ABSTRACT
The last of Tina Packer’s written versions of discussion-cum-lectures, this ‘talk’ brings together the function of the theatre, the actor/audience relationship, and key elements in Training, Education and Performance to pose a provocative take on the live theatrical event. Alluding to the practices of the ancient Greeks, the Romans and Elizabethans, Packer links the witnessing of a piece of theatre, with the therapeutic healing of the individual and society, and the theological study of ‘God,’ ‘gods’ and/or the spiritual. Part poetic narrative, part philosophical probing, and part incitement to action, ‘Theatre, Therapy and Theology’ invites reflection on various topics. They include the communal experience of live theatre versus the isolation of streaming our entertainment technologically; the ‘mental delight’ of collectively wondering upon the mysteries of existence; and the potential for theatre to ask local, national, global and universal questions around ‘What does it mean to be a human being? How should we act? What must I do?’
