THAR 281 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 4 Lecture 1 January 15 Theatre a combination of people ideas and the works of art that emanate from their collaboration Fundamental Aspects of Modern Theatre Embodiment of an action an action is taking place Aristotle believed the action was the unifying link to a play Separation of performer and audience a performance would be simple communication if it didn t have a distinct audience the audience s only participation in the performance is empathy through empathy the audience experiences the magic of theatre Transitory and immediate the performance is always live since theatre reflects the society of that time the performance should have an aspect of time and let the audience and the performers exist together in that moment Subject matter always human beings again theatre reflects society society being the people of that time Costumes Lecture 2 January 22 Story Plot distinction depends on what order it s in story is the whole thing from start to finish plot can take out bits and pieces and put it in whatever order Dramatic Action moves the plot forward made up of opposing forces Climactic Structure plot begins late in the story tight construction less characters events short timeline heavily relies on cause effect most important part is the exposition i e Greek Tragedy Episodic Structure lots of characters events subplots can take place over a long period of time most important part is juxtaposition i e Anything Shakespeare Subplot Secondary plot that reinforces or runs parallel to the major plot in an episodic play Shakespeare Conflict Tension between two or more characters that leads to crisis or a climax a fundamental struggle or imbalance involving ideologies actions personalities etc underlying a play Strongly Opposed Forces the people in conflict in a play are fiercely determined to achieve their goals Balance of Forces the people forces in conflict must be evenly matched Obstacle That which delays or prevents the achieving of a goal by a character An obstacle creates complication and conflict Complication Introduction in a play of a new force that creates a new balance of power and entails a delay in reaching the climax Crisis Point within a play when the action reaches an important confrontation or takes a critical turn In the tradition of the well made play a drama includes a series of crises that lead to the final crisis known as the climax Climax Often defined as the high point in the action or the final and most significant crisis in the action Exposition Imparting of information necessary for an understanding of the story but not covered by the action onstage events or knowledge from the past or occurring outside the play which must be introduced for the audience to understand the characters or plot most important part of Climactic Structure Representative vs Stock Characters Representative Characters in a play who embody characteristics that represent an entire group Stock Character who has one outstanding trait of human behavior to the exclusion of virtually all other attributes These characters often seem like stereotypes and are most often used in comedy and melodrama Chorus part of a Greek play 8 12 people tell the story Deus ex machina God from the machine original purpose was a set of wires that lifted an actor above the stage like God modern use improbable way to tie up all the plot points all at once Gnothi Sauton if you know thy self you shall know the gods Lecture 3 January 29 Different jobs in theatre Producing getting necessary people locations and money supervising 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 hardware 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 Genre Category or type of play 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 irretrievable 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 Modern Tragedy no kings queens as central figures written in prose instead of poetry same questions raised 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 Comic Premise Idea or concept in a comedy that turns the accepted notion of things upside down provides thematic and structural unity Commedia dell arte Form of comic theatre dialogue was improvising around a loose scenario calling for a set of stock characters Protagonist v Antagonist Protagonist Principal character in a play the one whom the drama is about Antagonist Opponent of the protagonist in a drama Forms of Comedy Farce Dramatic genre usually regarded as a subclass of comedy emphasizes 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 exaggeration to attack Comedy of Manners popular in 17th Century France English Restoration emphasizing a cultivated or sophisticated atmosphere witty dialogue 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 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 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