Fa26 spaces and art

1 Definition of theatre

The specific place of a performance: word derived from the ancient Greek. Theatron “a place for viewing” and theáomai “to see/watch/observe”. Ancient civilizations nurtured theatre to both celebrate and educate. People would come to experience the living quality of theatre.

2 Definition of theatre

A collaborative form of fine art that uses live performances to present the esperience of a real or imagined event. Performers may communicate this experiece to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance.

What is theatre

• An experience built using the tools of the imagination.

• What are the tools of the imagination? Symbol and metaphor. Theatre uses symbol and metaphor to communicate and explain complex social ideas and concepts.

The more formal/structured The more of a performance

• Wedding (ritual)

• Sports (rules and constraints)

• Circus (audience and training)

• Theatre (trained people to perform highly structured art)

Immediate and ephemeral (strong sense of now, and cannot be repeated exactly)

Theatre’s immediacy: For theatre to happen, actors and audience must come together at a certain time in a certain place. Theatre engages an audience in the active construction of meaning through a human experience.

The idea of aesthetic distance: to appreciate art we need distance

Think of Seurat. Up close it’s all dots. From a distance it’s a complex scene of a day at the park.

Theatre’s spaces

Derive their special quality from the use of the space to imitate human experience in front of an audience, not from their architecture

Greek auditorium

The beginnings of theatre were outside, perfect for accoustics, ready to party or pray.

Proscenium

Most popular: Arch or frame that separates stage and auditorium. Most have Rigging, can “Fly” and “trap” under stage. Creates “fourth Wall”. Seats face the stage

Thrust

Based on Elizabethan (Shakespeare), no arch or frame. More intimate. Audience is one 3 sides.

Arena- Theatre in the round

Audience surrounds the playing space. Less effects, more intimacy. All changes happen in full view of the audience. Originally part of rituals.

Black box

Simple, open space consisting of 4 walls, a floor and a ceiling that are all painted black. The use of staging and lighting in Black box can range from extremely minimal to very elaborate, depending on the performance. One benefit is its versatility/utility.

Zoom theatre

Live theatre but feels like TV. Theatres deliver fully staged live shows to an audience.