Faust, Goethe, and how Theater just struggles with the same problems over and over again

So, I was studying for a big final on Tuesday (wish me luck, please) and when re-reading Goethe's Faust came across these passages in the prologue.  They're flowery, of course, but I found them amusing because the same three points of view are still being debated in the world of the theater - movies, even.  So read, enjoy, hopefully laugh.

PRODUCER      And please make sure the plot is filled with action!

                     Spectators, after all, love spectacles.                                                90

                     Give them one thrilling scene after the next,

                      I want to see their jaws drop to the floor—

                      Then the show will be a huge success

                      And word of mouth will spread like wildfire.

                      You must have mass appeal to win the masses,

                       So serve up something nice for everyone.                        

                       If you lay out a generous buffet                                                 100

                            Nobody goes away unsatisfied.

PL PLAYWRIGHT     I cannot believe what I am hearing!

                       A true artist would never stoop so low!

PRODUCER       Just take a look at who you’re writing for!                                    110

                       This person’s bored, that one’s digesting dinner,

                       Or worse, some have been reading newspapers!

                       Why do you poets hover in the cloud

                       When all you really want is a full house?

                        Poor fools, to entertain a crowd like this

                        You hardly need to call upon the muses.

                        If you give them more and more and more

                        Then I guarantee you’ll hit your mark.                                    130

                        People only come here for distraction                                              

                        It’s much harder to give them satisfaction.

                        What would you rather offer—pain or pleasure?

(Later down the page)

COMIC ACTOR    And so we need your special artistry—

                        Think about all this poetic stuff

                        As if it were a love affair.                                                            160

                        You meet by accident, there is a spark,

                        And in a while you both become entangled;

                        Happiness follows, then quarrels, rapture, pain,

                        And before you know it, it’s a novel.

                        That’s the kind of play we should put on!

                        Grab hold of life with both your hands!

                        Everyone lives it, but not everyone knows it,

                        And everywhere you grab, it’s interesting.

                        Colorful scenes that don’t make much sense,                                    170

                        Many mistakes, a little spark of truth—

                        That’s how you make the finest drinks

                        To nourish and refresh the world.

                        Then the most beautiful specimens of youth

                        Will gather for your play to be enlightened.

                        Sucking melancholy from your play

                        These tender souls will be delighted

                             To see the inner workings of their hearts.             180

                             They cannot wait to laugh and cry,

                             They devour the language, drink in the make-believe.

                             A mind that’s formed will never understand,

                             But one that is still open will be grateful.