Why Live Theatre Sucks So Much

David Schrader hits many nails on their heads:

Attending theater felt less and less like going to a rock show, and more and more like eating my cultural vegetables.

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Still, contemplating the changing history of performance made one thing clear: The increasing suckiness of theater is largely its own damn fault.

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By championing the value of the theatrical experience regardless of its quality, a creepy cycle is set in motion: If theater is inherently good, any failure to appreciate examples of that form is foisted onto the audience. After experiencing a theatrical event whose preordained value doesn’t translate into anything resembling pleasure, audience members may be tempted to blame themselves for the lack.