Cinema and Theatre: The Intermeshed Art Forms

Abstract

Aim: This paper aims to analyse the similarities and the differences between theatre and cinema, and examine the interplay between them as intermeshed art forms, tracing the lines at which both the forms merged. It also sought to analyse their aesthetic borrowings, similarities in their adaptations, and the present challenges faced by both cinema and theatre.

Methodology and Approach: Books on films and theatre were consulted for writing this article. Alongside, earlier researches on the related topics were read to get different perspectives of the researchers’ views. Four pathways were chosen to analyse the intermeshing of the two art forms: aestheticism, adaptation, contemporary intermeshing, and present challenges.

Outcome: It has been found that both cinema and theatre are travelling on the same path with different mediums in the context of performance, narration, and representation.

Conclusion and Suggestions: It will not be wrong to say that theatre is the root and cinema is the tree that emerged from it. Once cinema arrived in its entirety, it brought changes to theatre by lending technology to the theatrical form. Modern theatre now incorporates cinematic techniques such as projections and soundscapes. Ultimately, both mediums share a common goal, i.e. to evoke emotions in its audience by narrating stories that reverberate across time and place. It has been suggested that future research on this area should focus on the use of digital technology like augmented reality and virtual reality in both the art forms; their present use and future prospects.