Cinema vs Theatre
 

Two very different experiences.

'Other people' chat during films, but cough during plays. Why is this?

Plays are ususally more considered and thoughtful, which is nice, but the theatre rarely offers the chance to see a helicopter exploding in slow motion.

Hmmm.

edit: 3,000 posts. And I assure you that I have taken the time and effort to ensure that each and every one of them has been utter nonsense.

edit 2: that said, one of my posts was actually worth reading. Free rep to whoever can spot which one it is.

Congratulations!!!

I'll comment on the pole when I've thought about it.

Just wanted to say Congratulations!!

Did I just say pole?

Thanks mate. I prefer the theatre, for two main reasons:

1 People seem to make noise all the way through a film, but mainly shut the f*** up once a play starts.

2 The experience of seeing actors perform in the flesh makes the whole thing more personal - when you see a play, the actors are performing specifically for that one audience, including you.

3000 posts eh? And I thought I spent too much time on here ;)

I've voted cinema for one reason and one reason only - theatre is just so bloody expensive.

Plays make me a bit nervous. At the start I always think the actors are going to forget their lines or fall off the stage. It takes me a while to relax. I think that probably reflexs some of my own anxieties.

I went to see a play recently and one of the actors was ill, so another actor had to play two parts, sometimes at the same time. So he frequently had to hold a conversation with himself.

I also went to an amateur production of Ibsen's Ghosts. The acting was so bad it looked like a Carry On production. Everybody was in fits all the way through.

No both option?
Cinema = popcorn & slush
Theatre = cappuccino & an after eight mint

You can't prefer both!

It has to be theatre for me I think. Just remembered the ice cream in the interval.

This forum is my official residence. It's a tax dodge.


It's a consideration. Cinemas round here are about £6 each. The thing is, for the two of us to go and get a drink or whatever is going to cost £15 minimum, really. A couple of months later I can buy the DVD for less, with the extras etc, and not have to put up with mobile phones and people talking.

If you go in the afternoon many theatres offer cheaper seats, although evening seats are up to £30 or so. In Birkenhead, a ten minute walk, we still have a very nice amateur theatre (http://www.carlton-little-theatre.co.uk/Page_1.htm), where it's slightly cheaper than the cinema (and you get six plays a year for the price of five if you subscribe!).

I thought about a both option, but decided against it. This is a poll for stating a distinct preference!

Subscription is always a good option if you're a regular theatre goer. And you can often go to previews which are a lot cheaper in my experience. And you get tea and home-made cake.

Theatre.

Ok then. Theatre it is.

The cinema.

While I have seen a few good plays in my time, and I recognize that theater uses different styles of presentation/production/acting simply because of the content and nature of the plays themselves, I find I generally don't enjoy exaggerated, histrionic acting. Again, I realize this technique is synonymous with theater, and works well for some productions, but on the whole, I prefer the comparative 'realism' of the cinema.

Tricky one as i regularly go to both(not that my fellow posters don't know that i work in one already).I voted theatre because i've seen many plays and the audiences are better behaved but cinema is equally stimulating for the obvious romantic factor.Does anybody ever fall asleep in either?

you aren't seeing the right theatre HP

i can't possibly make a vote either way. i love cinema but it is a far more introspective artform to me. and i spend my life composing and engineering in pro theatre and nothing really compares to a live performance of any kind. live is so immediate and on edge because you cannot go back and fix mistakes which makes theatre and all performing arts incredibly vibrant. i studied film at university and i love watching films but the communal experience in cinema just doesn't hold the same atmosphere that a live performance does, i find that aspect of cinema less appealing.

Fair enough, terminal, fair enough. Whatever the undeniable merits of cinema , I love that sense of vibrancy that comes from the performers being there in front of you, and the sense that the performance is somehow being carried out for my benefit.