Theater 120

Seven Elements of Theater

scenery, acting, spatial relationships, costumes, lighting, sound, audience

spatial relationship (Barbara Clayton)

where the actors are on stage in relation to each other

audience (Barbara Clayton)

how the audience is brought into the world of the play

Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama

plot, character, thought/theme, language, music, spectacle

EF’s Visit to A Small Planet

world, social world, what changes, don’t forget yourself, theatrical mirrors, character fits the pattern

three act structure

first act - exposition, second act - climax, third act - resolution

climactic plot structure

action moves smoothly from opening, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution/close in linear time.

representational acting

acting that creates realistic and believable characters

presentational acting

acting that creates over-the-top, exaggerated characters who are not “everyday”; they are a little too absurd.

proscenium stage

stage configuration where the audience is on one side of the stage and the play is on the other side (fourth wall presence)

raked stage

a stage that rises in elevation from the front (downstage) to the back (upstage)

colorblind casting

casting without taking an actor’s race or ethnicity into account

color-conscious casting

intentionally considers the race and ethnicity of actors and the characters they play

gender-blind casting

casting without taking an actor’s gender into account

identity-conscious casting

casting that intentionally considers the race, ethnicity, gender identity, etc. of actors and the characters they play

main oppositional character

stands in opposition to the central character’s objective/goal and point of view

foil

character who highlights the central character’s qualities, point of view, and actions by providing a stark contrast

hidden worlds

refers to what the playwright intentionally does not tell you

epigram

inverts traditional platitudes through clever turns of phrase

fourth wall

the idea that there is an  invisible, imaginary “wall” that separates actors from an audience

dramaturg

does research on a play in order to establish its world, context, and relatability to audience

fatal flaw

character trait that contributes to that character’s own downfall from classical tragedy

catharsis

process of releasing strong emotions through watching or reading theater in a way that helps you to understand those emotions

soliloquy

monologue spoken by a character in a play to the audience, which reveals their inner life, conflicts, and thoughts that aren’t revealed to other characters in the play

dramatic irony

happens when the audience knows something that the characters do not

subtext

meaning that is implied or even explicit that does not match (or complicates) the words being spoken

suspension of disbelief

allowing yourself to believe something you know isn’t true in order to fully engage with the story of the play (catharsis involves this)

given circumstances

factual details within a script that define the world of the play

Theater equation

actor + idea + audience / time

Theater =

people + objects

Film =

people + places

Fiction =

people + ideas

Tragedy

threat to disaster / disunion

Comedy

disunion to union, confusion to wedding

Satire

mocks weaknesses and exposes problems, especially in social systems. depends on familiarity with the situation that’s being made fun of.

Realism

characterized by recognizable situations, appearances of reality, everyday language and settings, focused more on individual choices