Some of you will probably know of the group Kodo. For those that don't, they're my favorite taiko group that I'm not in and I've been a HUGE fan since...ever. Yeah. :)
Recently, Kodo just took on a new Artistic Director, Tamasaburo Bando. Who he is isn't important for purposes of this post, but he's the first Artistic Director Kodo's had that came from outside the performing group. In his welcoming message, he says this:
"It is needless to say how difficult it is to create productions that not only satisfy audiences, but also challenge them. Therein lies the crux of my responsibilities as artistic director."
So that's the question for this post. What would you rather do as a performer, satisfy or challenge your audience? What would you want as an audience member? Are they different?
I've seen pieces where the players are being too clever, and the audience doesn't get to enjoy the performance - or worse, they can lose interest, feel cheated, etc. However, to satisfy an audience by only giving them the same things over and over guarantees your group can never truly grow and your audience can only respect you so much.
So yes, the easy answer to the question lies somewhere in the middle. But since the perfect middle is impossible to achieve, which side do you lean towards and why?
Hey Adam,
ReplyDeleteI haven't played taiko for too long, but I take the approach that I am always adapting my playing style. I think it would be safer to satisfy the audience, but have subtle changes that keep your group growing and learning. This might seem like a simplistic approach, but at least you keep your audience. The other extreme of challenging the audience might lead to people leaving and never coming back. At least with the subtle approach, you can see what you and the audience like and what doesn't work. From there, you can refine your playing style while maintaining the ability to adapt to new tastes and playing styles.
As an audience member of plays I like to be challenged. As an audience member of musical performance I don't think I am sophisticated enough to enjoy being challenged. As a taiko player I know I am not sophisticated enough to challenge an audience. I like you blog as you make me think.
ReplyDeleteJacki