Theatre 1000 Exam 1 Study Guide The term theatre has several meanings It refers to a building that houses theatrical activities It is a physical space It also refers to an Art Form Lastly it refers to a discipline Relationship between performer and audience Immediate Performer can hear the audience Audience can and does affect the performer small as 1 person big as 100 000 people Three categories of art Literary books Visual something tangible painting Performing theatre dance music Preforming art lives through time it has a beginning and an end Art is selective some people don t believe everything is art Ex Graffiti Characteristics of Performing Arts Movement through time it has a beginning middle and an end Require interpreters and creators audience and people who write the playwrights Require an audience any size Theatre and the Human Condition We enjoy the excitement of the live event Theatre has a profound connection to the human condition it relatable to our lives and experiences Elements of Theatre Theatre is a collaborative art Audience Performers Text or Script Director Theatre Spaces Design Elements Theatrical Elements in Our Everyday lives They all have elements of a play costumes wedding dress tux jersey audience it s planned rehearsals props for holidays ect o Ceremonies o Events o D cor Traits of a theatre event Live an audience is essential element of theatre Immediate Unique Performers cannot play a scene over A director cannot edit a scene for an audience The audience has an effect on the performers there reactions matter Power of Imagination Vicarious participation Heart and mind We believe the what we see on stage We forget who we are We forget our problems Through willing suspension of disbelief Aesthetic distance Requires appreciation of art For authentic experience the Spectator must be separate from the performance or object Willing suspension of disbelief Creating the Text The Tasks Involved always starts with a playwright the blueprint 1 Selecting the specific subject of the play 2 Determining focus and emphasis 3 Establishing Purpose 4 Developing dramatic structure 5 Creating dramatic character 6 Establishing point of view Important can be same subject but in a different tone changes everything Types of Dramatic Characters Extraordinary Allegorical Representative or Quintessential Stock Characters Characters with a Dominant Trait Minor Narrator or Chorus Nonhuman Antigone by Sophocles Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare The Theatre Critic An Audience of One A Critic is someone who observes theatre and analyzes and comments on it A critics stands between the audience and the theatre event Knowledgeable and highly sensitive audience member Differs from an ordinary spectator through knowledge and a developed set of standards by which to judge theatre Criteria for Criticism What is the playwright or production attempting to do How well has it been done Is it worth doing A Critic is someone who observes theatre and analyzes and comments on it A critics stands between the audience and the theatre event Knowledgeable and highly sensitive audience member Differs from an ordinary spectator through knowledge and a developed set of standards by which to judge theatre Reviewer Report on what has occurred at event Critics Describe the event in greater detail Publish in newspapers and magazines or report for television Publish in magazines and scholarly journals Offer opinions of the event Go beyond articles to books about playwrights plays or theatrical movements Often have limited experience Place event or playwright in larger context Writes for a sophisticated audience Dramatic Purpose To entertain To probe the human condition To provide an escape To impart information To put forth an opinion or idea To raise a philosophical questions To probe timeless theme To thrill or frighten Types of conflict Character vs Another Character Character vs Self Character vs Forces of Nature Character vs Society Character vs Supernatural Technology Juxtaposition of Characters Protagonist The leading character The chief or outstanding figure in the action The one trying to accomplish something Antagonist The character who opposes the protagonist The one trying to stop the protagonist from achieving his goal Descriptive Criticism The Poetics by Aristotle Prescriptive Criticism Ars poetica by Horace Two Basic Structures know the differences Climactic Plot Construction Episodic Plot Construction Climactic intensive Plot Construction 1 Plot begins late in the story toward the very end or climax 2 Covers a short space of time perhaps a few hours or at most a few days 3 Contains a few solid extended scenes such as three acts with each act comprising on long scene 4 Occurs in a restricted local such as one room or one house 5 Number of characters is severely limitedusually no more than six or eight 6 Plot is linear and moves in a single line with few subplots or counterplots 7 Line of action proceeds in a cause andeffect chain The characters and events are closely linked in a sequence of logical almost inevitable development Origins of Theatre Humans have an impulse to create theatre Storytelling Imitation Religious observances Rituals Thespis 6th century B C E Steps out of the chorus Becomes the first actor Tragedy Process of imitating an action mimesis Serious implications Complete Possess magnitude Through sensuous language Enacted by persons not through narration Catharsis comes about through pity and fear Episodic extensive Plot Construction 1 Plot begins relatively early in the story and moves through a series of episodes 2 Covers a longer period of time weeks months and sometimes many years 3 Has many short fragmented scenes sometimes alternates short and long scenes 4 May range over an entire city or even several countries 5 Has a profusion of characters sometimes several dozen 6 Is frequently marked by several thread of actions such as two parallel plots or scenes of comic relief in a serious play 7 Scenes are juxtaposed to one another An event may result from several causes or from no apparent cause but arises in a network or web of circumstances Theatre Production in Greece Amphitheatres Hill side 15 000 to 17 000 spectators Orchestra At base of the hill Circular playing area Parodos Behind the playing area In front of the Skene stage house Entrance and exit for the actors Theatron Audience All characters played by men Actors wore masks Aristotle s Poetics Plot Character