Theatre has elements common to movies; scripts, sets, lighting, costumes, production, direction, actors, audiences, and storyboards. With the appearance of films in the early twentieth century, theatre and movies are probably the most innovative and popular forms of making films. In theatre, the act of perception is encountered, and the enjoyment of creativity and presentation, contributes to the making of the play.
The most evident differences between theatre and movies are the awareness of performance that just can’t be replicated in theatre. Theatre shares an experience in the creation of a film: the union of actors, stagehands, audience members, etc. To exemplify, in Arthur Miller's “Death of a Salesman,” Biff's recognition of society is altered through a chain of events throughout the play. His unrealistic expectations about how to succeed eventually caused the destruction of his fantasy. His concept of an ideal society is harshly changed to a reality, where he realizes that hard work and devotion are necessary to prosper. In the process of relating to these events, Miller uses motifs to give his readers insight into the narrative. Willy Loman's Brooklyn homes all help to explain why he fails to be successful, while others prosper. His home also reveals Biff, Willy, and Ben's values and how they determine success. Yet theatre still has experiences with finding ways to make a character’s mind the
landscape of a story. Finding plays or musicals that put the audience inside the character’s view are few and far beyond. By comparison, films can be enjoyed in the exact same way you watched them over time. There’s no community to the cinema because we get to re-live the experience anytime you want to. However, there’s a sense of community to a theatre experience, it’s a matter of exclusivity that shows it can never be redone in the same way ever again after the performance is over. Theatre contributes to the atmosphere, making the play feel more current and real when the actors are a few of feet away from you rather than on the other side of the screen. Likewise, Tyler Perry's films and stage plays include and feature the character that Perry is most famous for, Madea; a loudmouth, gun-toting grandmother. With his first stage play, “Madea Goes To Jail,” most African-Americans responded this man is amused. As an African-American female, I was able to relate and identify with the work strongly and was ecstatic to see my race depicted on stage. In 2009, Perry turned this stage play into a movie with the same name. I was excited to go and see the film version of the stage play. However, when I viewed the movie I saw something that puzzled me; the film was almost completely different from what I had seen in the stage version. Madea is a popular character in contemporary Black theater. The character has attracted millions to Perry’s theatrical and cinematic work in cities across the U.S. because of its sense of humor. She proves to be particularly charismatic and entertaining because of the way she performs crazed acts of violence or uses searing humor in an attempt to provide guidance and wisdom to her audience. She has also managed to reach many audiences within their own homes through the distribution of recorded live performances.
Everyone has seen a movie and knows how amazing it can be. Theatre can also be amazing, just in different ways. Live theatre and film are similar in both visual art forms containing actors portraying characters, scripts, and production. A theatre is larger than life, and lacking in special effects, with the act of perception being encountered, and the enjoyment of creative contribution to the making of the play. Perhaps this is why many people view theatre as better than movies.