Visual Interplay

Abstract

Small details of physical performance and staging are closely related to the words of a text and are therefore more readily understood than actions larger in scope. But actions that involve many persons and evolve over a long period of time affect the whole of a theatrical event and the value of any single moment will depend on its relation to these larger movements. This is partly due to a scale effect, the more substantial and slower actions drawing lighter and quicker ones along with them, as if in their wake. It is also a consequence of the progressive nature of a theatrical event which enables an audience to accumulate impressions, retaining the least transitory and becoming increasingly, if subconsciously, aware of contrasts, similarities, and interconnections. The interplay between different visual elements in a play should to be considered in the widest and most sustained terms possible; it contributes significantly to the overall effect of a play.