The Argument
Based on the previous pages' research, the citations prove that the audiences of highbrow culture such as theatre are socially constructed. That is the whole point of this project, after all. What started out as a religious rite came to grow into a money making, status climbing, high art genre in today's world that limits who can attend.
Once again, not incorporating high school or community theatres, we are left with an audience to examine. Why do they go? Why do they pay massive amounts of money to sit for up to three and a half hours and watch people perform reenactments of everyday trials (sometimes even fictional trials). Because they are told to by society. It makes them look more civilized. When someone mentions that they went to a performance in Philadelphia or New York, the first thought is that they tend to have a larger income.
We are able to see that the higher the social status and the higher the education of a person, the more likely they will attend highbrow functions. The media has a large influence on them because they tell them what is worth seeing and what is best avoided. Most of the time they do not even form their own opinions to decide. They go based on what someone else has to say because that person has the money and is smart enough to earn a living attending these expensive performances.
But what makes a certain play more highbrow? I would honestly say if a community theatre or a high school can't get their hands on the rights of a play because it is impossible to perform on a smaller budget or stage size, it is more likely considered a "must see" play because you can only attend a highbrow theatre to do so. Phantom of the Opera, one of the longest running and highest earning musicals, is almost impossible to recreate in any other venue besides a high end theatre. And although I have seen two high schools manage to produce Les Miserables, that is another hard musical to get your hands on. For high school performances, the rights only extend to a certain version (meaning some songs and scenes are cut out of the script they give you).
Once again, not incorporating high school or community theatres, we are left with an audience to examine. Why do they go? Why do they pay massive amounts of money to sit for up to three and a half hours and watch people perform reenactments of everyday trials (sometimes even fictional trials). Because they are told to by society. It makes them look more civilized. When someone mentions that they went to a performance in Philadelphia or New York, the first thought is that they tend to have a larger income.
We are able to see that the higher the social status and the higher the education of a person, the more likely they will attend highbrow functions. The media has a large influence on them because they tell them what is worth seeing and what is best avoided. Most of the time they do not even form their own opinions to decide. They go based on what someone else has to say because that person has the money and is smart enough to earn a living attending these expensive performances.
But what makes a certain play more highbrow? I would honestly say if a community theatre or a high school can't get their hands on the rights of a play because it is impossible to perform on a smaller budget or stage size, it is more likely considered a "must see" play because you can only attend a highbrow theatre to do so. Phantom of the Opera, one of the longest running and highest earning musicals, is almost impossible to recreate in any other venue besides a high end theatre. And although I have seen two high schools manage to produce Les Miserables, that is another hard musical to get your hands on. For high school performances, the rights only extend to a certain version (meaning some songs and scenes are cut out of the script they give you).
Both of those plays have outstanding reviews which means bigger audiences. Ticket prices are always going up because tickets are constantly being bought. Based off of that, no average person would be able to get a ticket without first saving up and social etiquette calls for a certain dress code.
Why? Because society demands it. It constructs the way we see and feel theatre. It constructs the looks you get if you attend the Majestic Theatre in jeans and a t-shirt like you just got home from a concert. Social media spreads the word and is always changing the social standards just like it spreads the pictures of a well known celebrity in sweat pants like it is a terrible thing to see.
We have become so reliant on what other people think and say. We have become obsessed on how people view and judge us. Theatre is a right. Experiencing art and culture is a right, but it is taken away from us because we allow it to be taken from us based on what other people think. Theatre started off as a celebration, and now it is a highbrow privilege. When does social construction start benefiting the lowbrow and middlebrow classes and culture? They deserve nice things, too.
Why? Because society demands it. It constructs the way we see and feel theatre. It constructs the looks you get if you attend the Majestic Theatre in jeans and a t-shirt like you just got home from a concert. Social media spreads the word and is always changing the social standards just like it spreads the pictures of a well known celebrity in sweat pants like it is a terrible thing to see.
We have become so reliant on what other people think and say. We have become obsessed on how people view and judge us. Theatre is a right. Experiencing art and culture is a right, but it is taken away from us because we allow it to be taken from us based on what other people think. Theatre started off as a celebration, and now it is a highbrow privilege. When does social construction start benefiting the lowbrow and middlebrow classes and culture? They deserve nice things, too.