On Performing Arts

Religious festivals

Aristotle asserted that Greek theater arose out of Greek (Dionysian) ____ ____.

Bruce McConachie

Who had proposed that the cognitive capacities that have allowed theater to emerge in our species have first to do with play, then performance, and then by employing the capacity for "conceptual blending" - with ritual and, ultimately, theater?

Theatre

It is performance (though often the performance of a drama text) and entails not only words but space, actors, props, audience and the complex relations among these elements."

Richard Scherner

For him, "the drama is what the writer writes; the script is the interior map of a particular production; the theater is the specific set of gestures performed by the performers in any given performance; the performance is the whole event, including audience and performers (technicians, too, anyone who is there).

Theatrical design

It is the art of creating and composing the visual and aural elements that shape a performance space. It encompasses the development of scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, and multimedia effects to create pictures onstage.

Content

The meaning of the artwork.

Context

The external, cultural, and environmental factors that influence the creation of an artwork.

Contextualism

The practice of using context as a basis for analyzing and understanding art.

Form

A synthesis of all the visual aspects of a design.

Formalism

seeking meaning through the visual appearance of an artwork alone.

Personal Context

The individual context that we bring to our viewing of art.

Plot

The action that takes place on the stage in front of the audience.

Story

Those actions and important events that have occurred before the action of the plot takes place.

Subject matter

The plot, story, circumstances, characters, and other details of a play.

Story

complete retelling or recounting of an event or a series of events from which the plot of a play is derived

Plot

selection and arrangement of scenes from the story to be presented in a theatrical format.

Drama action

The events that occur in the play and how they are revealed, including all the dialogue, movement, action, and the development of the plot.

Conflict

When a character is prevented from getting what he or she wants.

Character

The individuals in the play.

Balance

An even distribution of power between forces in the play.

Farce

an embellished comedy of ridiculous situations where characters are freely manipulated to make a point or just to get laughs from the audience

Tragedy

In this genre,the protagonist—the principal character or the “hero”/“heroine” in a play—goes down in defeat 

Comedy

In this genre, he or she overcomes the dramatic obstacle and attains his/her major objective, also known as the spine. 

Melodrama

A serious play with a trivial theme whose conflict is usually between the forces of good and evil.

Satire

It is traditionally a form of comedy, but can often be found in political theatre as a vehicle for social commentary on current social, historical or political events.

Tragicomedy

It is a literary genre that blends the elements of both tragedies and comedies. Usually, the term is used to refer to dramas. A (type of) play or story that is both sad and funny

Drama

It refers to a genre characterized by serious storytelling, often involving conflict, emotional depth, and realistic characters. It portrays the human experiences through performance and uses audience emotions.

Modern Drama

It is a theatrical genre encompassing plays primarily written in the 19th and 20th centuries, often characterized by realistic portrayals of everyday life, relatable characters, and a focus on individual perspectives and complex relationships.

Musical Comedy

It is a genre of music that is comical, comedic or humorous in nature.

Opera

It is a theatrical piece that tells a story totally through the music. It consists of recitatives which provide the narrative plot line and elaborate chorus singing, along with duets and arias, which are the parts we most remember.

Operetta

A short opera, usually on a light or humorous theme and typically having spoken dialogue.

Children’s Theatre

It refers to theatrical performances specifically designed for and enjoyed by children. It's a distinct form of theatre that caters to the needs and interests of young people, including their attention spans, imaginative capabilities, and ability to understand various themes.