Shaping a richer culture

THEATRES ARE DISTINCTIVE CULTURAL buildings that assemble large groups of people within a single room to share a live event. And this ‘liveness’ defines the experience on both sides of the conventional divide between stage and auditorium. The performance itself is directly affected by the dynamic energy specific to the unique character of each audience, establishing a reciprocal exchange that can be found in sports arenas, band venues and celebrations such as weddings and funerals. Yet, over the last 18 months, we have seen this event dimension threatened by a global pandemic, where proxemic bodies signal imminent danger; such gatherings have beem curtailed at the expense of communal entertainment, professional livelihoods, and sociocultural ceremonies. Recent cancellation of shows, suspension of festivals and temporary closures of venues serve to remind us of the performing arts paradox, whereby their precarity within a market-driven economy is countered by the vital role they play in platforming cultural expression and harnessing collective dynamism.

So, the