THAR 281 1st Edition Lecture 3 Outline of Last Lecture I Dramatic Structure A Climactic Structure B Episodic Structure II Theatrical Criticism A What are the criteria III Ancient Theatre of Greece Outline of Current Lecture IV Theatre as a Social Force V Theatre as an Occupation VI Tragedy A Traditional Tragedy B Modern Tragedy VII Comedy VIII Forms of Comedy IX Heroic Drama X Melodrama XI Domestic Drama XII Tragicomedy Current Lecture These are my textbook notes because Quackenbush has been sick I Theatre as a Social Force These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute The relationship between the audience members is magnified by the performance on stage Once a performance starts the audience is automatically all experi encing the same thing they were once individuals and now they are united The relationship between theatre and society is complex because the theatre has so much potential power Theatre can release social tensions or lead to social upheaval II Theatre as an Occupation Theatre is a labor of love rehearsals take a min of 4 6 weeks monthsyears of planning casting designing huge amounts of money to produce Different jobs in theatre Producing getting necessary people locations and money super vising production promotions Directing controlling developing the artistic product coordinating all components supervising rehearsals Acting perform the roles of characters in a play Designing map out visual audio elements scenery costumes makeup lighting sound programs ambience Building translate the design into reality constructing the hard ware of the show Crewing light and sound visual Stage Managing running a play production House Managing responsibility for admission seating general comfort for the audience Playwriting composing creating the story of the play Theatre and games have a shared history both were developed into a high level of sophistication in Greek festivals i e the Olympic games III Tragedy Dramatic form involving serious actions of universal significance and with important moral and philosophical implications usually with an unhappy ending one of the most meaningful forms of expression in any of the arts probes very basic questions about human existence two kinds of tragedy traditional modern A Traditional Tragedy Tragic Heroes Heroines stand as symbols of an entire culture society caught in a set of tragic circumstances Tragic Fate tragic situation becomes irreversible irretriev able must always go forward to meet their tragic fate Acceptance of Responsibility willingness to suffer recognizes the flaw fault of character that leads to the tragic downfall Tragic Verse language of traditional tragedy Effect both pessimistic and positive reactions from audience B Modern Tragedy no kings queens as central figures written in prose instead of poetry same questions raised IV Comedy humorous drama whose characters actions and events are intended to provoke amusement and laughter Laughter is one of the most elusive of human reactions Suspension of Natural Laws no probability of logic slapstick ridiculous physical activity for humor i e silent movies film cartoons Contrast between individuals and social order Society is upside down the time is out of joint Hamlet Comic Premise Idea or concept in a comedy that turns the accepted notion of things upside down provides thematic and structural unity V Forms of Comedy Farce Dramatic genre usually regarded as a subclass of comedy em phasizes on plot complications with few or no intellectual pretensions Burlesque formerly parody later a serious form of satire Satire dramatic form using techniques of comedy wit irony exag geration to attack Comedy of Manners popular in 17th Century France English Restoration emphasizing a cultivated or sophisticated atmosphere witty dialogue Comedy of Ideas comic techniques used to debate intellectual propositions such as the nature of war cowardice romance VI Heroic Drama serious yet optimistic drama written in verse or elevated prose noble heroic characters in extreme situations or unusual adventures VII Melodrama Song drama or music drama made popular in the 19th Century emphasized action and spectacular effects and music stock characters clearly defined villains and heroes VIII Domestic Drama Bourgeois dealing with problems usually family of middle and lower class characters there are serious and comic domestic dramas domestic related to the household or the family IX Tragicomedy Renaissance tragic themes noble characters happy ending serious comic elements Shakespearean Problem plays because they didn t fit neatly in one category or the other Modern Tragicomedy predominant in the last 100 years theatre of the absurd expressing the dramatist s sense of the absurdity futility of existence