Rooooouuuugh...

Rough Theatre Response

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances, and yet they do not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which appear to give one piece of mind. Yet nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”----Christopher McCandless

When I think of Rough Theater, I initially think about Shakespeare and The Globe. If I remember correctly from high school English classes, The Globe was actually a pretty “rough” place to be during a performance. I remember reading about the commoners being thrown bread and standing in the mud near the stage, sometimes even relieving themselves right there on the spot, or yelling and throwing things at the actors when they were unhappy with the performance being given. Although that was my first thought, I don’t believe that is exactly what the article was talking about.
The next thing that comes to mind when thinking about rough theatre is music. Music is a passion of mine and I often find myself scouring the internet looking for new singers or bands in which I can enjoy. Many times, these bands tend to make music that is lo-fi, or not studio polished. There are often cracks and noises and background sounds all included in the music itself. While many would think that these things detract from the music itself, I find that it makes it all the more authentic, all the more true. When I hear lo-fi music, I hear life being translated through musical instruments, not just musical notes being played.
Our world is dirty. It is not crystal clear, polished, or shiny. We try to make it that way but it inevitably tries to return to its more natural, rugged form. Lo-fi music is only one example of rough theater. In my experiences, some of the best art or entertainment comes from sources which accept and work with the rough-ness of our world instead of trying to clear it all away. In the world of film, this comes into play often, especially when dealing with on location shooting. Many directors love to shoot in the studio because they can be in complete control of the many aspects of filming. However, in doing so, they sacrifice much of the authenticity that is there when you are filming in the real-world environment. I’ve found that if you embrace this unpredictability, you will often be rewarded.
In my years doing still photography, either personally or professionally, I have rarely done studio work. By that, I mean that most of the photography I do is out in the physical world, even if it is portrait work. Much of the photography that I’ve done in the last several years is that of the natural world, and I’ve found that if I try to control or even hope for certain conditions, I will be severely disappointed. Many of the best photos that I’ve taken have been spur of the moment, go-with-the-flow snapshots of ‘rough’ moments in time. Moments where I could never have predicted what happened or the composition that was created by unseen forces. Those are always my favorite moments in time.
All that being said, I agree with the author that Rough Theater is always the one that saves the day. I firmly believe that the common people, the artists, and the dreamers are the ones that will have to rise to the occasion to bring us up out of the man-made muck and mire that our world gets itself into by attempting to remove itself from the natural muck and mire of the world around us. It’s the artists and dreamers job to continually remind us that it is this “roughness” that gives us our humanity and our creativity. If all filmmakers wanted to be like Michael Bay, we’d be in trouble. Luckily there are those of us out there that are willing to continue to take the medium to new levels of exploration, never fearing to get out of our clean and polished worlds and visit those places, both physically and mentally, that push us to reach for bigger and better things.