If you want to entertain, you’ve got to hold people’s attention.
Vocabulary.com
When a child pretends to be somebody else, they will loudly proclaim, “Look at me, Mommy!” Parents watch young children perform and congratulate them on their effort, regardless of quality. At a certain age, we celebrate the performers at least as much as the performance. But that changes at an early age or when the audience is made up of other children.
I was a child actor in Baltimore from ages six to sixteen. For many years, the cast was mostly children. In addition to our annual production of A Christmas Carol, we chose stories with children as the target audience. I played various Mark Twain characters and a penguin.
Starting at age twelve, I worked in adult productions in Baltimore and elsewhere. I was usually the lead or only juvenile in the cast. These were comedies and/or plays where I was a child dealing with a type of ethnic persecution.
The problem with modern entertainment is simple. Their job is to entertain by staying focused on each product’s target audience. But they have decided that impressing their peers by showing their social awareness is more important.
Star Trek
Star Trek has had many versions in its remarkable sixty-year history. Three major ones have been:
Original Series (TOS) with William Shatner as Kirk
Next Generation (TNG) with Patrick Stewart as Picard
Kelvin with Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock
At its best, each episode (other than cliffhangers) tells a story, keeping viewers hanging on until it concludes. Many have just been good stories. Quite a few made a point. Often, they made a point simply through the composition and interaction of the cast members.
The three Kelvin movies made a billion dollars. The last was Star Trek Beyond, made in 2016. When Alex Kurtzman became the lead producer for Star Trek in 2017, things changed for the worse. Episodes became less about entertainment and stories and more about promoting social good. Media Collapse YT produced a YouTube video covering the history of the decline. The last step was Starfleet Academy
[C]ritics gave it a 87%, but the audience score landed at 51%. One of the most dramatic critic versus audience splits in franchise history, which typically means one thing. Professional reviewers are aligned with the production values, but actual paying subscribers are not watching
This is a perfect example of pleasing insiders, ignoring the audience, and losing money. As it happened, Kurtzman’s contract was ending, and Paramount was getting a new owner. The good news for Star Trek fans is that a new team is in charge and a new script is in production with “Fun” as a driving word.
The material is what it is
I know a couple who both have doctorates and didn’t know what to say to a newborn. My brother-in-law and I both have graduate degrees. We used to joke about spending time rolling around on the floor with our young children yelling “My Ball!” I played a penguin in one production. It was placed incorrectly when it was rolled on stage. That’s life. Sometimes you have to relax and let your “dignity down” to serve a purpose.
Children’s stories and fairy tales aren’t Shakespeare. I have a rather simple rule. If you are going to take a role, be gracious, take the money, say “Thank you,” and don’t badmouth the story, the role, or the audience.
One actor thoroughly failed to understand the value of the material. I won’t specify the details. Someone who had a role in one of C. S. Lewis’s classic Narnia stories was quoted as saying it was rather silly. That person might investigate the history of Lewis and his stories. I dare say the tales of Narnia will be remembered and retold for years, long after the current production team is forgotten.
Respect the audience
Always remember that your audience is your customer. Michael Jordan famously said, “Republicans buy tennis shoes.” He made a point of keeping his political views to himself so everyone would buy his shoes. Several famous male basketball players are commenting on Women’s NBA issues. Some people view everything as political. I think they are protecting the sport they love.
Three kinds of lectures put your audience at risk. The first was something we discussed with Kurtzman at Star Trek. Lectures without good drama will get people to turn away every time.
Second, I don’t need lectures on sports programs, sports fields, and athletic equipment. If I want to study, I turn to material and people I respect. Sports are my outlet when I want to relax.
Finally, let me talk about actors and knowledge. As a child actor, I once spouted the Pythagorean theorem in a play. I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. Four months later, I studied that concept in Geometry class. At various times in my life, I’ve seen the impact of a bubble on the way it makes people certain they are right. An actor risks his career by assuming his audience is naïve or uninformed and needs the actor’s wisdom to make the world a better place.