JW Hallahan HS Theatre 1

Unit 1: Introduction to Live TheatreClass Notes
Definition of Theatre: "Theater is a unique live event that involved actors and audience, that happens in a particular place at a particular time, that takes place in the present tense and yet has a predetermined structure, that uses understood conventions to communicate through all five senses, and that has a lasting impact on the audience”

10 Traits of Theatre:

A live event – takes place only once; unique experience each time
Actors – someone has to play a part; without actors there is no action
Audience – someone needs to be a recipient of the action; this is what the audience does; a good audience is more than just passive, however
Particular place – theater happens in a particular place; we go to theater, it doesn’t just come to us (except for flash mobs!)
Particular time – theater only happens when all of these elements come together; it doesn’t just “happen” any time we want it to!
Present tense – true, live theater happens in the present moment; recordings never do a performance justice!
Predetermined structure – each show has a predetermined structure to it; a number of acts, scenes, etc.; even though at times the action might become improvised
Understood conventions – there are certain elements of a show that the audience must understand coming into the performance: the fact that what is happening is NOT for real, when the actors take a bow at the end, the audience claps, other actors on the stage pretend not to know what is happening when in fact they’ve read the script
Communication through all five senses – a truly spectacular theatrical experience uses as many of the senses as possible; this is due to the fact that this is how we communicate as human beings
Lasting impact – theater is an experience that we always take with us (hopefully); the goal of any actor is that they are able to leave an impact on their audience

The 6 Elements of Theatre of Aristotle:

Plot – the “life and soul of the drama”; this is perhaps the most important; this is the story itself, what is it that we are trying to say by this performance
Character – the “agent for the action”; when we describe a scene, we are referring to what the characters do; without characters, there is no action!
Thought – the meaning of a play, or the “message”; what is the universal idea that we want the audience to come away with?
Diction – refers to both the vocabulary that the playwright uses and the order in which the words are placed; diction will vary from writer to writer; Puccini wrote in a very formal manner when he wrote “La Boheme” where Jonathan Larson writes in a very modern, almost crass way at times when he wrote “Rent”; both tell the same basic story but in two very different ways!
Music – this includes everything we hear during a performance: the musical accompaniment, sound effects, even sometimes the voices of the actors.
Spectacle – the special components that finish off a performance; not just visual!

Types of Theatre
A: Play – a show that is dialogue-driven

Drama – a category of play that is serious but not tragic
Comedy – the genre of play that makes you laugh, has plots that end happily, and reaffirms the values you hold to be important
Tragedy – a serious play that makes you feel exhilarated because the hero’s experience teaches you some profound truth about your life; a tragedy guides you toward feeling a sort of calm affirmation that your worst expectations about life are true, and you feel wiser for reaching this certainty

B: Musical – a show that uses music in telling the story

Opera – a form of theatre that is entirely sung, is serious in subject, and is musically complex
Operetta – a form of theatre that is light in subject, has scenes of spoken dialogue, and is less musically complex than an opera
Rock-Opera – a form of theatre that is entirely sung, using contemporary, rock music
Concert – a performance which focuses on the music alone; sometimes singers may be costumed, but the focus is on the music