46 Cards in this Set
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Mimesis
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Act of imitation or representation of an action.
Used to stress the importance of individual creativity by performers, playwrights, and others.
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Methexis
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Group sharing; communal experience (ex. Midnight Yell)
Used to affect the audience, and to entertain or to teach.
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Ritual
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Very PRECISE retelling of a sequence of events. (ex. Thanksgiving dinner, Roman Catholic mass, etc.)
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Ceremony
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Formal, social ocassion. (ex. graduation, inauguration, marriage ceremony, etc.)
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Aesthetic Distance
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The close (proximity) to an event, the more emotionally involved. (ex. sitting 1st row versus sitting on balcony).
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4th Wall
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"Magic force field"; actors pretend not to see you because of 4th wall.
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Catharsis
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To purge emotions (ex. laughter, crying, etc.)
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Verse/Prose
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Language. Verse = poetry. 1st word of every line is capitalized in Verse. Prose is not poetry.
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Proscenium
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Theatre space.
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Proscenium Arch
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Literal arch from one side of the stage to the other that separates stage the stage from the auditorium.
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Apron
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Stage space which crosses into the audience space.
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Thrust
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Space where audience sits on 3 sides of the stage.
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Arena
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When the audience surrounds the stage.
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Found
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Non-traditional theatre space (ex. classroom, city parks, bus, etc.)
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Trap
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Trap door on stage floor.
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Stage Directions
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How you tell an actor to move around the stage.
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Rake
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Close to audience = down stage; Away from audience = up stage.
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Blocking/Staging
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The act of moving an actor through the space.
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Fly/Flyspace
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Space above the stage.
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Wing/Wingspace
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Space on the sides of the stage.
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Flat
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A wooden frame covered canvas painted to look like a wall.
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Drop
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Big canvas/backdrop. (ex. beach background)
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Zeitgeist
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German word meaning form and content of the time. (ex. 1920s = Jazzy, 1980s = Rock, etc.)
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Aristotle
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Plot: NOT a story. Sequence of events.
Character: Don't have to be human, just have human traits.
Theme: What's the message/point?
Language: Words being used
Design: Props, lighting, costumes, etc.
Spectacle: The "wow" factor
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Italian Renaissance
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Causes: Political shift; from decentralized feudal system to autocratic rule of kings and princes. Merchant class grew in wealth therefore had leisure time to fill. They supported artists financially.
Effects: More realistic art was created. Perspective and humanism. Literature was s…
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Perspective
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A convention for representing depth on a flat surface.
Used in theater to give an illusion of depth in background to make them seem more realistic.
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Humanism
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Idea humans can live a good life now and not wait for after life.
Humanists focused more on people rather than gods; they were preocuppied with describing humanity and human powers, and they studied and imitated the Greeks and Romans.
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What inspired the renewal of interest in classic dramatic traditions in the Italian Renaissance?
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(1) Revival of Greek teachings by noted scholars at the close of the 1300s.
(2) a transfer in 1453 of surviving Greek and Roman manuscripts to Italy after the fall of Constantinople, which had been the center of of the eastern Roman Empire.
(3) the publication of all the extant plays at…
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De Architectura by Vitruvius
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Treatise on architecture written by the Roman architect Vitruvius and dedicated to his patron, the emperor Caesar Augustus, as a guide for building projects.
The work is one of the most important sources of modern knowledge of Roman building methods, as well as the planning and design…
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Teatro Olimpico
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The oldest surviving theatre constructed during the Italian Renaissance. Designed to be a miniature indoor Roman theater by Andrea Palladio; influenced by Roman Vitruvius.
Consisted of elliptical benches connected to the scaena, or stage house.This arrangement created a semicircular o…
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Teatro Farnese
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Most notable theatre building of the Italian Renaissance. It had a stage that could be flooded for aquatic scenes. More importantly, however, It was revolutionary because of its proscenium-arch. It probably wasn't the first theater to have one, but it is the most famous because it is stil…
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Serlio
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Most renowned for angled flats and perspective settings
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Torelli
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Most renowned for his methods of shifting scenery.
Periaktoi - rotating device on a central axis which allowed for three scenes to be shown.
Groove system - method of scene shifting for flat-wing settings.
Pole & Chariot system - Poles were attached to flats. They were connected to …
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Background of the Elizabethan Renaissance
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Causes: Henry VIII's separation of the Roman Catholic church. (due to him wanted to divorce Catherine of Argon). End of The War of the Roses.
Effects: Prohibited religious and political plays (Elizabeth I)
Rise of secular dreams.
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Elements of Elizabethan Drama
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Early point of attack, Organized chronically, All important events shown on stage, Soliloquy (character voices his/her thoughts), non-illusionistic, tone can frequently vary, Underlying POV.
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University Wits
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University graduates and professional dramatists.
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What is iambic pentameter?
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It has five beats to a line; 10 syllables. accent on 2nd beat.
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What were the performative elements in Elizabethan theatre? Theatre space? Audience? Acting company and acting style?
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Elizabethan theaters were mainly public and/or outdoors. Audiences were accommodated in the pit, boxes, and galleries. Usually, there were three tiers of seating around the sides of the theaters. Private theaters were indoors spaces, lit by candles and high windows. Private everyone was a…
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Background of the Spanish Golden Age - causes and effect?
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Cause: Moors in Spain 711ce to 1492ce
Ferdinand and Isabella
Reconquista and Inquisition
Effects: Spain gains power and starts to become a economic/political powerhouse in Europe.
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What is an Auto Sacramentale? What is its purpose? How is it performed?
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Short religious dramas. To promote religion. They were performed on carros.
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What is a carro? How did it work?
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Basically wagons that plays could be performed on, and then moved to another location.
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What is a comedia? What did they include within the performance evening?
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Any Spanish play (non-autos). They included a Loa (Prologue) and Entremesas (Comedic skits in between acts).
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Who is Lope de Vega? What did he do? Why is he important? What is his most important play?
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Major playwright in Spanish theater. Wrote about 800ish plays. Even his tragic plays have happy endings. Wrote in many poetic forms. Wrote about conflict about Love and Honor. The Knight from Olmedo.
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Who is Pedro Calderon de la Barca? What did he do? Why is he important? What is his most important play?
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Major playwright in Spanish theater. Younger, more educated playwright than Lope de Vega. Wrote for aristocratic audience. 200 plays. 80 are Auto-Sacramentales. For 35 years are the autos performed were ALL by him. Wrote Rom-Coms and serious conflicts plays.
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What is the Zarzuela? How did it come about?
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Lighthearted short play w/ dialogue set to music.
Mythological or Pastoral
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How many plays were written, approximately, in the Spanish Golden Age?
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15,000-30,000
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Study Guide: Exam 4