To start off, I was SO into this reading. As a person pursuing theatrical direction as a career, I got very excited about this piece because I agree with it so wholeheartedly. I think I might actually have to buy this book! I think that technology is really exciting and theres a lot we can do with it. From including complex lighting and sound design to intricate sets and projections, tech can really bring a production together. However, I believe that a high budget and emphasis on technology can be great and fun but what really makes a piece of performance art worthwhile and good is it's effect on an audience. Through performance, writing, and visuals, a story or some sort of meaning can be derived from a work of art and that is most important. This is why avant-garde performances and low-budget shows are sometimes the best, because they can evoke an emotional response in the most minimalistic way. You don't need millions of dollars spent to better the production quality in order to tell a good story. In my opinion, the quality of a production is the ability it has to make me feel something.
The prompt for this response was "what is your rough theatre". I see so much rough theatre around me in every way. From attending a standup comedy show to watching a street performer to having an intimate conversation. There are so many ways rough theatre performances pop up in my life and inspires me. In my own projects I like to employ a rough theatre concept especially when I create art that is low to no-budget but is still pretty decent quality entertainment. You don't need a high budget and a "high production quality" in order to make something beautiful or artistic or funny or just a good performance. Art is not gimmicks and special effects, art is emotions.
