DRAM 1101 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 8 Lecture 1 January 19 What is theatre Theatre is a form of art that is live performance It originated In ancient Greece where they had the theatron that meant seeing place Today it is more than just a physical space it is a place a company an occupation an art and a performance What is the paradox of the actor It is a paradox that an actor is simultaneously himself and the character he is portraying We often differentiate between an actor and his character but while he is performing he disappears behind the character What spheres of life is theatre similar to Theatre and ritual Both repeat words roles movement and action they both follow a set of events and they both often use dialogue and costumes Theatre is not primarily intended for prayer or efficacious results Theatre and sports Both have costumes spontaneity protagonists teams live audiences leadership and creative thought Sports do not require the same willing suspension of reality as theatre does What is a willing suspension of reality This is the idea that an audience has to accept the conventions of the play on its own terms Unless the audience does this they cannot have the kind of real emotional responses that theatre evokes or the close relationships with the characters Lecture 2 January 29 What are the different theatrical spaces and their advantages and disadvantages The different theatrical spaces are Amphitheaters Prosceniums Arenas Thrusts and Black Box Stages Proscenium Also known as the picture frame stage is defined by its large size and the way the audience only sees the performance from the front Its advantages are that a large space makes for intricate set design and that it offers the greatest potential for scenic design There are often wings to house different sets fly space and elevators Its disadvantages are that some audience members may have a seat far away from the action and this can create an alienating effect Amphitheatre Outdoor theatres with tiers of seating around a central stage Thrust Stage A theatre space in which an audience sits surrounding the stage on three sides Its advantages are that it offers a more intimate relationship with the audience Its disadvantages are that the production needs to work from three different angles there is no off stage storage for scenery and the space is often smaller Arena Stage Also known as a theatre in the round or a stadium arena stages have spectators surround the stage on all sides Its advantages are that it allows for a special relationship with the audience requires limited scenery and is less costly Its disadvantages are that it requires greater expressiveness in all elements because the audience sees it from so many angles and that there are issues with blocking parts of the audience with scenery or the backs of actors Arena stages are also often difficult to light and minimally detailed because of sightline problems Black Box Stage Also known as flexible stage black box stages are not defined by any strict rules about the relationship between the audience and the actors They can be changed in dynamic ways Its advantages include this flexibility its intimacy and its low cost Its disadvantages are that there is limited lighting and scenery capability and similar blocking difficulties as arena stages Productions in black box stages also require detailed props and costumes Lecture 3 February 2 How can dramatic action be organized Either chronologically or nonlinear If it is chronologically then plays have cause and effect relationships that further the play towards an end If it is nonlinear then the play is discontinuous and often employs strategies such as flashbacks and dream sequences What is the well structured play formula Western literature often follows a classic Aristotelian structure where there is an arc of action First there is an exposition this sets the context for the rest of the play and helps to introduce the audience to the world of the play Inciting incident this introduces the conflict that is then instigated to a crisis level Rising action emerges from the character confronting a conflict often arrives in three s Climax This is the point of no return that is the maximum tension and may be a catharsis and Falling action and finally the Denouement This is the resolution or reconciliation that results in an understanding and ends the play What are some genres we can classify plays by Aristotle offered the first major genre classification Tragedy plays based on human suffering where the protagonist has a fatal mistake and that invokes in its audience an accompanying catharsis and comedies plays that address relevant situations with discourse intended to be humorous and result in happy endings Today we also have genres such as Melodrama sensational plays Farce comedies that utilize highly exaggerated and unlikely situations History Plays plays based on a historical narrative Problem plays illuminate social problems and satire plots ridicule individuals or groups using humor as a means of social criticisms What is dramaturgy How the action of a play is structured It can either be analyzed along the vertical axis or the horizontal axis The Vertical Axis is a break down of the components of a play Aristotle rated them from most important to least important plot order of events character theme central idea diction language music and spectacle visual aspects The vertical axis also includes the contemporary component of convention the world of the play The Horizontal Axis is the temporal experience of a play and is divided into three waves The Preplay the transition into the world of the play the Play and the Postplay the agreement between the actors and the audience that the show has concluded can often continue outside the theatre Lecture 4 February 5 What should an effective play do in the beginning of his or her play He or she should plant the seeds for what is yet to come by providing cues to its audience about how to perceive the performance It should foreshadow dramatic action and introduce Central characters tone style design the world of the play plot and the major dramatic question What is included in the world of the play The location that the play is taking place in the season the economy the dynamics of power the time of day etc Should also make clear whether the play is taking place in a world that is real or whether it is embellished What is the major dramatic question