Make the audience king, and they will reward you

I heard a story on CBC radio today talking about the music of Joni Mitchell and how it was "deeply autobiographical but general enough that people could take what they needed from it."

I thought that underlined section was very insightful!  One of the underlying truths here is that the audience is always present in the performance, bringing their own perspective and interpreting everything from their own point of view. Applying the "why does this matter to me" filter. We all apply that filter all the time - why should audiences be any different? They are not mindless, passive observers ready to receive your master work.

So what happens when you over analyze the performance plan and make the underlying scenario extremely specific?  If the performers are successful at conveying your restrictive vision, you prevent the audience from taking what they need, and by making the performance irrelevant to them, you alienate them.

Overly specific scenarios and plans are a way for people with planning responsibility, like directors of the film and musical variety, to emphasize their importance in the creative process, to the ruination of the art and the detriment of the audience. Actors and performers do the same trick when they get into a character in the method acting sense,and try to add their own special interpretation.

If you want to create something that the people will love and thank you for, it should not be surprising that you must make their perspective paramount and serve their needs above all others. The best stage actors, for example, tend not to draw attention to themselves but rather to become invisible against the backdrop of the play itself. The best singers become part of the music, not a cult of their own personality. After all, "best singer" is a purely technical comment, like "best figure skater." Good performance is not like the compulsory figures, it's more like the long programme!

So whether your role is creator, interpreter or performer, or all of the above, make the audience king and they will reward you.  That one idea will transform your performances, more than any other.