Final answer:
The term 'Audience pleasures' encapsulates the diverse emotional and intellectual experiences audience members have during a theater performance, encompassing joy, engagement, and cathartic reaction to elements like narrative, production, and acting. They include higher pleasures related to intellectual and social engagement, as well as collective experiences that can provoke new perspectives and emotional responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term 'Audience pleasures' refers to the emotional and intellectual responses that an audience experiences while watching a performance in the theater. It encompasses the joy and satisfaction that patrons derive from the live enactment of a story, transcending their daily lives and immersing themselves in the presented narrative. Audience pleasures can be multifaceted, ranging from the sensory enjoyment of the set and costumes, the affective connection to the characters and plot, and the mental stimulation from the themes and ideas conveyed. It also involves the collective experience and shared emotions that resonate with the audience members during a performance.
Philosophers like John Stuart Mill have differentiated between higher and lower pleasures, where higher pleasures involve the use of cognitive faculties and social participation, and lower pleasures include basic sensory experiences. In theater, the goal is often to invoke higher pleasures by engaging the audience's intellect and emotions, creating a cathartic or thought-provoking experience that can lead to a deeper understanding or empathy towards the characters and themes.
The immediacy of theater plays a crucial role in how audience pleasures are experienced. A successful performance is one that captures the audience's full attention, minimizes environmental distractions, and resonates with them such that they are able to experience a range of emotions throughout the unfolding drama. Theater's ability to address sensitive and taboo subjects in a metaphoric and live manner further enhances the audience's ability to reflect on varying perspectives and often leaves them with a lasting impression or altered viewpoint after the show.