Space Between

An interesting post called "Hooverin' and the Space Between Notes" by Kathy Sierra at the "Creating Passionate Users" blog. In it, she describes the importance of the "space between the notes." She writes:

Some of the best musicians, I'm told, play fewer notes than you actually hear. They play in such a way--and leave enough space--that your mind fills in more. (Granted, it was a DeadHead that told me).

Artists know that negative space carries weight. It is not simply an absence of content. The "white space", as it's sometimes referred to by graphic designers, IS content. And it's not just the forgotten stepchild of a composition... it is a first-class citizen. A thing that deserves as much (if not more) focus as the apparent subject of the work.

Which leads me to wonder what the "negative space," the "space between the notes," is in theatre. Is it emotion? Pauses? Mise en scene? Are there playwrights who are particularly good at this kind of writing? Directors? Actors? Designers?

It has piqued my curiosity...

Tags:theatre audience

• theatre
• music