What is the relationship between language an theatre?

Question:Everyone's knee-jerk reaction is going to be that it is essential, but there are a lot of mimes out there who would tell you differently. Even Theatre-of-the-Absurd-ists might argue that language can be twisted to the point of challenging what you think about dialogue. Also, how many of us have watched a Shakespeare show and not been able to keep up with every single word, but if the actor is doing his job, then we know what the INTENT is and the emotion behind the language. You could argue that language is secondary to execution -- movement, gesture, body language. After all, can't you say "I love you" or anything else but have a body posture that belies what you're saying?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Everyone's knee-jerk reaction is going to be that it is essential, but there are a lot of mimes out there who would tell you differently. Even Theatre-of-the-Absurd-ists might argue that language can be twisted to the point of challenging what you think about dialogue. Also, how many of us have watched a Shakespeare show and not been able to keep up with every single word, but if the actor is doing his job, then we know what the INTENT is and the emotion behind the language. You could argue that language is secondary to execution -- movement, gesture, body language. After all, can't you say "I love you" or anything else but have a body posture that belies what you're saying?

theatre is the living example of the spoken word.