Theater Equivalent of Jazz Performance?

Remember how I was going to keep a blog? Yea, about that…maybe I’ll be make this a every-two-weeks deal to keep myself on track. Another performance post for you…

My boyfriend’s friend is in a jazz band and we saw them play on Friday. There were about 6 people in the audience. I wanted to move seats so the venue would look more crowded. But, what I noticed was, the musicians’ expressions. They were caressing their instruments, some of their eyes elsewhere, their hands feeling out the instrument instead of looking at it. And the energy is so , so palpable. And that atmosphere was so, so casual. I talked to the friend, and mentioned how, with theater, actors can tell when there’s a small crowd and it effects their performance. But these gents might as well have been playing for 100 or 1,000!

“We’re just hanging out,” the friend said. Now, I cannot imagine a formal stage actor, saying that about a small house. There’s scampering and teeth-gritting and last minute phone calls the day of to fill seats. What is the theatre equivalent of jazz musicians “just hanging out”? Is it 360 Storytelling (http://www.2amtheatre.com/360storytelling)? Improvisation? Or are there Broadway performers and regional stars wo “just hang out”? And let loose, and have fun, and 100% play for the play. Because, when you’re just hanging out, the art flows so freely and you’re just doing what you’re feeling and relaxing the sound out of you.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!