Theatre Midterm #1

Production Team Key Player

1. Producer

2. Director

3. Designers

4. Technical Director

5. Stage Manager

Producer

organizes and manages the production

Director

leads actors and decides how the play is performed

Designers

creates the sets, costumes, lights, or sound

Technical Director

manages the technical parts of the show

Stage Manager

organizes rehearsals and keeps the show running smoothly

College Theatre Program Rehearsal Schedule

1. Pre-Rehearsal

2. Table Work

3. Blocking

4. Scene Work

5. Run Throughs and Fixes

6. Off Book Date

7. Tech Week

Pre-Rehearsal

production meetings, auditions

Table Work

reading and discussing the play before acting

Blocking

planning where actors move on stage

Scene Work

practicing individual scenes

Run Throughs and Fixes

practicing the whole play

Off Book Date

having lines memorized

Tech Week

practicing with lights, costumes, sound, and sets

Strategies for Successful Play Reading

1. Recognize that it takes skill to read plays

   • As story

   • As performance

2. Visualize the Stage Environment

   • Create a groundplan

   • Recognize the stage configuration

     1. Proscenium

     2. Arena

     3. Thrust

     4. Found Spaces/Sit-Specific Performance

   • Appreciate the size of the theatre

3. Explore the World of the play

   • What are the given circumstances?

   • Who are the characters?

   • Who is the protagonist?

   • Who is the antagonist?

4. Visualize Your Ideal Cast in the Major Roles

5. Measure the Stereotypes Present

6. Assess the Genre of the Play

   • Tragedy

   • Comedy

   • Melodrama

   • Realism

   • Anti-Realism

   • Postmodernism

7. Read Aloud Sections of the Play

8. Weigh the Theme of the Play

   • What did it make you think about?

Groundplan

a drawing of the stage layout

Proscenium

audience sits on one side of the stage

Arena

audience sits on all side of the stage

Thrust

stage extends into the audience

Found Spaces/Site-Specific Performance

a non-theatre location used for a performance

Given circumstances

facts about the characters, setting, time, and situation

Protagonist

main character

Antagonist

character who goes against the protagonist

Stereotypes

an oversimplified idea about a person or group

Genre

type or category of a play

Tragedy

serious story involving suffering or loss

Comedy

story meant to make people laugh

Melodrama

story with strong emotions and clear good and bad characters

Realism

theatre that looks and feels like real life

Anti-Realism

theatre that does not try to look like real life

Postmodernism

theatre that mixes styles and breaks traditional rules

Theme

main idea or message

Four Types of Conflict

1. Man vs. Man (Physical)

2. Man vs. Nature/Fate/God/the gods (Metaphysical)

3. Man vs. Self (Psychological)

4. Man vs. Society (Sociological)

Man vs. Man (Physical)

conflict between two people

Man vs. Nature/Fate/God/The Gods (Metaphysical)

conflict against nature, fate, or a powerful force

Man vs. Self (Psychological)

conflict within oneself

Man vs. Society (Sociological)

conflict against society or its rules

Traditional Plot Structure

1. Exposition

2. Inciting Incident

3. Conflict(s)

4. Rising Action

5. Climax

6. Falling Action

7. Resolution Denouement

Exposition

introduces characters, setting, and background

Inciting Incident

event that starts the main problem

Conflict(s)

a struggle or problem between two or more opposing sides

Rising Action

events that build the problem

Climax

most intense or important moment

Falling Action

events after the climax

Resolution Denouement

ending where problems are solved or explained

Aristotle’s Six Elements of Tragedy [From the Poetics (C.325 BC)]

1. Plot

2. Character

3. Thought

4. Diction

5. Music

6. Spectacle

Plot

events in the story

Character

people in the story

Thought

ideas and messages

Diction

words and language

Music

music and sounds

Spectacle

things the audience sees

Other Useful Terms of Analysis (From Aristotle and Others)

1. Tragic Paradox

2. Dramatic Irony

3. Protagonist

4. Antagonist

5. Foreshadowing

6. Reversal

7. Hamartia

   • Tragic Flaw

   • Tragic Error

Tragic Paradox

something that makes no sense but is true

Dramatic Irony

audience knows something a character doesn’t

Foreshadowing

clue about what will happen later

Reversal

sudden change in the situation

Hamartia

a mistake that causes a character’s downfall

Tragic Flaw

a weakness that causes problems for a character

Tragic Error

a mistake that causes serious consequences

Four Key Measure for any Performance

1. Concrete

2. Abstract

3. Presentational

4. Representational

Concrete

uses real, physical things on stage

Abstract

uses ideas, symbols, or imagination

Presentational

actors show the audience that they are performing

Representational

actors act as if the story is happening for real

Film Clips

1. The Origin of the Theatre

2. The Origin of the Drama

Three Genres of Greek Theatre

1. Tragedy

2. Comedy

3. Satyr Plays

Tragedy

serious play about suffering and consequences

Comedy

funny play meant to entertain

Satyr Plays

funny play featuring silly, wild characters

Three Parts of a Greek Theatre

1. Skene

2. Orchestra

3. Theatron

Skene

building behind the acting area

Orchestra

main circular acting area

Theatron

audience seating area

Changes Introduced by the Romans

1. Semicircular Orchestra

2. Raised Stage

3. Scaena Frons

4. Raised Outer Walls on a Flat Site (Arch)

Semicircular Orchestra

half circle acting area

Raised Stage

stage built higher than the audience

Scaena Frons

large decorated wall behind the stage

Raised Outer Walls on a Flat Site (Arch)

tall walls around the theatre, often with arches

Greek Theatre Machinery

1. Ekkyklema

2. Mechance

   • Deus Ex Machina

Ekkyklema

platform rolled out to show something to the audience

Mechance

crane used to lift actors into the air

Deus Ex Machina

outside force that suddenly solves a problem

Purpose of the Chorus

1. Character in the Drama

2. Ethical Compass

3. Ideal Spectator

4. Narration

5. Emotional Amplification

6. Symbol of the Community

7. Adds Color, Movement, and Spectacle

Purpose of the Chorus (from Oscar Brockett and Peter Arnott)

group that comments on and reacts to the story

Character in the Drama

takes part in the story

Ethical Compass

helps show what is right or wrong

Ideal Spectator

reacts like the audience should

Narration

explains parts of the story

Emotional Amplification

makes emotions stronger

Symbol of the Community

represents the people in the community

Adds Color, Movement, and Spectacle

makes the performance more interesting to watch

Tragedy

1. Contrast with Melodrama

   • Action-oriented Stories

   • One-dimensional, “Stock” characters

   • Good vs. Evil

   • Poetic Justice Ending

2. The Lion King vs. Antigone

3. Robert Heilman

4. Edith Gamilton

5. Key Concepts in Greek Tragic Thought

   • Hero

   • Fate vs. Free Will

6. Gods and Goddesses

Action-oriented Stories

stories focused on what characters do

One-dimensional, “Stock” characters

simple, familiar character type

Poetic Justice Ending

characters gets results that match their actions

Hero

important character facing a major challenge

Fate vs. Free Will

events believed to be destined to happy and the ability to make your own choices

Modern Production Approaches to Greek Tragedy

1. Design - Josef Svoboda - Oedipus Rex

2. Performance on Film

   • Antigone (British Broadcasting Corporation)

   • Oedipus (Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis)

Comedy and Tragedy Comparison

1. Hero

2. Needs

3. Plot and Character