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Bare minimum needed to create theater
Actors (s) + Audience + Space
Theater without Actors
it would be a group of people in a
place, wondering why they are there
Theater without an audience
you would have no one to perform for
Theater without a space
you wouldn’t have a place to perform or a place for an audience to see your performance
performance
an activity where some people do something while others watch
When should you arrive for a show
15-30 minutes before
given circumstances
Everything that delineates or defines
the special world of the play
Previous Action
AKA exposition; Any action mentioned in the play’s dialogue that reveals any incident or action that took place BEFORE the current action of the play
Polar Attitudes
Beliefs held by a character that are in direct opposition to the world in which they live
What does conflict create
Dramatic Action
Conventions vs. Common Sense
An agreement between artist and audience to do things a certain way for the good of all
Proscenium Stage
Identified by having a “proscenium arch” - any broadway stage
Thrust Plays
Audience on 3 sides of the stage & no arch - Shakespeare plays
Proscenium Thrust Stage (see this more than traditional one)
Defined arch but with a larger amount of stage space extending into the audience
Arena Stage
Stage is surrounded on all sides by the audience, also called “Theater in the Round”
Black Box Theater
VERSATILE: Can place any type of stage within it and the audience can be placed anywhere - Rutgers’ Levin Theater
Environmental Stage (street performers)
Theater done in or at specific (usually outdoor) spaces, the audience can be anywhere and can sometimes physically move with the actors from scene to scene
Alley Stage
Audience on opposite sides of the stage, actors perform between them
Booth Stage
Temporary stage, erected curtain, perform in front of curtain
Broadway
Highest level of American Theater, defined by how many seats it has - 500+, expensive: average $189, only found in NYC
Off-Broadway
Originally named so because of the actual theater’s location, on a street just off of Broadway, now defined by number of seats - 100 to 499; Rent, Avenue Q, Hamilton
Off-Off Broadway
Started in late 1950’s as a place for experimental, anti-commercial theater, defined by 99 seats or less, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Regional Theaters
Usually not-for-profit, can be more adventurous with: Play selection, Production style, Personnel decisions
Amateur Theater
Educational theater - Rutgers’ Mason Gross
Playwright
writes the play
Director
hired by the producer to direct the play
producer
willing to produce the play
designers
chosen by director, approved by producer
actors
auditions are held and play is cast by director
designers part 2
begin building sets and costumes
What does the playwright actually do
Playwright creates copies of human life by creating “language” for characters
August Wilson
Wrote the Pittsburgh cycle, a series of then plays each set in a different decade; Recent Broadway production of Jitney won the only Award for best play revival, wrote fences
A Boadway hit
$1,000 a week
A modest sucess
$1,000 or less a week
Broadway Standard
a percentage of the theater’s weekly gross from the production. Usually 6%
Copyright Law of 1977
Author’s life plus 50 years
William Shakespeare
Born April 23rd, 1564 - Died April 23rd, 1616 (Prof. Bender’s B-day), wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems, invented over 1,700 words. His plays are broken into 4 major categories: tragedies, comedies, histories and romances
Who founded The Group theatre
Lee Strasberg, Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford
Konstantin Stanislaviski
A russian actor and director known for his system of actor training, preparation and rehearsal technique
Method Acting
Lee Strasberg is considered the “Father of Method” - Actors who use this technique: Jared Leto, Dustin Hoffman, Christian Bale
Meisner Technique
Created by Sandord Meisner, a member of the Group Theatre and taught here at Rutgers - Actors who use this technique: James Franco, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan
Headshots
Professional pictures taken of you for the purpose of identification. They are the primary tool for actors to promote themselves, A photo session can cost anywhere from $100-$700+, dramatic & comedic
Sides
scenes or portions of scenes given to an actor ahead of time to be performed in front of the director
When could you find out your results from an audition
that day, within a week or 2, or sometimes never
Becoming an Equity Actor
3 ways to become one; if you’re allowed to be one, $1,800 Initiation Fee, $176 annual dues, 2.5% of pay
Iambic Pentameter
The rhythm in poems
Scansion
breaking up the lines of a poem and identifying the stressed parts of each line
