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Intro to Theatre Midterm Review History of Theatre Ancient Theatre 2500 3330 BC storytelling religious rituals 500bc first recorded drama About the renewal of life death The Universals of Theatre living breathing interaction between actors and the audience o live ephemeral collective o Synthesis of many arts o Space actor observer Peter Brook Post modern movement contradiction and instability no grand scheme of meaning or universal understanding Commercial Theatre vs Not for profit theatre vs Educational Theatre vs Theatre for Therapy Globalization isolation of cultures going extinct i e World Music Multiculturalism advocacy of extending equitable status salad bowl Assimilation absorption of minority into the dominant culture Special interest movements o Vagina monologues theatre for and by women raise funds awareness o African American Theatre Langston Hughes The Negro Ensemble o East West theatre subtle racism towards Eastern culture Asians o Theatre of Difference gay lesbian The Audience Response active traditional Shakespeare passive realism aesthetic distance admire work of art from a distance every audience has their own personality age gender etc Agitrop agitation and propaganda political theatre in Russia news source Challenging the Audience Bertolt Brecht hoped to achieve distancing affect end without resolution so that people can come up with their own solutions Involving the Audience Augusto Boal Theatre of the Oppressed invisible theatre to bring out the real issues and make people be a part of the play social reform Confronting the Audience The Living Theatre develop a topic out of themselves The Role of the Critic Tell us what to see and what not to see developing art form actively develop intelligent audience recommend ways to improve a play Ways to criticize a play issues relevant to society play s relevance to the individual hopes and dreams ultimate example of form style artistic value Oedipus greek Hamlet poetry significant and entertaining to the audience Can improve the play artists can become critics audience and critics can inspire actors director Understanding Plays The story all the events in the play the plot ordering and structuring of events to express the theme or POV spine of the play Aristotle and the Poetics o Plot moves the story o Characters people of the play o Theme spine of the play o Diction spoken part of the play o Music the sounds of the play o Spectacle visual elements of a play patterns etc o Convention elements are not what they are but do represent something different o Willful suspension of disbelief movement of the psyche o order of the performance gathering transition exposition conflict climax resolution curtain call aftermath Dramatic Characters Qualities of a fine play o Cultural values Greek man vs god medieval eternal life 20th century Freud o Credibility intrigue speakability stageability and flow forming a coherent whole richness details gravity and pertinence compression economy and intensity Oedipus Rex Themes Gods follow the Gods Tiresias the blind prophet who knows everything Tragic hero flaw hamartia pride Oedipus thinks he can beat the Gods given fate Sight vs blindness blind prophet stabbing his own eyes wishing to see his own kids Characters o Oedipus make quick decisive actions w o much thought thinks highly of himself o Creon the queen s brother rules the country with equal power to the King in the end o Jocasta wife and mother of Oedipus tries to prevent Oedipus from finding out the actually does want the King s seat truth fails kills herself o Tiresias blind prophet who tells Oedipus that he himself is the murder of his father o Shepherd who both witnessed Liaus murder and gave baby Oedipus to the messenger o Messenger was once a shepherd who received Oedipus came with the news that Oedipus adoptive father is dead and that his mother is not his actual mother o The Chorus singing chanting reactions to Oedipus part of the play and audience Genres of Plays Tragedy issues about human existence morality human relations comedy social comedy tragicomedy serious w happy ending dark comedy melodrama overplaying it farce docudrama social political agenda musical Greek Tragedy someone originally from a high place someone that we can relate to doesn t deserve his misfortune heroic struggle is sure to fail trying to go around God reversal of fortune pathos pity and fear catharsis realization that people are noble Medieval Period religious liturgical Latin kept in the city moved to be more open Neoclassicism 14th century back to classical style forms of Greek tragedy socially accepted norms 5 acts Shakespeare followed rules a little bit less tragedy in the same form Hamlet Romanticism variety mystical and supernatural elements demons and ghosts were real defiant of social norms costumes and scenery had individual personalities Comedy unraveling of social problem presenting it in a new way to view it satire farce situation romantic manners Tragicomedy sad and mostly tragedy until there is a happy ending Melodrama speaks directly to our emotions mostly TV dramas and movies Naturalism extreme attempt to show life w o dramatic alterations Realism presented in an objective way for people in the audience to make impartial opinions presents the problem then people make the analysis Hamlet Elizabethan tragedy the cosmic order of gods and kings defying the order tragic hero is not the most perfect flaw is a drastic error lots of dead people Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre 1564 1616 end of Neoclassism primary purpose earn money stock company commercial company owned by the actors instead of patrons To be or not to be to take action or not will he have to die afterwards Ophelia girl that Hamlet gets made at may have committed suicide or just dies Polonius not a bubbling old fool sends Ricardo as a spy Gertrude mother of Hamlet who married Claudius very soon after the King s death Elizabethan times no political plays suicide issue who s the righteous king Gravedigger scene argument between gravedigger and other o G believes that Ophelia drowned herself to do to act to perform she went to the water and let herself drown the water did not come to her and drown her o O the church said that Ophelia gets a Christian burial says Ophelia got the burial because she was rich Oh if this too too solid flesh would melt Hamlet s speech on suicide Tragic flaw too wishy washy can t do the action Claudius can t be killed while praying Polonius gets


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BC THTR 1170 - Intro to Theatre

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