{"id":2761,"date":"2017-03-22T19:11:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T19:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2018-08-30T20:23:13","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T20:23:13","slug":"theatre-in-film-a-life-in-the-theatre-1993","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-a-life-in-the-theatre-1993\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre in Film: A Life in the Theatre (1993)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-header-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><h3>Theatre in Film: <i>A Life in the Theatre <\/i>(1993)<\/h3>\n<font size=\"2\" color=\"grey\"><span style=\"border:1px solid ;-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);margin-right:25px;float:left;\" class=\"fusion-imageframe imageframe-glow imageframe-1 hover-type-none author-image\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\" target=\"_self\"> <img src=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/authorimage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;\"\/><\/a><\/span><p>Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n<p>date<\/p>\n<\/font><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-body-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Welcome to Part VIII of Theatre in Film, our weekly feature on a film that depicts a life in the theatre. In Part VIII, we feature films where characters in the theatre must overcome a struggle in their personal lives while also managing the world of performance. This week, we take a look at the\u00a01993 film,\u00a0<em>A Life in the Theatre<\/em>, starring Jack Lemmon and Matthew Broderick.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><i>A Life in the Theatre <\/i>(1993)<\/h4>\n<br><div align=\"center\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BHD_32R78Ts?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Director: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gregory Mosher<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Starring: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jack Lemmon and Matthew Broderick<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">What happens:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A young actor, John (Matthew Broderick), and an older experienced actor, Robert (Jack Lemmon), are contracted at a theatre. They share every performance together and are friends offstage, but their friendship and professional relationship begin to unravel when, one night, Robert asks John to not do \u201cso much\u201d in their scene that night. What follows is a battle of one-upsmanship with Robert and John battling each other, both for respect and the limelight. They annoy each other with nit-picky comments, rambling monologues, and lectures on the nature of form, performance, and etiquette in the theatre community.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">Why it matters:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally a play by David Mamet, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Life in the Theatre<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an intimate portrait of a friendship between two actors, generations apart, who must perform and work together despite their disagreements. Robert and John use separate methods for reaching their end product &#8212; the character and the play. Robert is an actor\u2019s actor, using ritual to prepare and grandiosity to color his performance. John is a young actor, still finding his footing as a professional actor, taking advice from Robert but still molding his own way of preparation and performance. Robert\u2019s frustration with John only push John further from the \u201ctraditional\u201d methods of acting, causing John to regard Robert as an old and worn out actor. John\u2019s refusal to accept Robert\u2019s advice as the final word on acting causes Robert to consider John an amateur actor, something he is not.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We often experience moments with actors our senior or junior who possess different ways of approaching performances. We may find a kinship with those who act in a similar style, and we may also question those actors whose methods clash with our own. When a Meisner and a Stanislavsky perform together, their pre-show prep may clash, but there\u2019s always something to learn from another performer. Just as Robert tries to share his experiences and views with John, John attempts to get Robert to understand his perspective. After Robert cuts himself (a suspected suicide attempt), John understands Robert\u2019s vulnerability and desire to teach him, and he relents to be Robert\u2019s protege. While their relationship results in comedic disagreements, bumbling conversations, and early exits due to onstage fighting, both John and Robert learn that differences are acceptable as long as the show goes on. <\/span><\/p>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\">This film is the second film in\u00a0Part VIII. See below for the other films\u00a0in Part VIII.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-birdman-or-the-unexpected-virtue-of-ignorance-%ef%bb%bf2014\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)\u00a0(2014)<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><em>The Last Metro\u00a0<\/em>(1980)\u00a0(<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>Opening Night\u00a0<\/em>(2016)\u00a0(<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>The Tall Guy\u00a0<\/em>(1989)\u00a0(<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Want to start with\u00a0<strong>Part I<\/strong>? Begin with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/?p=133\">42nd Street\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(1933)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nMiss\u00a0<strong>Part II<\/strong>?\u00a0Check out\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-band-wagon-1953\/\"><strong><em>The Band Wagon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>(1953)<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<br \/>\nNeed a refresh for\u00a0<strong>Part III<\/strong>? Start with\u00a0our feature on\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-all-that-jazz-1979\/\">All That Jazz\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><strong>(1979)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nHow about a recap from\u00a0<strong>Part IV<\/strong>? Jump into\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-a-chorus-of-disapproval-1989\/\"><strong><em>A Chorus of Disapproval\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong>(1989)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nCheck out\u00a0<strong>Part V<\/strong><em>,\u00a0<\/em>and start with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-an-awfully-big-adventure-1995\/\"><em><strong>A<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">n Awfully Big Adventure\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>(1995)<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<br \/>\nStart reading\u00a0<strong>Part VI<\/strong>\u00a0with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-camp-2003\/\">Camp\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><strong>(2003)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Ashleigh Gardner<\/strong>\u00a0received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts\u00a0from Valencia College and\u00a0her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and\u00a0Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from\u00a0the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com\u2019s Editor.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\">Thumbnail image from\u00a0<em>A Life in the Theatre.\u00a0<\/em>Copyright Beacon Communications, 1993.<\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[259,265],"tags":[6,160,12,230,105],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2761"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}