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THEA 1000: Test 1
Art
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art is a mirror or reflection of life; and extension or projection of how we live, think and feel.
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Performer
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People onstage presenting characters in dramatic action
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Critic
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Someone who observes theatre and then analyzes and comments on it. In ideal circumstances, they are a knowledgeable and highly sensitive audience member
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Director
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The person who rehearses the performers and coordinates their actions to make certain that they interpret the text appropriately, intelligently and that it is exciting to watch
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Audience
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People who watch the performance
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Playwright
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Person who writes the script
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Willing suspension of Disbelief
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We put aside all literal and practical considerations in order to enter into the world of the drama.
ex: Peter Pan flying, moving forward and backward in time, people portraying animals.
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Aesthetic Distance
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The viewer, spectator, or audience member must be in some sense separated from the performance or object - and must be aware that it is a work of art - in order to experience its aesthetic qualities
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Critic vs. Reviewer
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Critic: more knowledgeable, specialized audience, has plenty of time and space.
Reviewer: limited knowledge, large audience, limited time and space.
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3 Criteria for Criticism
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1) what is being attempted? what is the playwright or production trying to do?
2) how well has it been done? how well had the attempt succeeded?
3) is it worth doing? was the attempt worth making?
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Climatic Plot Construction
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all aspects of the play: duration, local, action and number of characters are severely restricted - this results in a confined or intense structure in which little time passes until the climax occurs.
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Climatic Plot Construction
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senses, locales, and characters are restricted.
Construction is tights - events are arranged in an orderly, compact way with no loose ends - once the action begins, there is no stopping it.
The Aim is to make the events so inevitable that there is no escape - at least not until the very last moment.
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Deus ex Machina (climatic plot construction)
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"God by Machine" it has come to mean anything that is used to resolve a play at the end
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Episodic Plot Construction
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Contrast with climatic in almost every way.
People, places, and events proliferate.
Extended period of time, even years
Many scene locations - lots of characters
There may be a parallel plot of subplot
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Episodic Plot Construction
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contrast and juxtaposition- action alternates between different elements.
Short scenes and long scenes
Drama and comedy
Overall effect is cumulative - creates an impression of events pilling up
Rarely is a characters fate determined by a single incident
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Extraordinary Characters
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Heroes and heroines that are larger than life: Kings, Queens, Generals, etc.
Represent some extreme human behavior
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Representative or Quintessential Characters
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Three dimensional, highly individual, but at the same time ordinary. Represent a large section of the population.
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Stock Characters
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Not three dimensional. One outstanding trait of human behavior to the exclusion of all others.
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Characters with a dominate trait
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one aspect of a character dominates making an unbalanced and often comic personality
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Minor characters
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Play a small part in the overall action. Often further the story and support
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Narrator or Chorus
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speaks directly to the audience, frequently commenting on the action.
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Nonhuman Character
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actors play animals or concepts
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Tragedy
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Dramatic form involving serious actions or universal significance and with important moral and philosophical implication, usually with an unhappy ending.
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Tragedy
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Probes the very basic questions of human existence. Why is the world so unjust? Why are men and women called on to endure suffering? What are the limits of human suffering and endurance? to what heights of courage, strength, generosity, and integrity can human beings ride?
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Comedy
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A humorous drama whose characters, actions and events are intended to provoke amusement and laughter
Laughter is quintessentially human. Other creatures express pain and sorrow - emotions we associate with tragedy - but apparently only human beings laugh
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Farce
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thrives on forms of exaggeration. Broad physical humor, plot complications, and stereotyped characters.
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Satire
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Uses wit - especially sophisticated language - irony and exaggeration to expose or attack evil and foolishness.
Political cartoons
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Domestic Comedy
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Usually deals with family situations
Sitcoms
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