Theatre 110 Lecture 1 Why do we go to movies more frequently than theatre Andy MacLeod o Aristotle The Poetics 335 BC Innate mimetic desire in humans mimesis imitation Cost Accessibility Visual Advertisement Why do we study theatre Universality of theatre Theatrical Impulse The Definition of Theatre Theatre must have o Actor o Story o Audience o Liveness 3 Way Theatrical Interaction Performers Audience Audience Performer Audience Audience Theatre Characteristics Theatre is a collaborative are Theatre relies on liveness Theatre is ephemeral short lived How do Audiences Negotiate the Theatre Event Theatrical Conventions o Rules practices or shorthand that audiences agrees to accept Willing Suspension of Disbelief o Although audiences know the events of a play are not real the agree for the moment not to disbelieve them Aesthetic Distance o Audiences remember that events on stage are not real so they do not intervene Theatre Etiquette Before o Appropriate Dress Business Casual o Arrive Early o Read Program During o Avoid Noise o No food candy wrappers Lecture 2 How to Think Critically About a Performance The theatre production is the o Sum of a set of choices o Playwright o Artistic Director o Director Directors Concept o Designers o Actors As and audience member you should ask yourself o What are the choices made by all people involved with the production and how well do they work o What was attempted o Was it accomplished o Was it valuable Lecture 3 History Directing Richard Wagner 1813 1883 o Needs a unified production gesam kunstwerk o Master artist Director s Concept or Thematic Thrust Overall image or metaphor for the play that the director wants to convey Director s 3 Main Jobs o Interpretation o Unification o Communication Interview with Professor Scot Reese Director s Job o Read and analyze the play to create a concept for thematic thrust o Determine if the play is right for you o Collaborate with all involved in play community included Process a director goes through o Given a script hired by artistic director o Think about script for 3 months and research o Meet with producers artistic designers to present the research that you ve done and present the concept that you have for the play Know biography and background about playwright what plays they have done before Research plays films and music of that time period for ideas themes and overall concept o Next meeting the designers present their research and ideas a week later to get everyone to create a unified production o Third Meeting The designers start bringing sketches ground plans and rendered ideas o More Money Less Time Less Money More Time o Next up is auditions A week to two weeks long whittle the o After actors are chosen the actors read through the script at group down callbacks a table read Part of the table read is a question and answer section between the actors and director o In the first rehearsal gives actors some semblance of freedom and interpretation in their role o Two weeks in everyone has to be memorized no scripts start running through the play in full o After start going through the play with most of the stage and o Technical rehearsals Go through the play with the stage manager running through the play o Then dress rehearsals has everything that the real play will o Have a preview show to get feedback o After show opens the director is done the stage manager costumes have runs it Lecture 4 The Playwright Where do you start o Image o Character o Story o Just a line o Location Action and Conflict o Action is a series of events o Conflict is the soul of drama o Drama happens when a character wants something and o The main thing that the actor wants meets obstacles Super Objective Theme The World of the Play o An abstract concept which part or all of a play is about o The world of the play must be understandable and complete with its own logic and rules Character which is revealed o Through how a character interacts with others o Through what others say and do in relation to the character o Through a character s actions o Good playwrights show instead of tell Language o Reveals information about characters o Helps create the world of the play Plot and Structure o Plot vs Story Plot is the ordering of the incidents in the play o Three major types of plots Climatic Linear Episodic Cyclical Dramaturgy Established and New Plays On an established play o Research o Ask questions o Defend text o Program notes and lobby display o Pre or post show discussions On a new play o Helps playwright refine script Direct staged reading o Pre or post show discussions Transition Every translation is also an adaptation Problems with translation o Meaning o Tone o Poetry Death of Salesman What are the specific differences between the two productions How do these productions feel different Which production was more effective Lecture 5 Acting What is acting What is good bad acting Differences between theater acting and film acting Definitions of acting Sanford Meisner Acting is living truthfully under imaginary given circumstances The thing about performance even if its only an illusion is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities Daniel Day Lewis Usually in a battle sequence when a bomb is going off you forget you re acting Charlie Sheen Primary Responsibilities of the Actor Study the text Maintain flexible body mind and voice Work collaboratively Contribute creatively to the rehearsal process Skills of the Actor Actor Training Focus Concentration Openness Neutrality Discipline Relaxation Curiosity Playfulness Thick Skin Approaches to Acting Internal Approach o Indentifying as closely as possible with the emotional life of the character portrayed o Konstantin Stainslavsky 1863 1938 Russian Theatre Director Actor Developed a system for acting Most taught acting system in America o Key Terms Given Circumstances Personalization Intention Objective Super Objective External Approach o Shaping character by making conscious physical and vocal choices o Anna Deavere Smith 1950 Playwright performer teacher Walking in another s shoes say a word enough and it becomes you Actors and the Production Process Auditions o Open Auditions Cattle Calls o Closed Auditions Interviews o Cold Readings v Monologues o Call Backs o Additional Skills Actor s Life Actors Equity Association AEA o Professional Union for Actors Unemployment Maintaining contacts networking Maintaining skills
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