Why Theatre is Important
The Importance of Theatre Today
To answer this question, it is useful to look at the history of theatre. Theatre comes to us from the word "theatron". "Thea" means "goddess", and "tron" means a place to see or a place of viewing. Although this is the common view, other sources indicate that the word "tron" should be translated as "place, temple". So, the word "theatron" means the temple of the goddess, the place of the goddess, the home of the goddess. When we go back to the origins of theatre, we can clearly see that the art of theatre is related to belief. When we say belief, concepts such as God, the beginning of the universe, the owner of the universe, the reason for human creation, the meaning of life, and the afterlife begin to be questioned. The word "theatron", which is related to these big questions, is of course an important point. This information can be considered in the category of practical information about theatre. Primitive people organized theatrical rituals. Primitive people believed that by dressing up as the animal they were hunting and imitating it before the hunt, they ensured that their hunts were more fruitful and productive. In other words, the reason for imitation at the origin of theatre is not humor, but a belief. From this perspective, we can say that people of that period used art in a more utilitarian way. They would put on an artistic performance for the fertility they expected from their hunt and expected a return. The use of theatre was for concrete gain. Looking at today, theatre is performed to develop a new perspective, to entertain ourselves in our free time, to empathize, to gain insight into our sticking points, to protest a topic or situation, to make discoveries about human creation, to watch an event that suits our aesthetic taste, or simply to satisfy our artistic hunger. It cannot be said that these expectations are less important, of course. Many big questions that have been troubling our minds since the first human are developed around these abstract thoughts, and these thoughts, which are forgotten and lost in our routine lives, are actually important enough to live for within a life.
Dionysian Festivals
The oldest surviving theatrical works are from the festivals held in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility in Ancient Greece. The people spent their time at these festivals as an entertainment event and enjoyed themselves. Later, these festivals evolved into competitions, and texts in the genres of tragedy and comedy emerged. The effort to create catharsis, aiming at the purification of the audience from their desires, was the primary goal of tragedy writers in this period. It was aimed to purify the audience from their passions by arousing feelings of fear and pity. This purification was to be achieved by putting oneself in the place of the actor. The theatrical activities that began with imitation gradually gave way to a spiritual activity aiming at purification through catharsis. Because a special character was always chosen in tragedies, myths and legends became the subject matter. Just as science is the most important field for humanity to progress, art is a field necessary for the illumination of the blind spots that humanity cannot discover within itself. When these discoveries are made on a societal level, progress occurs, just like in science. People who think more deeply about abstract issues are seen in the social structure. People who try to understand themselves, who can empathize, who can rebel when necessary, and who can adapt when necessary, grow up. Art has always influenced fields such as philosophy, psychology, and sociology. We should not look at the progress of humanity solely through the increase in technological tools. A person who is aware of their inconsistencies, contradictions, and alienation from themselves is also part of progress. A person who struggles with themselves to eliminate these inconsistencies and contradictions and seeks answers to their questions is also a person who has progressed into the future. Theatre art offers the audience a new perspective on such issues. It shares their troubles, makes them feel they are not alone, seeks solutions, and creates a common emotional center. No matter how advanced a society may be in a scientific sense, if there are no attempts to shed light on abstract thoughts in an artistic sense, humanity cannot discover its purpose in the world and cannot find meaning in life. Theatre art, by holding up a mirror, allows the audience to see themselves objectively, or it allows them to experience different lives by immersing them in a world they do not know. In either case, it leaves an impact on the audience. When this impact spreads to the person's general life, transformation occurs. Being an advanced society means not only being a society that is scientifically developed and has a vast technological infrastructure, but also being a society that questions itself, questions the universe and creation, produces philosophical theses, and changes its attitude towards itself, other humans, and living beings around these thoughts. At this point, the role of theatre art is great.
