This paper proposes a model of three needs for theatre and other creative arts. The first level, functional needs, is necessary for basic existence. For theatre, that would entail such components as a physical space and players. The second level, quality needs, is comprised of the skills and abilities of the people and materials; it contributes to the professionalism and enjoyability of the show in theatre. The third and final level, possible needs, is the degree to which a show or any other type of creative arts can inspire emotions, engage intellect, and develop meaning. Many of the positive outcomes that come from theatre and other creative arts, we argue, are a result of this third possible level.

The Show Must Go On: Functional, Quality, and Possible Needs for Theatre and the Creative Arts

Dana P. Rowe

American Society of Composers and Publishers

and

International Coaching Federation

James C. Kaufman

University of Connecticut

 

To cite:

Rowe, D. P., & Kaufman, J. C. (2023). The show must go on: Functional, quality, and possible needs for theatre and the creative arts. Possibility Studies and Society, 1, 113-117.

The Show Must Go On: Functional, Quality, and Possible Needs for Theatre and the Creative Arts

Abstract

This paper proposes a model of three needs for theatre and other creative arts. The first level, functional needs, is necessary for basic existence. For theatre, that would entail such components as a physical space and players. The second level, quality needs, is comprised of the skills and abilities of the people and materials; it contributes to the professionalism and enjoyability of the show in theatre. The third and final level, possible needs, is the degree to which a show or any other type of creative arts can inspire emotions, engage intellect, and develop meaning. Many of the positive outcomes that come from theatre and other creative arts, we argue, are a result of this third possible level.

Keywords: Theatre, Creativity, Arts, Possible, Emotions, Meaning

There is a classic saying in theatre that “the show must go on.” The underlying idea is that even if the theatre is flooded and the leading man has the flu, the curtain should still rise every night. Indeed, theatre and the arts continue to survive even amidst challenges from every angle, especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic. The innate human desire to create, tell stories, sing songs, and make art is strong.

However, what is necessary, in a larger sense, for the show to go on in the first place? Theatre (and any other type of creative art) has a number of different types of requirements to exist, excel, and hold deeper resonance. In this paper, we will propose three types of needs – functional, quality, and possible – for the show going on, culminating in how the idea of the “possible” underlies the final need level and gives theatre its magic.

At the first level, there are functional needs that must be in place for any show to ever happen. If you want to put on a show, for example, you need a theatre or a place that can serve as a theatre (a platform, a basement, any room with chairs). If you want to put on an existing, already written show, then you need to get permission (unless it is an old show that is no longer under copyright), scripts, and (if it is a musical) the score. If you want to write a new show, then you need to think of a story, craft dialogue, perhaps write music, and so on. You need a group of actors, costumes, makeup, props, and (depending on its scale) things like lights, microphones, a curtain, sets, or any special effects. Finally, and in some ways most essentially, you need an audience and everything it takes to find one (such as marketing). All of these things need to work together in an appropriate way. For example, a puppet show for kids might not even need chairs; kids are often fine sitting on the floor. In contrast, a Shakespearean play would likely draw an audience that would expect reasonably comfortable seating. A tiny room might be okay for a monologue but would not be a good fit for a show with an enormous cast. In a sense, all of Glăveanu’s (2013) Five A’s are contribute to a show fulfilling functional needs. You need (literal) actors performing actions to an appropriate audience utilizing the affordances of space, objects, and relevant abilities which will create an overall artifact of the show. Without the functional needs met, there will be no show.

There is, we would argue, a second level of quality needs. The functional needs level is what is necessary for a show to simply exist. In contrast, the quality needs level is what contributes to a show being watchable, appealing, and enjoyable. It is at this level where the talents, expertise, gifts, and skills of the theatrical team are most important, along with how well they are executed. If it is an original show, is the writing compelling, clever, and well-crafted? If there is original music, is it melodic and memorable? Has the director staged the show to support the story and make the action clear? Are the actors able to convey their lines with the relevant emotion, be believable in their parts, and maintain the humor and excitement of the writing? Do the props, costumes, lighting, and every other technical aspect keep the look and sound consistent with what is happening on stage? There is great variability at this level.

Kaufman and Beghetto’s (2009) Four C’s are relevant to the level of quality needs. A production filled with mini-c players (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2007) will have a great time putting on the show, but audiences will likely not respond as well. Indeed, it is unlikely that a mini-c production would ever be staged for an audience beyond family and close friends; perhaps a common example would be a middle school play. A show comprised of mostly little-c personnel is consistent with most community or amateur theatre. Community theatres typically do not write original works, but rather put on classic or contemporary hits. There may be missed cues, cracking voices, falling set pieces, microphones cutting out, and other mishaps, but the leads can likely carry a tune and the overall experience is usually still enjoyable.

Pro-c shows, which would undoubtedly be supported by unions, would run in prestigious local theatres or in big cities (such as New York City or London). The actors should be experienced and even brilliant, and the costumes, props, sets, and lighting should be top-notch. The idea of a Big-C show is unlikely, in part because Big-C is traditionally only fully acknowledged after generations have passed after the creator’s death (Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009), but also because there are so many different people involved in a show. So, for example, consider Yul Brynner in The King and I; he first played the role in 1951 and continued to do until his death in 1985. He is still remembered for his brilliant performance and any filmed versions of his performance as the King of Siam captured his Big-C creativity. However, any show has many actors and other people involved. The movie of The King and I also stars Deborah Kerr and Rita Moreno, both top-notch actors, but what do we do with the solidly Pro-c co-stars Terry Saunders, Martin Benson, Rex Thompson, Patrick Adiarte, Alan Mowbray, Geoffrey Toone, and Carlos Rivas? What percentage of a cast or crew must be Big-C for the entire production to be Big-C? Regardless, the higher the C-level of the performers, creators, and crew, the higher the level of quality needs and, hence, the higher the caliber of the show and the more that an audience is likely to enjoy the experience.

It is at the final third level of possible needs where theatre – and other creative arts – can rise from being a pleasant, fun way of passing the time to an experience that can verge on being sublime, moving, resonant, and even life-changing. It is at this level when emotional heft, intellectual challenge, and meaningful connections are formed. Creativity has a great deal of positive outcomes. We often focus on Pro-c’s economic impact (Florida, 2019) or Big-C’s lasting influence (Simonton, 2018). When we think of personal benefits, we often consider more short-term and tangible, such as higher academic achievement (Gajda et al., 2017). However, there are many more such benefits which resonate across all C-levels and can impact audience as well (Kaufman, 2018a, 2018b). This third level of possible needs can offer these benefits for everyone involved in a show.

The distributed and multifaceted nature of theatre, which relies on the interaction between a show’s writers, directors, choreographers, actors, designers, and even the audience, is but one of several places where possible needs intersect with the tenets of possible studies. Theatre exists within the realm of constraints – everything must be created within the boundaries of what can be done on a stage. Good theatre is transformative; further, the nature of theatre relies on conflict – and, usually, its resolution – which is centered around areas of difference. Finally, as we will discuss in detail, theatre and the arts can help foster mental health. All of these principles are consistent with possibility studies (Glăveanu, 2022), leading to the adoption of this term for possible needs.

The Creative Advantage model (Kaufman, 2023), for example, highlights five different positive outcomes that creativity can bring: Self-Insight, Healing, Connections, Drive, and Legacy. Self-insight allows us to learn more about ourselves and our stories. A show can offer a safe space for everyone involved – from the creators to the actors to the crew to the audience – to communally experience a narrative. Art can provide a mirror for life in that life inspires art, which then reflects life. Meaningful art can not only make us reflect on that art but on life and ourselves (Jackson et al., 2023). We can see ourselves up on stage (even if the character has no obvious connection to us) and place ourselves in the story. We can see how the characters react to different situations such that it is almost a “dry run” for life where we can see potential actions, consequences, and outcomes without having to experience them in the real world (e.g., Hunter, 2008). Narratives can be incredibly compelling; the benefits of getting involved in a story are such that some therapists are intentionally using storytelling and narrative techniques as part of the treatment (Suddeath et al., 2017).

The arts also have a tremendous power to heal, whether is helping to grow after trauma (Forgeard, 2019), improve mood (Drake, 2021), or reach equilibrium (Wu et al., 2019). We’ve mentioned how good theatre will enable us to see ourselves on stage. Sometimes we can see a tragic ending, such as in West Side Story or Carousel, and use it as a lesson in our lives. Other times, we see people find love despite past disreputable behavior (e.g., The Music Man, Guys and Dolls), physical challenges (e.g., Violet), or mental health issues (e.g., Be More Chill). Some shows have their main characters finally recognize their own self-worth by the ending (e.g., Next to Normal, The Color Purple, Sweet Charity, Dear Evan Hansen). There are also shows that illustrate our potential for working together (e.g., 1776) and for altruism and goodness (e.g., Come From Away). Seeing these stories come alive makes them real and can help people involved in the show or audience members start to change their own lives for the better (Rowe & Kaufman, 2022). Theatre helps us actively see the world from perspectives other than our own (Troxler et al., 2022), which is likely one reason that seeing live theatre helps increase an audience’s empathy (Lewandowska & Węziak-Białowolska, 2020), tolerance (Greene et al., 2018), and prosocial behavior (Rathje et al., 2021). When possible needs are met, theatre makes the audience think, feel, reflect, identify, and imagine.  People can envision a variety of potential scenarios beyond their lived experience. In essence, this level allows the audience to see alternate possibilities and grow accordingly.

The functional, quality, and possible needs for theatre and creative arts mirror Maslow’s (1943) classic hierarchy of needs. Just as it is hard to worry about self-actualization if you have no food, so too is it premature to be concerned about the excellence of the lighting design if you do not have actors or a space to perform. If you have the functional needs covered but you have poor actors or mediocre crew, you may be unable to focus on how well the material resonates and connects with an audience. Such analogies could be used in drama therapy or arts education programs to clearly and concretely illustrate potentially abstract concepts.

The arts are always at risk of getting their funding cut across all levels from the schools to the community to professional work. The COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath has made their financial support even more untenable (Shaw, 2021). Just as Big-C does not happen without Pro-c, which does not happen without little-c and mini-c (e.g., Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009), the third possible needs level, which brings so many positive benefits, does not happen without the quality needs and functional needs levels. Despite perpetual challenges, the show does go on – and more. It exists, it excels, and it inspires.

References

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