THET 110Midterm Review SheetI. Why does your generation prefer film to theater?A. CostB. AccessibilityC. Visual cultureD. AdvertisingE. “The Graying of the American Audience”II. Why do we study theater?A. Universality of theaterB. Theatrical impulseC. Innate mimetic desire in humansD. Mimesis – imitationIII. The Definition of TheaterA. Theater must have:1. Actor2. Story3. Audience4. “Liveness”a. A performs B for CB. Communication interaction model1. Sender message receiverSender feedback receiverIV. 3 Way Theatrical InteractionA. Performers audienceB. Audience performersC. Audience < -- > audienceV. Similarities and differences between theater andA. … Jugglers, football, film, ritual1. Theater requires action2. Theater uses actors (actor is a performer who impersonates)3. Theater is a hybrid form4. Theater is collaborative art5. Theater relies on “liveness”6. Theater is ephemeralVI. How do audiences negotiate the theater event?A. Theatrical convention – Rules, practices, or shorthand that the audience agrees to acceptB. Willing suspension of disbelief – Although audiences know the events of a play are not real, they agree for the moment not to disbelieve themVII. Theater EtiquetteA. Before:1. Appropriate dress2. Arrive early3. Read programB. During:1. Avoid noise (ex: food, candy wrappers, talking)2. No phones3. Site linesC. After:1. No early departures2. Standing ovations3. “Three block rule” – do not talk about the performance until you are three blocks awaybecause you do not know who can hear youVIII. How to think critically about performanceA. The theater production is the:1. Sum of a set of choices2. Playwright3. Flashbacks4. Artistic director – (CEO/Admiral of Navy)a. Decides what plays a theater does for a seasonb. For profit theatersc. Not for profit theaters – put on shows to send a message, put on a show that peopleknow and will make money (budget balance)5. Director – (Captain of the Ship)6. “Directors concept” – what is the message going to be, what do we need to communicate to the audience7. Designers8. ActorsB. Given circumstances – information the playwright providesC. Imagined circumstances – choices the actor can makeD. What current issues does Death of a Salesman resonate?1. The drive for wealth2. The economic environment3. Facebook and social media4. Great depression/ recent economic downfallIX. Tools of the PlaywrightA. Theme1. Title2. An abstract concept which part or all of a play is aboutB. Action and conflict1. Super objectives, objectives, and obstacle2. Action is a series of events3. Conflict is the soul of drama4. Drama happens when a character wants something and meets obstaclesC. The world of the play1. The world of the play must be understandable and complete with its own logic and rulesD. Language1. Reveals information about characters2. Helps create the world of the playE. Styles of Death of a Salesman1. Realism and expressionismX. History of directingA. Richard Wagner (1813-1883)B. Unified production/Gesam KunstwerkC. Master artistXI. Director’s concept or thematic thrustA. Overall image or metaphor for the playB. The director’s main jobs are1. Interpretation2. Unification3. CommunicationXII. Playwriting and DramaturgyA. Playwright – making order of chaos1. Story vs. Plota. Story – a full account of an event or series of events, usually told in chronological orderb. Plot – a selection and arrangement of scenes taken from a story for presentationB. Playwrights toolkit1. Elements of dramaa. Plotb. Characterc. Thoughtd. Dictione. Melodyf. Spectacle2. Other toolsa. People and actionb. Conflictc. Motivationd. Stakese. Limited time and spaceC. Dramatic structure1. Climactic structure – Freytag’s pyramida. Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution2. Episodic structure – many characters, a lot of time passes3. Combination – mix of climactic and episodic4. Theater of the absurd5. Ritual (ex: wedding)6. Serial – one theme with different sets of scenes around that7. Avant garde8. Musical theaterD. Contemporary playwrights1. Collaborative artists2. Subsidizing stage rights3. Dealing with rejections4. Resident playwrightsE. Dramaturgy1. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) – Father of dramaturgy2. Many dramaturgies –a. Production of dramaturgyb. Script reading and selectionc. Translation and adaptationd. New play developmente. Generate new work3. Responsibilities of a dramaturg4. Listen and ask good questions5. Prepare the script for production6. Consult with the playwright7. Research – creating the dramaturg’s protocola. Presenting research in a variety of forms8. Attend casting sessions, production meetings, rehearsalsa. Give notes – the audience before there is an audience9. Write program notes, newsletter, articles, etc.10. Lead post show discussionsF. Dramaturg’s toolkit1. Critical and analytical sensibility2. Knowledge of the dramatic repertory3. Ability to conduct scholarly research4. Organization and good note taking 5. Knowledge of decorum and conduct in meetings and rehearsals6. A collaborative spirit7. A well-developed individual – “idea of the theater”G. The natural habitat of Homo Dramaturgis1. Resident dramaturg or literary director of a theater company2. Freelance dramaturg3. Script reader4. Script consultant5. Profession of theater history of dramaturgyXIII. A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Dramaturg Rob ThompsonA. Concept productionB. Two cultures coming together – Chinese and American1. Beijing opera roles – traditionala. Tan roles – female roles with hands a lotb. Sheng – male rolesc. Chou – clown (broad and physical)2. Face painting and costumes had code for the color – about place in hierarchy3. Lots of symbolism4. Gestures – very clean and direct gestures, give them polish, feeling and characteristics,to indicate time and place and to cue the orchestra5. History: Beijing 1790, Shakespeare 1600sa. Japanese invasions 30s-40sb. Communist opera 50s-60sc. Return to tradition 80s6. American side: American folk music songsa. Some common man being taken advantage ofXIV. Theater DesignA. Theater spaces1. Proscenium stage: (or picture frame stage)a. The 4th wall – imaginary wall between actors and audienceb. All of the audience is in front of the stagec. Advantage – special effects and backgrounds2. Thrust stage:a. Or ¾ stageb. Audience surrounds three sides of the stagec. More intimate experience3. Arena
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