CHESTER THEATRE COMPANY
                CONTACT: Byam Stevens

                                         413-354-7770

CHESTER THEATRE COMPANY

Introduces
Freeing Your Inner Audience:

A New Paradigm for the Theatre Lover

CHESTER -Why do we go to the theatre?  Is it simply to judge what we see?  Or is there a truer, more joyful, role for the audience?  CTC Artistic Director Byam Stevens has been developing a response to these questions during TalkBacks with the patrons of CTC's annual London Theatre Tours.  His novel approach to the audience experience has drawn rave reviews -- one patron called it "Revolutionary and liberating," another said: "It transformed my theatre-going experience! I now understand and appreciate so much more." Stevens will be sharing "Freeing Your Inner Audience: A New Paradigm for the Theatre Lover" at TalkBacks following every CTC performance in the 2010 season, which runs from June 30- August 22.

According to Stevens, the vast majority of theatre-goers adopt a "critical" paradigm to shape their theatrical experience - as they watch a play, they are deeply influenced by the criticism they've read over the years. This methodology has pronounced drawbacks.

"The critical paradigm," Stevens writes "puts a premium on judgment and de-emphasizes engagement. It encourages the theatre-goer to be a passive viewer and not a participant. Experiencing theatre this way is like evaluating the paintings in a museum on the basis of whether or not you'd like to hang them over your couch." 

Stevens is inviting audience members to adopt a new paradigm -- to approach the theatrical experience the way artists do - eschewing the soul deadening thumbs up/thumbs down shortcut for the rewards of an honest engagement. "The basis of the theatrical experience is an agreement between the performers and audience that the audience will participate in the undertaking through the exercise of imagination - after all, we know that fellow in tights is not really the Prince of Denmark. The actors and audience are partners, not adversaries. And, what thoughtful audience member wouldn't prefer to be a colleague than a voyeur?"

For further information visit CTC's website at: or on Facebook/Chester Theatre Company. Tickets for CTC performances are available on CTC's website or by calling 1-800-595-4TIX. To receive a brochure, contact the CTC box office at 413-354-7771. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, with matinees Thursday and Sunday at 2:00pm. Tickets are $28-$33; group rates are available.

CTC performances are supported, in part, by funds from Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the Local Cultural Councils of Blandford, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Russell, Westfield, and Worthington.

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