Unit 3 Humanities

Plot

A series of events leading to disaster for the main characters who undergo reversals in fortune and understanding but usually ending with a form of enlightenment-sometimes of the characters, sometimes of the audience, and sometimes of both.

Character

The presentation of a person or persons whose actions and the reason for them are more or less revealed to the audience.

Diction

The language of the drama, which should be appropriate to the action.

Thought

The ideas that underlie the plot of the drama, expressed in terms of dialogue and soliloquy.

Spectacle

The places of the action, the costumes, set designs, and visual elements in the play.

Music

In Greek drama, the dialogue was sometimes sung or chanted by a chorus, and often this music was of considerable emotional importance; in modern drama, music is rarely used in serious plays, but it is of first importance in the musical theater.

Tragedy

Drama that portrays a serious subject matter and ends unhappily.

Denouement

The section of a drama in which events are brought to a conclusion.

Catharsis

The cleansing or purification of the emotions and, in turn, a spiritual release and renewal.

Dialogue

The exchange of conversation among the characters.

Soliloquy

An extended speech by a character alone with the audience.

Archetypes

An idea or behavioral pattern, often formed in prehistoric times, that becomes a part of the unconscious psyche of a people.

Comedy

A form of drama that is usually light in subject matter and ends happily but that is not necessarily void of seriousness.

Proscenium

The arch, or 'picture frame,' stage of traditional theater that sets apart the actors from the audience.

Scenery and Costumes

What modern theater depends on for much of its effect on the audience.

Old Comedy

Subject matter centered on ridiculous and/or highly exaggerated situations. Usually raucous, earthy, and satirical.

New Comedy

Subject matter centered on the foibles of social manners and mores. Usually quite polished in styles, with bright wit and incisive humor.

Type Characters

A predictable character.

Stereotypes

A very predictable character.

Tragicomedy

Drama that includes, more or less equally, characteristics of both tragedy and comedy.

Musical Theater

In modern times, the Broadway musical theater represents one of the most important contributions made by the US to the stage.

Rogers and Hammerstein

Known for Oklahoma, The King and I, The Sound of Music and Cinderella.

Andrew Lloyd Weber

English composer known for the Phantom of the Opera and Cats.

Lin Manuel Miranda

Created the Hamilton-the Pulitzer Prize winning hip hop musical.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Wrote the hip-hop musical Hamilton and earlier musical In the Heights.

In the Heights

A successful hip-hop musical set in the Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York.

Cinderella

A 1965 movie by Roger and Hammerstein.

Cats

A musical based on T.S. Elliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which stayed on Broadway for almost 7,500 performances.

A Chorus Line

A performance by Michael Bennet that had fewer performances than Cats.

Phantom of the Opera

A long-running musical with 8,700 performances on Broadway and 9,500 in London.

Hamilton

A musical that won the Pulitzer prize for drama and is based on a biography by a historian.

Public Theater

The original venue where Hamilton premiered before moving to Broadway in 2015.

Alexander Hamilton

An illegitimate orphan from the West Indies who marries into a prominent American family and becomes embroiled in scandal.

Hip-hop lyrics

The unique aspect of Hamilton that includes music, rapping dialogue, and intense rhymes.

Theater at Epidaurus

A theater without curtains where plays took place from sunrise to sunset, partially in ruins.

Dionysus

The Greek god of wine, merriment, and theater, from whom Western-European theater emerged.

Greater Dionysia

A festival that celebrated tragedy in honor of Dionysus.

Lesser Dionysia

A festival that celebrated comedy in honor of Dionysus.

Apollo

The elder brother of Dionysus, god of wisdom, moderation, light, and learning.

Nine Muses

Nine lesser goddesses who assist Apollo in various arts including epic poetry, music, and astronomy.

Festival of Dionysus

An event where each playwright presented a tetralogy consisting of 3 tragedies and a satyr play.

Globe Theater

The original theater where many of Shakespeare's works were performed, later rebuilt by Sam Wanamaker.

Orchestra

The circular area in front of the stage, typically with a small altar.

Parados

The entrances/exits from the stage area.

Pageant

Moving stages with people acting out scenes.

Skene

The structure at the back of the stage that serves as a backdrop.

Theatron

The seating area where the audience sits.

Actor

A person whose profession is acting on stage, in movies, or on television.

Blocking

The planned choreography and positioning of actors on stage to convey the story and subtext of a play.

Props (property)

Objects used in a performance or a verb meaning to support something.

make-up

The practice of using makeup to enhance or alter an actor's appearance on stage, primarily for visual impact and audience connection.

director

The leader of a theatrical production, guiding the actors, designers, and other creative team members to bring the script to life on stage.

dress rehearsal

The final rehearsal before a public performance, where actors wear full costumes and makeup, and the stage, lighting, and sound are all set as they will be for the actual show.

producer

The individual or group responsible for the overall management and financial backing of a production, from securing funding to hiring personnel and overseeing all aspects of the project.

York Mystery Plays

Performed on wagons every 4 years. York mystery plays have been performed since the 14th century in New York. They tell the world of the Christian Story from the creation of all things to the ending of all things.

La Fenice

Famous opera house in Venice, Italy. The theater has been reborn twice from its ashes.

movie palace

Refers to a grand, elaborately decorated movie theater, typically built in the 1900s, designed not just to see movies, but also to provide a luxurious, theatrical experience.

Tampa Theater

A historic landmark in Tampa's landscape, designed as an atmospheric theatre style movie palace, featuring a wide range of independent, foreign, and documentary films.

Opera

Acting while singing, theatrical staging, costumes, orchestra not obstructing the view of the stage action, soloists and chorus on stage when needed.

aria

A self-contained vocal piece, usually for a solo voice, often accompanied by an orchestra, and typically found within a larger musical work like an opera.

libretto

The text, both spoken and sung, of a musical work, particularly operas, operettas, and musicals.

recitative

Singing style that imitates natural speech rhythms and is used to advance the plot in opera and oratorios.

orchestra pit

Area in theatre in which musicians perform, playing mostly out of sight in the pit, rather than on stage.

Monteverdi (Orfeo)

Opera based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, telling the story of his descent to Hades and his attempt to bring back his dead bride Eurydice.

Mozart (Don Giovanni and the Magic Flute)

Don Giovanni: Opera in two acts about Don Giovanni, who attempts to seduce the daughter of the Commendator and is dragged to hell by demons. The Magic Flute: opera that follows Prince Tamino, trying to rescue Pamina, the daughter of the Queen.

Wagner (The Ring Cycle)

German opera about a cursed magic ring that grants the wearer ultimate power.

book

The story, character development and dramatic structure, including the spoken dialogue and stage directions.

Broadway

A genre of theatrical performances presented in professional theaters in New York City's Midtown Manhattan.

West End

Theatre in London, home to a wide variety of shows, including long-running musicals, plays and other performances.

turntable

A circular spinning prop in the middle of the theatre.

special effects

Illusions or visual tricks used to enhance the performance and create a more immersive or fantastical experience for the audience.

musical to film

When a play goes from originating as a play to being recreated into a film, such as Hamlet and Into The Heights.

film

Used to refer to a series of moving pictures, often used to tell a story and typically shown in a cinema or television.

digital

The use of digital tech throughout the filmmaking process, from capturing images with digital cameras to editing, distributing, and projecting films digitally.

auteur

The author or primary marker of the total film, usually the director.

directing

The overall creative leadership of a film, from pre-production planning to post-production editing.

editing

In film, the process by which the footage is cut, the best version of each scene chosen, and these versions joined together for optimum effect.

shot

In film, a continuous length of film exposed in the camera without a break.

Close-up

An important object, such as the face of a character, fills the screen.

Long shot

The camera is far distant from the most important characters, objects, or scenes.

Medium shot

What the camera focuses on is neither up close nor far distant.

Following shot

The camera keeps a moving figure in the frame, usually keeping pace with the figure.

Point-of-view shot

The camera records what the character must be seeing; when the camera moves, it implies that the character's gaze moves.

Tracking shot

A shot in which the camera moves forward, backward, or sidewise.

Crane shot

The camera is on a crane or aerial drone and moves upward or downward.

Handheld shot

The camera is carried, sometimes on a special harness, by the camera operator.

Recessional shot

The camera focuses on figures and objects moving away.

Processional shot

The camera focuses on figures and objects moving toward the camera.

Continuity cut

Shots edited to produce a sense of narrative continuity, following the action stage by stage.

Jump cut

Sometimes just called a 'cut'; moves abruptly from one shot to the next, with no preparation and often with a shock.

Cut-in

An immediate move from a wide shot to a very close shot of the same scene.

Cross-cutting

Alternating shots of two or more distinct actions occurring in different places (but often at the same time).

Dissolve

One scene disappearing slowly while the next scene appears as if beneath it.

Fade

Includes fade-in (a dark screen growing brighter to reveal the shot) and fade-out (the screen darkens, effectively ending the shot).

Wipe

Transition between shots, with a line moving across or through the screen separating one shot from the next.

Graphic match

Joining two shots that have similar composition, color, or scene.

Montage sequence

A sequence of images dramatically connected but physically apart.

Shot, reverse shot

A pair of shots in which the first shot shows a character looking at something; reverse shot shows what the character sees.

sight

Movement in motion pictures is caused by the physiological limitations of the eye.

sound

Sound in film involves much more than the addition of dialogue to the visual track.