shows across the world, and apparently, the reasons for this are almost always the same. A lack of preparation, not just in terms of organization, but in terms of artistic standards and expectations from both organizers and audience is one of the main general causes.
Therefore, there are a few things anyone organizing a show should consider.
Cultural relevance. Whatever you do, the first thing you should ask yourself about the show you are putting on is whether it adds any, and if yes, how much, cultural value. A great show is an event that brings something new to the cultural table. Time is a very precious commodity and even a luxury to many; time is a value and thus, you need to ask yourself whether every minute of your show brings value to other people’s lives. Otherwise, you would be simply disrespecting their time and would implicitly show that you yourself don’t recognize much of the concept of value. Therefore, cultural relevance is the essence of every show.
Cohesiveness. Any work of art should be cohesive. Centuries of high art have taught us that. Cohesiveness in art means that everything should go together well, even if it is a collage. These days, we’re seeing a lot of odd mixes, which, contrary to popular belief, don’t really go together. If you want to take your audience on an emotional rollercoaster, you can do it, but there is a difference between emotional highs and lows and a mess. Just like putting together every good food in the world into a salad won’t necessarily result in a good salad, taking a bit of everything and putting it together in a potpourri show won’t necessarily work.
Coherence. Coherence is related to cohesiveness, but it is not the same. Cohesiveness refers, in this case, to a discourse that is topical, while coherence is the trait that makes it logical. Even if you have only elements that are from the same world, they need to be arranged in a way that tells a story. Stories can have different narrative arches, they don’t necessarily need to be linear, but they always need to be coherent. If you are not respecting this, you may not make your message come across well and will only confuse your audience. It is important to order your moments rightly; don’t expect people to “open up” right from the start.
Dynamism. Once you’ve got the structure of your show down, one of the most important aspects is to make it a dynamic experience. Dynamism does not refer to a lot of physical movement, lots of audio or a campy aesthetic (even though these can be means of creating dynamism), but to keeping it interesting and relevant. Many shows simply have or seem to have lots of “filler” moments, moments that are there to stretch it. There’s no point in being chaotic or boring. If something is not of interest, it may as well get cut out.
Rhythm. Any work of art or stage event should have its own rhythm. A show that is out of rhythm and of balance is tiresome. Have you ever seen a show and felt tired afterwards? Most likely, what it was lacking was rhythm. Just as always changing gears when driving a car can turn out to be an exhausting experience, so is watching a show with no rhythm. This can be given by simply having moments of the same duration, but for a great show, it means so much more. A show that has rhythm has moments that go up and down, that prepare you for the high points, that conveys key messages at important points and which is understandable.
Balance. Balance must come with rhythm. In order to be entertaining, you need to balance the way in which the message is transmitted. In this sense, one needs to balance out the key moments with supporting moments and prep moments (the moments in which you set your audience up for what is to come). Balance is also about using with care the elements you use to tell your story: words, music, songs, lights, sets, characters and everything else. Include only what is necessary, don’t overcrowd the elements of artistic communication unnecessarily.
Graduality. A very important aspect of any creative discourse is graduality. Always make sure there is a build up to what you are trying to say; don’t give out everything at once, show you have the goods and keep the most important things for the key moments, which should be added carefully.
Audience engagement. Interacting with the audience can be a good idea, but for the most part, most people will be reluctant to engage with what is going on on the stage. Unless you are completely sure the audience will like to be part of your show, don’t do it, as you may cause some distress, which is not why the people who attend are there.
Respect. It is crucial to treat the people who come at your show with artistic dignity and integrity. In this sense, it’s important not only to be humble and not self-aggrandizing, but also not to waste their time or insult them (for example claiming playback to be a live song). Treating your audience badly can also mean to overexplain your show. Making something that nobody but you gets and then calling them stupid for not understanding is also quite rude, which is not a great word to be associated with a show.
The Golden Rule: Be Sincere. In art, the key to a successful work, endeavor or project is sincerity. Honesty in art does not mean having a live therapy session, but discussing things in a clear, open and honest way. Art is about sincerity, it’s a collection of things that talk in a symbolic manner about the depth of who we are. A qualitative show is a dialogue between the audience and the creators. Sincerity comes out of having a genuine interest in the things you discuss and out of a sincere relation to the people you want to touch.
A show, regardless of whether it is visual, audio, on a stage or on television, should be a memorable production. This can be achieved by considering these tips and by making sure that you work with people who share your vision and goal.