At the start of it all...

Yay! It's my first blog post of the semester! I haven't blogged since middle school when I had a live journal so just stick with me while I figure it all out again and get it set up. Anyway, the topic I will be researching throughout the semester will be related to theatre and technology. This is my primary major and when we were asked to pick a topic related to our field of study I could not wait to get started. Focusing my major towards the technological side of theatre such as design, stage management, lighting, sound, scenery, and painting. There are so many options and so many ways that theatre itself has advanced tremendously over the years. 
As a theatre major we have to take all beginning classes to each aspect of theatre (no matter your focus) such as acting and performance, stage design, history of theatre, and stagecraft. In each of these, you get a little brief history/overview of that aspect and usually they are all related to each other or repeat one another. But, when you get these brief histories you can really see how theatre has advanced throughout the years technologically speaking. We no longer have only one actor on the stage for the whole show, we don't use the traditional masks like the Greeks used to, we have different types of stages (proscenium, experimental, etc.), and today a lot of shows try to use as much technology (light effects, sound effects, etc.) to put on a "spectacle" and a lot of people get distracted from the actions and emotions being conveyed on the stage. It all depends on the designer and director usually to make decisions about what is going to happen during the show artistically speaking; and then there are shows who don't use as much because they are trying to focus on the acting. 
Anyway, the point that I'm getting at is that it is very clear that theatre is not the same as it used to be and in many ways has been enhanced because of these technological advances. What are some of the benefits and consequences? Shows also have to be advertised and promoted; so how is that being accomplished in today's world? Can you go online to pre-order tickets instead of going to the box office at the last minute right before the show starts? You can also (in most cases) probably choose where you would want to sit during the performance when you order the tickets online. Then, you have the obvious sound effects, lighting effects, and costuming techniques as well. The book I'm reading in my Stage Management class is even outdated and we're looking at it in class, and the professor is obviously going to show us how they do it today versus in the past, but it is still interesting to see how technology has changed the way we do things now.  
I'm really excited to get started and to start researching about my topic. I hope you guys enjoy this! Like I said before, it's going to take me awhile to get everything fully set up because I don't know all the "ins and outs" of this blogging site or even blogging in general. But, I'm looking forward to the research ahead and I think that I will find it interesting and I hope you guys do too!