The Empty Space “The Holy Theatre”

The idea of the Holy theatre as a concept is a curious concept, invisible coming to life as the visible. The Holy Theatre presents the idea that we hold a deep established connection with the stage itself, bringing back the nostalgia of going to the theatre as a schoolchild. (That’s what I understood anyway). The audience seems to be more observant according to Peter if their nostalgia is satisfied through the stage. However I can’t seem to apply this to modern, contemporary theatre as the references Peter uses are more classically related, mentioning a conductor and orchestra for example. An interesting ingredient to an audiences experience is the mood/attitude of the conductor.

The next paragraph Peter goes onto was hard to follow as Peter talked about “the theatre of the late ’40’s” having “many glories”. I haven’t encountered any one of the plays mentioned but it was nice to see Peter become excited about something after all the slandering he given to the “Deadly Theatre”. After that the golden age in the previous point has since declined and degenerated.

Peter then poses a rather complex point that has psychological roots to it. Claiming that “We have lost all sense of ritual and ceremony” and therefore task the actor with fulfilling the “something” we have since lost in our lives. I can’t help but feel that Peter seems to have too sentimental of an attachment to the rituals he speaks of, with Shakespeare’s 400th birthday being my example. Perhaps what Peter could be referring to is what the modern day actor experiences as a warm up, more specifically the catchphrase I’ve coined from my lecture before doing an exercise “it’s probably going to s*it anyway”.

On page 48 Peter strays into a point which will certainly be taken the wrong way by some as he brings in poetry to the Holy theatre and saying that its become “meaningless” and “is a hangover of a Tennysonian tradition that has somehow wrapped itself around Shakespeare”. My first impression of this point is that Peter is a bit petty and sulky to the change of theatre and how it doesn’t seem to satisfy his own nostalgia/tradition. I would be more willing to empathize with him if his examples weren’t so personal to himself and gives nothing for the reader to work with. He then brings up a somewhat true point about the “Sacred arts being destroyed by bourgeois values” and if my understanding was correct it refers to the Marxist philosophy in which values are concerned with property and capital conservation to ensure economic superiority. Its an interesting point that can still be referred to within the arts today unfortunately.

In conclusion, Chapter 2 “The Holy Theatre” was a rather complex chapter that requires upmost focus from the reader and would definitely frighten those not familiar with the theatre (Which I’ve witnessed firsthand, showing extracts of the chapter to them and witnessing their utter confusion and fear). This felt like a very personal chapter to Peter which drove him to exhibit to the reader his more fond memories and bitterness when it comes to theatre throughout the years.