drama final, UW madison 120

theater equation

actor+audience+idea/time

theater:

people + objects + talking + listening

film:

people + places

fiction

people + ideas

10 minute play

a short play with minimal props and set, made with a small cast (usually 4 actors max) and made to be performed typically with other 10 minute plays

satire

employs exaggerated characters and situations, depends on familiarity with the situation that’s being made fun of. It mocks weaknesses and exposes problems, especially in social systems. (Ex: The Importance of Being Earnest mocking the Victorian values in an “age of surfaces”)

tragedy

a genre of theater characterized by its move from threat to disaster (aka disunion). The central character’s fortunes fall by the end of the play; central characters also play a part in their own downfall. In classical tragedy, like Oedipus, audiences would have been generally aware of the stories and characters being shown on stage, as they’re based in myth.

comedy

a genre of theater characterized by its move from disunion to union (often symbolized by a wedding). The central character’s fortunes rise by the end of the play. (Ex: Much Ado About Nothing)

realism

a theatrical genre characterized by recognizable situations, appearances of reality, everyday language and settings, focused more on individual choices (Ex: A Raisin in The Sun, most of Cullud Wattah).

expressionism

not focused on objective, surface, physical reality, but rather subjective, often invisible, emotional experiences; reality and time are distorted in order to express inner life and the focus is on an individual’s internal thoughts, feelings, and subconscious (Ex: Machinal)

verbatim theatre

a form of documentary theatre that uses exact words from interviews, court transcripts, documented records, etc. as the play “script”. (Ex: The Laramie Project, London Road, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992).

musical theatre

Tell a story through spoken dialogue (like a play) and song and dance. This genre features music that CANNOT be separated from the story as the musical numbers further the plot and character development. Musicals are collaborative and include the following roles, beyond just the director/playwright relationship: composer, lyricist, librettist, musical director, director, choreographer  (Ex: Hamilton)

jen’s way to read a play

-title

-playwright

-setting

-character list

-first, central, and final image

barbara clayton 7 elements of of theatre

• scenery

• acting

• spacial relationship

• costume

• lighting

• sound

• audience

aristotle 6 elements of theatre

1)Plot (narrative; what actually happens in a play) 

2)Character (characterization and personality) 

3)Thought (aka theme) 

4)Language (dialogue, words, dialect, etc). 

5)Music (and any sounds) 

6) Spectacle (the visual element of a performance).

Ella Fuchs visit to a small plant

1. The World of the Play: First Things First

2. The Social World of the Play (power dynamics, character relationships, class, etc) 

3. What changes? (comparing the opening world to the closing world) 

4. Don’t Forget Yourself (your experience as reader/watcher)

5. Theatrical Mirrors (echoes of other stories/plays within the one you’re analyzing) 

6. The Character Fits the Pattern (character analysis in context of the previous 5 categories)

3 act structure

a way to divide a play into three parts, where the first provides exposition, the second provides the climax, and the third provides a resolution (Ex: A Raisin in the Sun)

plot structure

 how a play moves from opening to closing.

cinematic plot structure

action moves smoothly from opening, exposition, rising action,climax, falling action, and resolution/close. Time is linear and there aren’t typically breaks in continuity. (Ex: Much Ado About Nothing)

episodic plot structure

action is fragmented. There are many episodes spread out over long periods of time, multiple places, many characters, and frequently have parallels plots of subplots in addition to the main plot (Ex: Machinal)

presentational acting

a style of acting that creates over-the-top, exaggerated characters who are not “every day”; they are a little too absurd. Often found in comedy, like the satirical, larger than life characters of The Importance of Being Earnest.

proscenium stage

A stage configuration where the audience is on one side of the stage (like our lecture hall); highlights the fourth wall between actor and audience and frames the play. Proscenium stages are “basically a theatre with two roofs”: Under roof 1, the world of the performance is happening; under roof 2 is the world the audience inhabits. (Ex: The Importance of Being Earnest)

raked stage

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

thrust stage

a stage configuration where the audience is on three sides of the stage; “under one roof”. (Ex: Much Ado About Nothing in UW’s Mitchell Theatre)

color blind 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 in order to oppose racism, honor and respect cultures, foster stronger productions, and contribute to a more equitable world.”

gender blind casting

casting without taking an actor’s gender into account (Ex: Brian Bedford playing Lady Augusta Bracknell in the 2011 filmed version of The Importance of Being Earnest)

gender concscious casting

casting that intentionally considers and acknowledges the gender of the actors and the characters they play.

identity conscious casting

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

recoup

A Broadway production recoups when it makes a profit (earns back its capitalization costs and can start paying that profit to producers/investors.) (The only musical since 2022 to recoup on Broadway is The Outsiders).

community theatre

Most participants are working on a volunteer basis and drawn from the community, “Non-Profit”/Non-union Theatre

educational theatre

“Non-Profit”/Non-union Theatre, Affiliated with an educational institution, participants drawn from students. Directors/Designers are faculty and staff.

semi professinal theatre

“Non-Profit”/Non-union Theatre, Often classified as community theater, some of all of the participants are paid, but no union members are employed.

non profit professional theatre

most participants are members of unions, and all are paid

for profit professional theatre

most particpants are paid, (ex. broadway)

labor unions

member led, collective bargaining organizations built to protect, negotiate, and improve wages, benefits, and working conditions (ex, IATSE, Actors equity)

central character

To identify the central character, look for someone who is 1)in the play 2)at the center of things 3)drives the play’s actions and generally has the greatest journey and (4) The audience has the most access to their inner life. (Ex: Walter Lee from Raisin.)

main oppositional character

NOT the foil. The MOC stands in opposition to the central character’s objective/goal and point of view. (Ex: Mama/Lena from Raisin.)

Foil

A character who highlights the central character’s qualities, point of view, and actions by providing a stark contrast.(Ex: Beneatha from Raisin, Algernon in Earnest, Creon in Oedipus)

the marriage plot

a common literary form in the 19th-century (particularly novels) that focuses on the romantic entanglements and eventual marriage of the central characters who are upper-class and heterosexual (Ex: The Importance of Being Earnest)

the american dream

central in Raisin. This “dream” is illusive. The foundational beliefs of the American Dream are: (1) This is the land of equal opportunity (2) Upward mobility is possible through hard work (3) You will do better economically than your parents, and your children will do better than you (4) You have the freedom to own land and property and the right to material comforts.

assimilation

the process by which a person or persons acquire the social, cultural, behavioral, and psychological “norms” and values of the dominant culture (Ex: Beneatha’s hair in Raisin in the Sun)

hidden worlds

a term from Fuchs’ “Visit to a Small Planet; refers to what the playwright intentionally does not tell you.

Chorus-Greek Tragedy

In Greek tragedy, the chorus acts as an intermediary between the stage and the audience and often provides background context and information while breaking the fourth wall

Chorus-Musical Theatre

Sometimes called “the ensemble,” the chorus often sings and dances collectively (adding to spectacle), can play multiple roles (unlike principal actors), represent the community in which the story is taking place, and can amplify mood, tone, patterns, etc., of the planet

“I Am” Song

a song in a musical that introduces a character b y presenting what motivates them and shapes their personality (Ex: “Wait for It” in Hamilton)

“I Want” Song

a song in a musical that focuses on a character articulating their dreams and ambitions. An “I want” song is often also about the dissatisfaction that drives the actions a character takes to achieve their dream. (Ex: “My Shot” AND “The Room Where It Happens” in Hamilton)

Iambic pentameter

a type of verse, which is language with a specific poetic structure. Iambic pentameter has five pairs of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. (ex from Much Ado: “Stand I condemned for pride and scorn so much?”)

Prose

in Shakespeare, this is language without a poetic structure; it sounds like “regular talking”

Malapropism

Using one word unintentionally in the place of another one, used for comedic effect. (Ex: Dogberry in Much Ado saying: “Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons” - using comprehended instead of apprehended.)

Direct Address

When an actor breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. 

Metatheatre

theater that blurs the lines between what is real (the reality of an audience watching actors pretend to be someone else) and the artistic creation of the world of the play.(Examples: A play within a play, a play about making a play, characters who know they’re in a play. In Much Ado: Benedick writing a poem in the play (Act V, Scene 2); Benedick reacting to the audience’s responses)

Soliloquy

a monologue spoken by a character in a play to the audience (as opposed to another character). A soliloquy reveals a character’s inner life and communicates inner conflicts and thoughts to the audience that aren’t revealed to other characters in the play.

Rehearsal

the act of rehearing, raking over, turning over, practicing, and repeating

Vulnerability

A performer is vulnerable, as the space/act of performance invites looking, aims to create a sense of “public solitude”, and leaves the performer subject to injury and/or criticism

Source Material

existing works that musicals are often adaptations of. Ex: Ron Chernow’s Hamilton biography inspiring Hamilton the musical

Epigram

inverts traditional platitudes through clever turns of phrase

"I can resist everything except temptation."

Fourth Wall

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

Dramaturg

a person who works closely with production and creative teams in order to contextualize the world of the play, establish connections between text, actors, audience, and relate it to the wider community or context via lobby and other displays. Does research about the history of the play, its context, and its themes.

Fatal Flaw

A character trait that contributes to that character’s own downfall. from classical tragedy, but found in other plays as well. (Ex: Oedipus being quick to anger)

Catharsis

the process of releasing strong emotions through watching or reading theater in a way that helps you to understand those emotions. Pity and fear are crucial, as is familiarity with the situations or personalities being portrayed. Associated with classical tragedy. NOT manipulation of your emotions in order to cause crying.

Dramatic Irony

happens when the audience knows something that the characters do not, especially in instances of confusion. In tragedy: audience knows that Oedipus is Laius’ murderer while Oedipus himself is unaware and swears to find the perpetrator. In comedy: In Earnest, audience knows the true identities of John/Jack and Algernon before Cecily and Gwen do.

Subtext

meaning that is implied or even explicit that does not match (or complicates) the words being spoken. (Ex: the way Mr. Linder uses coded language to say racist things that appear welcoming in Raisin)

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 requires a suspension of disbelief)

Given Circumstances

the factual details within a script that define the world of the play, rather than the things we find out as the play progresses.