Drama & Theatre Unit 1 - Introduction to Drama and Theatre

Drama & Theatre: Course Study Guide Content In This Guide Unit 1 - Introduction to Drama and Theatre ● 1.1 Aristotle's Key Elements of Drama ● 1.2 Styles of Drama ● 1.3 Design and Technicalities (costumes, staging) ● 1.4 Staging Unit 2 - Movement and Speech ● 2.1 Improvisation ● 2.2 Tableau ● 2.3 Mime ● 2.4 Vocal Techniques ● 2.5 Body Techniques ● 2.6 Movement Techniques ● 2.7 Space Techniques Unit 3 - Theatre History ● 3.1 Ancient Greek Theatre ● 3.2 Roman Theatre ● 3.3 Medieval Theatre (Theatre of the Middle Ages) ● 3.4 Italian Renaissance Theatre ● 3.5 Elizabethan Theatre Unit 4 - Terms and Vocabulary ● 4.1 Terms and Vocabulary Unit 1- Introduction to Drama and Theatre 1.1 ‘Aristotle’s’ Key Elements of Drama ● The foundation of drama and theatre are Aristotle’s six key elements ● Aristotle: ○ Greek scientist and philosopher ○ One of the first people to ever analyze the foundations of dramatics and theatre ○ His work and ideologies are still widely expected in drama today ○ His six key elements are the basis for great dramatic literature ● There are six elements: plot, character, thought/theme, language/diction, music, and spectacle ● Plot: ○ The story behind the piece ○ Journey or the protagonist/main character ○ The main point of the story, usually being the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist ○ On stage, the events that are not shown are talked about in the exposition ○ Parts of the plot: exposition, inciting accident, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution ○ Exposition: the introduction of a plot which introduces us to the setting, characters, date, time, and extra information that relates to the plot line. ○ Inciting incident: a point in the plot that draws the reader/viewer in. At this point of the story line, the main character is usually introduced to the conflict. This incident is what sets the events of the story in motion. ○ Conflict: the struggle between the two battling forces in the story. ○ Rising action: the rising action is the suspenseful events that lead up to the climax. ○ Climax: the point of the story with the most suspense and intensity. 1.1 ‘Aristotle’s’ Key Elements of Drama (continued) ● Characters: ○ Carry out the plot and act out the events within the plot ○ Characters are faced with problems, obstacles, etc. ○ Characters can be an idea, object, or person portrayed by actors on stage ● Thought/Theme: ○ Theme or idea behind the play ○ The reason why the writer wrote the play (e.g. to tell a story of heartbreak, loss, happiness, sickness, coming of age stories, etc.) ● Language/Diction: ○ Dialogue can be broken down into two parts: narrative and dramatic ○ Dramatic dialogue: the audience gets to see what the character’s innermost thoughts and feelings are ○ Narrative dialogue: direct dialogue spoken out loud by the characters ○ Style of speaking sometimes is different and rhythm of the words/how they are said is changed depending on what the director wants you to know or feel ○ Diction: words chosen specifically to convey the message of the story ○ Diction in plays is used to subtly give us more about the character without explicitly saying it in the play (e.g. we can tell which characters are educated or not based on the choice of words and how they speak. For example, the educated businessman speaks eloquently: “Thank you, madam”, while the illiterate man swears in every sentence.) ● Spectacle: ○ Audio/visuals of the play ○ Spectacle includes the actors, makeup, effects, scenery, lighting, costumes, etc. 1.2 Styles of Drama ● The director of a play chooses to use a certain style of drama, depending on what the storyline of the play is. ● The seven main styles are: representational, presentational, realism, symbolism, romanticism, constructivism, expressionism. 1.2 Styles of Drama (continued) ● This table will break them down further... Style Definition Representational/naturalism Drama/theatre that aims to recreate or produce an illusion of reality. The actors try to convince the audience that what they are watching is reality. Presentational Presentational drama is the exact opposite of representational. It uses surreal characters, set pieces, and props to make the audience aware of the theatrical conventions. Realism This style is similar to representational but it differs because the actors do not need to produce an illusion of reality, their actions are real. For example, in realism, actors act out common everyday scenarios, like walking a dog or brushing one's teeth. The audience does not need to be convinced, they know this is a real, everyday act. Plays use realism when the story line deals with common everyday problems, and shows things as they really are. Symbolism Props, actors, costumes, effects, and set design are used as symbols that represent something with a deeper meaning than what it is at face value. Usually, these symbols are prominent and stand out, so the audience remembers them throughout the play. Romanticism Plays that appeal to emotion more than common sense and intellect. Plays that use romanticism heavily emphasize the beauty of nature, heros/heroines, and are extremely melodramatic. Constructivism Plays that teach, encourage ideas, learning, and critical thinking. Often, plays that incorporate symbolism will also have some features of constructivism. Expressionism Expressionism in plays is not identifiable by only one thing; it is made up of many significant features. An expressionist play allows the plot to entertain the audience instead of using bright sets, props, and extravagant costumes. Sets are plain and made from irregular shapes. The plot of the actual play is usually broken up into many ‘episodes’. The characters are often nameless and the audience only knows what they need to know about them. For example, a family won’t be called by their names. Instead, they would be ‘Father’, ‘Mother’, and ‘Daughter’. 1.3 Design and Technicalities ● Drama and theatre is much more than just actors on a stage. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that happens to make sure everything works cohesively. ● Props, costumes, scenery, and set design are part of the technicalities and design of theatre ○ Props and sets are used to reflect the story/plot. They also enhance the play as a whole and make the scenes look more believable and realistic.Too many props can affect a performance so it is important for actors to be able to balance and work with the props they have. ○ Costumes are an integral part of drama. They add character and flair to the actors and help the audience distinguish them from each other. They are especially important in larger productions, where you won’t always be able to make out the actors faces from afar. ○ Scenery in theatre is any non costume element that is used to show the setting of a play. Scenery has developed a lot throughout history because now you can use screens and other kinds of technology instead of hand building scenery components. 1.4 Staging ● Staging: how a play/dramatic performance is presented. ● The typical stages you see today were evolved throughout the years, dating all the way back to the Middle Ages. ○ Middle Ages: ■ The stage was typically known as a mansion, and the area actors performed in was known as the playne ■ Mansion: a type of medieval staging where individual mansions represented different parts of the play. ■ Church buildings were often used as stages too, for larger audiences. ■ Choirs took up most of the stage, and actors performed in smaller sections of the stage. ○ 12th Century Stage: ■ By tis time, drama had grown and expanded, so more people were coming to watch plays. More space was needed to house more people. ■ It started becoming a common thing to have a play outdoors, where passerby can come and watch as well. ○ Stationary Setting: ■ In this type of staging, mansions were placed next to each other and placed in a straight or curved line. This was done so the scenery in all of them was visible to as much of the audience as possible. ■ Because of this type of staging, plays lasted much longer than they do today. Each mansion was a new section of the play and they went on for hours. ○ Arena Stage ■ Stage was divided into mansions and placed in a semi circle. ■ Members of the audience sat in the centre of the stage and watched the play from all angles. ■ Actors would prepare, change, switch props, and more behind the stage where they were not visible to the audience. 1.4 Staging (continued) ○ Processional Staging: ■ This type of stage was a moving one. Actors would travel around towns along a specific route and stop at predetermined points. They carried portable mansions which were called pageant wagons. ■ The audience was stationary and could only see one side of the stage. ■ Processional stages were portable, so it allowed the actors and the crew to move to different locations and put on the same play multiple times, to different audiences. ○ Curtained Platform: ■ This was a type of staging that was introduced closer to the end of the Middle Ages. ■ Actors didn’t need much space or scenery behind them. ■ They performed with a simple red or black curtain behind them, much like the kind of stage you see in puppet shows. ● These kinds of stages are more outdated and are rarely used anymore. The more common, modern stages are the proscenium stage, thrust stage, round stage, promenade theatres, platform stage, open air stages, and black box or studio stages. 1.4 Staging (continued) ● This table provides a description, example, and picture of each kind of stage. Stage Type Description Proscenium stage ● Prominent arch known as the proscenium arch ● Deep and can hold hundreds of people ● Stage is raked, meaning it is slightly sloped away from the audience. Thrust stage ● Front of the stage thrusts into the audience ● Actors can get closer to the audience. ● Front half of the stage is often an irregular shape. Round stage ● Audience on all sides of the stage. ● Scenery is limited to ensure it does not block audience members’ view. ● Long aisles between the audience seats for actors to enter. Promenade theatre ● No established stage. ● Audience follows the acros around as they perform. ● Also known as the “moving stage” Platform stage ● Stage is a raised rectangular or square platform. ● Audience members are seated on the left, right, and in front of the stage. ● No curtains, Image ● Open stage with no barriers between the audience and actors. Open air stage ● Outdoor theatres ● No roofs, sometimes the audience and stage is partially covered. Black-box/studio stage ● Simple studio rooms used as stages. ● Stage and audience are at the same level. ● Simple wall behind the stage.