Drama 1101 1st Edition Lecture 1Outline of Current Lecture I. Why do we study theatre?II. What is theatre?III. Ancient OriginsIV. Theatre as a place, a company, an occupation, an art, and as a performanceV. The “Paradox of the actor”VI. Theatre v. RitualsVII. Theatre v. SportsCurrent Lecture1. Why do we study theatre?a. As a form of communication and interactioni. The exchange between audience and actorb. Teaches us about ourselves and the human conditionc. As a means of self-expression and an outlet for copingd. For delivering information and points of viewe. As a channel to educate, enlighten, enrich, and engagef. For its aesthetics and entertainment valueg. For the ways in which it stimulates emotions as a shared experienceh. In order to think critically about the world2. What is theatre? —A form of art that is live performance a. Areas of life that are connected to theatre: sporting events, social roles, storytelling, rituals, etc. b. They all require performancesi. We have multiple roles and we change our behavior depending on which role we are in at the moment1. Student, daughter, teammate, etc. 3. Ancient originsa. “Theatron” in ancient Greece i. Meaning “seeing place”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.b. Today, theatre denotes more than just a physical spacei. It denotes theatre as a place, company, occupation, art, and a performance4. Theatre as a Placea. Structures vary in size, decoration, and functionalityb. One requirement that makes it theatre:i. An empty space where we go to act and to watch5. Theatre as a company (2 interpretations)a. Theatre is a collaborative arti. Different individuals create various components that combine together to createa performanceii. E.g. director, producer, set designer, costumes, actors, music, etc. b. Theatre is a categoryi. E.g. Elizabethan theatrec. Both refer to groups of people that work in a shared vision6. Theatre as an occupationa. Theatre is work and requires labori. Both physical and mentalb. It is art—the labor is the process by which work is elevated and transformed to create art7. Theatre as arta. It involves impersonation—makes it uniqueb. Paradox of the actori. Dennis Diderot, French dramatistii. The actor is simultaneously himself and his characteriii. He “disappears” behind his character and we have to differentiate between the actors and their characters1. We praise an actor for their performance in a role, not always for their talent as an individual8. Theatre as performancea. Theatre is a formal performance as opposed to the way we perform our various roles everyday b. 2 types of performancesi. Presentational1. Recognize and acknowledge the audienceii. Representational 1. Do not acknowledge the audience9. Theatre is livea. As a consequence of its live-ness, we draw 3 distinctions: i. There is rapport between the actors and the audienceii. There is a relationship between audience membersiii. There is immediacy ad spontaneity—the knowledge that anything could happen changes the dynamic of performance in a palpable way10. Theatre v. Rituala. Ritual: a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed orderb. Similar: i. There is repetition of words, roles, movement, and actionii. They both follow a set or sequence of eventsiii. Often use dialogue and costumesiv. E.g. Wedding ceremonyc. Different:i. Theatre is not primarily intended for prayer or efficacious results11. Theatre v. Sportsa. Similar: i. Costumes, spontaneity, protagonists, teams, live audience, follow playbook/script, can’t replicate same performance twice, leadership, and creative thoughtb. Different: i. Competition, passive/active audience, efficacious results, no impersonating roles, emotive responses, etc. ii. You have to think of theatre in terms of an illusion while sports is based in factual realityiii. Theatre requires a “willing suspension of reality”1. You have to accept the conventions of the play on its own terms in orderto allow for the kind of real emotional responses that come despite the fact that it’s not