Theatre Arts Introduction overview

Theatre- the workload of an upper level pre-med class, but opened my eyes to things that I never would have noticed or learned if not for this class.

ecstasis- out of body experience. Being ripped apart from your body.
Theatre- a place to see or place of seeing. Comes from Greek word, Theatron
A Theatre- a building with stage. Both a noun and verb. Also both a culture and subculture.
Theatre Equation: A (actor) pretends to be X (character) while S (audience) looks
Live Theatre- reality- real time, people, and place
-occasion
-action
-ephemerality- traces remain, the event vanishes
Memesis- representation or imitation- we are always imitating something. key
element in A pretending to be X

The Critics Basic Question
-Understanding- "what were they trying to do?"
-Vagina Monologues good example
-Effectiveness- "How well did they do it?"
-Worth- "Was it worth doing?"
-Why do we need a critics essay?
-to find out more about the performance (background)
-to gain some insight (purpose, meaning)
-to hear an opinion (judgement, argument)

Two Theoretical Approaches
Phenomena: observation at real concrete stuff
Semiosis: interpretation- looking through-hyper real (imagined)

The actor is her own instrument:
-body
-voice
-thought- imagination, memory, intelligence
-discipline- observation,control (actor is in control of what he does on stage- doing the same thing night after night), and style (doing the appropriate movement for a particular period or class)
-table work- engaging the text- primarily verbal

Creating a role: acting procedure- actor's extraordinary ordinariness- there's something extra that an actor does that lets you know they are present
-preparation
-exploration- movement, gesture, business (stage business)
-speech- intonation (pitch), articulation (control of sound), speed (interupts a particular pace)
-memorization- regulatory, polish
-performance- previews, performance, maintaining the role

Director
-mise en scene
-blocking- supports image of the action rather than just presence of performer
Directing: Approaches to play
-transcription- I render the playwright's vision faithfully (as possible) on stage
-translation- I translate the spirit of the play to the stage
-might depart from the playwright’s suggestions
-transformation- I transform and re-shape source material to create a new play
-today's motion picture
-some Shakespeare
-places far less emphasis on the script
-transcend- I invent in the medium of the stage; I write in the mise-en-scene
-virtually eliminates the playwright

Melodrama
-Music accompanying dialogue
-seen today as an intensification of a situation
-soundtracks
-some use it today to describe someone who is overreacting
Trajic Hero- a role in his own destruction
-ex- Rebecca and rosmer are responsible for their own destruction- divided
Against themselves
-drawn in by circumstances
Melodramatic Hero- fighting the world around him-
-fighting evil
-good vs. evil
-outsides forces put them in
Differences between rock concert and musical such as rent
-communicating
-conflict- agon- struggle or game- at the heart of theatre is a game
-multiple opinions- conflicting views- complex issues
-Polyphany- multiple voices singing at the same time
- takes you to an emotional place- is what enables conflict
-contrasting harmonies
-complex melodies

Quotes:

“Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?”- Shakespeare in Love movie- all the actors auditioning for the part would perform this dialogue as Shakespeare listened, lying on the bench in the second tier of the globe.

“Cut, Cut, Cut” – Trouble in Mind- Mr. Manners throws down piece of paper and tells Willeta to pick it up- we looked at a video of this in class

“Last night I had a dream of cyber land” Maureen, Rent, by Jonathan Larson

“This is the winter of our discontent” – video from Richard III movie- talking about his plans of getting everything he wants, including the crown

“I can do things, see things” –Cato from Fires in the Mirror

Richard III:
The movie shows the process characters go through to become believable.

Shakespeare in Love:
While watching the movie the audience must be able to suspend disblief for authenticity and accuracy. The audience must also make the distinction between love and lust.

Rosmersholm:
John Rosmer
Beata
Rebecca West
Professor Kroll
Ulrik Brendel
Peter Mortensgaard- publisher
Mrs. Helseth

Catastrophe
-by Samuel Beckett
-Director, Assistant, Luke, protagonist

Fires in the mirror
-Carmel Cato
-Al Sharpton
-Rabbi Joseph Spielman- “What the liberals have told us all these years…”
-Ntozake Shange- “Identity is.. it’s a way of knowing that no matter where I put myself…”

The Shawl- by David Mamet
-John
-Miss A
-Charles

Some themes:
-SHAWL- everyday life
-JOE TURNER- plays relationship to identity- staging problems
-TROUBLE IN MIND- actor and director- individuals trying to find own identity- socially conscious theatre- aware of prolems
-RENT- music in theatre- it role- identity- living with constant reality of death
-ROSMERHOLM- ambiguity- melodrama and realism
-FIRES IN THE MIRROR- actor technique- approach to character- means of communication- try to understand each other
-SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE- love and lust- authenticity- realism
-LOOKING FOR RICHARD- encountering a text