THAR 281 1st EditionExam # 1 Study Guide Lectures: 1 - 4Lecture 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• CostumesLecture 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 orderDramatic 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 theirgoalsBalance of Forces: the people/forces in conflict must be evenly matchedObstacle: 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 theactionExposition: 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 StructureRepresentative 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 godsLecture 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 playGenre: Category or type of playTraditional 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 audienceModern Tragedy•no kings/queens as central figures•written in prose (instead of poetry)•same questions raisedComedy•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 unityCommedia dell’arte: Form of comic theatre, dialogue was improvising around a loose scenario calling for a set of stock charactersProtagonist v. Antagonist:• Protagonist - Principal character in a play, the one whom the drama is about• Antagonist - Opponent of the protagonist in a dramaForms 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 dialogueMelodrama•“Song drama” or “music drama”•made popular in the 19th Century, emphasized action and spectacular effects and music; stock characters; clearly defined villains and heroesDomestic Drama•“Bourgeois”•dealing with problems (usually family) of middle- and lower-class