Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Theater 101 Bates Midterm review, Theater 101, Aristotle's Poetics

Terms in this set (90)

Be thoroughly familiar with Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler Plot Summary

HEDDA: 36 HOURS IN WHICH MARRIED COUPLE RETURNS FROM HONEYMOON, MEET OLD ACQUAINTANCE, OLD ACQUAINTANCE DISGRACES & KILLS SELF. TO ESCAPE CONSEQUENCES, WIFE COMMITS SUICIDE.
SUB-STORIES: NONE

The entire play takes place in the Tesman's living room and in a smaller room to its side, Hedda Gabler and her new husband, George Tesman, return from their six-month honeymoon to their new house. We soon learn that Hedda, the daughter of an esteemed general, deigned to marry Tesman only because she had reached the age at which society dictated she should wed. Hedda, not even a year into her marriage, is showing signs of boredom with Tesman even though she's pregnant with his child.

Tesman's Aunt Julia is there to welcome them home. Hedda is quite rude to the older woman, so Julia leaves quickly. After her departure, Mrs. Elvsted arrives to let the Tesmans know that Eilert Lovborg, Tesman's academic nemesis, has returned to town after having fallen into alcoholism and taken two years to achieve sobriety and return to society. Mrs. Elvsted hints to Hedda that she truly loves Lovborg, and doesn't care about her husband anymore - but that she's worried that Lovborg's return to the city will mean that he'll start drinking again.

Judge Brack arrives as soon as Mrs. Elvsted leaves, and lets the Tesmans know that Lovborg has been greeted warmly, and that his new book has been a major success. Indeed, Brack tells Tesman that the professorship he's been expecting might go to Lovborg instead. Privately, Hedda tells Brack that she cares little for her new husband, and that she hopes that the Judge might be able to somehow entertain her during these dull years of marriage. She agrees that Brack will be part of their "triangle" - a relationship that won't necessarily involve explicit adultery, but will provide her with some much-needed companionship.

Tesman returns to the room and says that he's going the stag party that the Judge is holding later that night. Eilert Lovborg soon arrives, and privately confesses his long-held love for Hedda. Once upon a time, they used to be friends, but Lovborg got "too close" and Hedda cut off ties with him - even, at one point, threatening to shoot him. Now he hopes to at least restart a friendship. Mrs. Evlsted arrives, and Hedda mischievously uses the information she has from both parties to pit the two against one another. She makes Mrs. Elvsted look like a fool for having worried that Lovborg would suddenly start drinking again. In retaliation, Lovborg decides to follow Tesman and Brack to their stag party, clutching the pages of the handwritten manuscript for his "revelatory" new book about the future.
Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted wait all night for the men to return, but Tesman doesn't arrive until morning. He is carrying Lovborg's manuscript, which he says the scholar dropped in a fit of late-night drunkenness. Tesman leaves the manuscript with Hedda while he goes out to visit a dying relative, and in the meanwhile, Judge Brack arrives to tell the women that Lovborg got into trouble with the police the night before after assaulting a group of women whom he said took his manuscript.

Lovborg soon arrives and tells Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted that he didn't lose the manuscript, but rather tore it into a thousand pieces. Mrs. Elvsted leaves, devastated that Lovborg has become so self-destructive. Just before leaving, however, Lovborg tells Hedda that he did in fact lose the manuscript. Hedda, who possesses the manuscript herself, says nothing about it, but rather encourages him to follow through on his thoughts of suicide, handing him one of her father's pistols. Lovborg leaves, and Hedda burns the manuscript.
Mrs. Elvsted arrives that night and tells the Tesmans that Lovborg is missing and is rumored to be in the hospital. Brack arrives to confirm the reports that Lovborg has died of a bullet wound to the chest. While Mrs. Elvsted and Tesman sit in the living room trying to reconstruct his manuscript from the notes Mrs. Elvsted possesses, Brack privately tells Hedda that Lovborg did not kill himself, but rather died from a wound inflicted to the bowels - either the result of an accident or someone else's fire. Brack tells Hedda that either she must account for the pistol being hers, or do whatever he tells her to, as only he can keep her from falling into the police's hands or suffering through a public scandal. Realizing that she is now in Brack's power, Hedda goes into the next room and shoots herself.
Hedda Gabler: Names of Characters in the book/traits/qualities
Characters in this play are MEMBERS OF THE NORWEGIAN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS CIRCA 1890

Hedda Gabler
Married to Jurgen Tesman and is high class

Jurgen Tesman
is an amiable, intelligent young scholar. He tries very hard to please his young wife, Hedda, and often does not realize that she is manipulating him.

Juliane Tesman
or Aunt Julle, is the aunt of Jürgen Tesman. After Tesman's parents died, Aunt Julle raised him. She is well-meaning, and she is constantly hinting that Tesman and Hedda should have a baby.

Judge Brack
He is a friend of both Tesman* and Hedda, and he visits their house regularly. He has connections around the city, and is often the first to give Tesman information about alterations in the possibility of his professorship

Ejlert Lövborg
is Tesman* biggest competitor in the academic world. After a series of scandals related to drinking, he was once a public outcast but has now returned to the city and has published a book to rave reviews. Had a relationship with Hedda

Mrs. Elvsted
She and her husband hired Ejlert Lövborg as a tutor to their children, grew attached to Ejlert, acting as his personal secretary and aiding him in his research and writing. When Ejlert leaves her estate to return to the city, Mrs. Elvsted comes to town and goes to Tesman* for help, fearing Ejlert will revert to his alcoholism.
Hedda Gabler - Generic Features its a Tradegy
TRADEGY

Frustration Stage
Hedda admits that she's pregnant - not just to George, but to herself.
The bun in the oven seems to be the straw breaking the camel's back, if you will allow us to painfully mix our metaphors here. Hedda's response to her husband's joy is: "Oh-I'll die! I'll die of all this!" If that doesn't convince you that we've entered frustration land, there's always the stage directions: "(clenching her fists in despair)." Right. In fact, the only thing that perks Hedda up is the knowledge that Eilert's death was beautiful and courageous.

Nightmare Stage
Eilert's death was NOT beautiful. Nor courageous. In fact, it was kind of embarrassing. Also, George has just committed the rest of his life to re-writing Eilert's book. Oh, and the Judge has Hedda under his control.
In the words of Hedda herself: "What is it, this—this curse—that everything I touch turns ridiculous and vile?" Her last ditch attempt at finding beauty in the world has failed. Perhaps worst of all is the realization that the one freedom she had - to manipulate others - is gone, now that the Judge is essentially blackmailing her with his knowledge of the pistol situation.

Destruction or Death Wish Stage
Hedda kills herself.
This one is pretty clear. Hedda has a death wish. She fulfills it rather effectively.
Be throughly familiar with A Midsummer Nights Dream
Plot summary:
A Midsummer Night's Dream Summary

LOVERS FLEE TO WOODS, ARE SUBJECT TO MAGIC POTION BY A FAIRY, EXPERIENCE CONFUSION, HAVE THE SPELL LIFTED, MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON
SUB STORIES: THE MECHANICALS / DONKEY-HEAD, OBERON AND TITANIA, THESEUS AND HIPPOLYTA

As the play opens, Duke Theseus is hanging out at his palace in Athens with his bride-to-be, Hippolyta, the Amazon queen who was recently defeated by Theseus and his army. Theseus is VERY excited about getting hitched (in just four days) and spending his wedding night with Hippolyta. He promises her that getting married will be a lot more fun than being conquered in battle. Uh, let's sure hope so.

Egeus, an Athenian citizen, arrives at Theseus's palace with a crisis. He's made plans for his daughter, Hermia, to marry Demetrius, but this other guy named Lysander has managed to steal his daughter's heart. Now Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius. Egeus is outraged and wants Theseus to give Hermia the death sentence for her disobedience, per Athenian law. Because that's not an overreaction or anything.

Duke Theseus wants to be reasonable, so he advises Hermia to be a good girl and listen to her father. Hermia flat-out refuses, so Theseus gives her two alternative options: 1) accept the death penalty as punishment for disobedience, or 2) become a nun and remain a virgin forever. Hermia has four days to decide her fate. Yep—that's Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding day. Coincidence? We think not.

Demetrius and Lysander bicker over who should get to marry the lovely Hermia. Demetrius thinks he should have dibs because Hermia's dad likes him the best and has already given him permission to marry his daughter. Lysander argues that he should get Hermia because Hermia actually loves him. Plus, Demetrius has way too much baggage—he used to go steady with Hermia's friend Helena, who is still in love with Demetrius.

Secretly, Hermia and Lysander make plans to meet in the nearby wood. Once there, they'll run off to Lysander's aunt's house (which is outside of Athenian jurisdiction) and get married. Just as the couple decides to elope, Hermia's friend Helena trips in. Helena is a mess because she still loves Demetrius—she's crushed that he wants to marry Hermia. The young lovers assure Helena that she has nothing to worry about because they're planning to elope, which means that Demetrius will be single and ready to mingle.

After the happy couple leaves, Helena decides to squeal to Demetrius about Hermia and Lysander's plan to run away. That way, Demetrius is sure to follow the runaway lovers, and then Helena can follow Demetrius, which will be fun and cost her nothing but her dignity. With that, we have the makings of a romantic chase.

Meanwhile, a group of Athenian craftsmen (called "the Mechanicals") are preparing to perform a play for Theseus's upcoming wedding. The play will be the tragic tale of two young lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe (think Romeo and Juliet storyline). However, it's clear the Mechanicals are horrible actors and are clueless about how to stage a play. The group decides to practice the play in the wood.

Cut to the woods, where we meet Puck (a.k.a. Robin Goodfellow), a mischievous sprite known for the tricks he likes to play on women in the nearby village. This charismatic sprite serves Oberon, King of the Fairies. Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, and Oberon also show up; they're in a fight, which has turned the entire natural world upside down. We're talking seriously bad weather that has caused flooding and famine, which is something Shakespeare's original audience dealt with in the 1590s.

The source of the quarrel is a "lovely" Indian boy that Titania has been raising as a foster son. Oberon is jealous and wants the boy to be his personal page (errand boy). Oberon refuses to dance, revel, or otherwise engage with Titania until she agrees to give up the child. Titania flat-out refuses and says that she'll raise the boy as her own as a favor to the kid's dead mother, who was chummy with Titania back in India.

Oberon makes plans to enchant Titania that evening with a magic love "juice" that will make her fall in love with the first creature she sees. Oberon hopes that when Titania wakes up, she'll see a monstrous beast and fall in love. Hopefully, Titania will be so crazy in love that she'll lose interest in the little boy and hand him over to Oberon. Also, Titania will be totally humiliated.

That evening, Helena and Demetrius wander into the woods. Demetrius tries desperately to get rid of Helena. The problem is that Helena's a clinger—she won't leave him alone because she wants to be his one true love. Watching Helena's pathetic display, Oberon declares that, before the pair leaves the forest, their roles will be reversed: Demetrius should be fawning over Helena. Mischief is afoot! Oberon leaves to enchant Titania with the love potion. He also instructs Puck to find this young man in Athenian clothes (traveling with a girl) and enchant the heck out of him. Little does Puck know that there is more than one young Athenian man in the woods tonight.

Elsewhere in the forest, Lysander and Hermia are lost. It's about time they went to bed, and Lysander suggests that they share a bed on the forest floor. Hermia isn't having it, and tells Lysander to lie a good distance from her. The two fall asleep.

Puck runs into the sleeping pair and, seeing that Lysander is a young man dressed in Athenian clothes, Puck dumps the love juice in his eyes. (Whoops.) Then Helena shows up and accidentally trips over the sleeping Lysander while pursuing Demetrius. Lysander wakes up, immediately declares his love for Helena, and follows her further into the woods.

Meanwhile, Hermia has slept through the love-juice dumping, the tripping and falling, and the declaring of love. When she wakes up and realizes Lysander is gone, she heads off into the woods in search of him, clueless that her boyfriend has fallen in love with her friend Helena.

As the four young lovers chase each other around the forest, the Athenian craftsmen (the Mechanicals) practice their play nearby. It's immediately clear that our crew of amateur actors is pretty incompetent, which amuses Puck, the mischievous sprite who is watching the rehearsal from the sidelines. Puck decides to play a joke on Bottom, one of the worst actors, by transforming the guy's head into that of a donkey.

Once Puck completes his little prank on Bottom, the Mechanicals are terrified of Bottom's donkey head and run away in horror. Bottom, who is oblivious to his transformation, declares that his friends are just trying "to make an ass" of him. (Hehe.) The commotion awakens Titania, who's been sleeping nearby and has been dosed with the magic love juice. She takes one look at Bottom and instantly falls in love.

Meanwhile, Oberon comes across Demetrius and Helena and dumps some love juice in Demetrius's eyes. Uh-oh. Trouble Alert! When Oberon finds out that Titania has fallen in love with an ass, he's thrilled. But then Demetrius and Hermia show up, and Oberon soon figures out that Puck sprinkled the love juice in the wrong Athenian's eyes. (Remember, Puck put the potion in Lysander's eyes instead of Demetrius's.)

Puck returns, leading Helena, who is followed by the lovesick Lysander. Demetrius wakes up and immediately declares Helena to be his goddess. Just in time, Hermia wanders in, lured by the sound of Lysander's voice. Now that the four are together, Lysander declares that he too is in love with Helena. Poor Hermia. Before the four humans entered the woods, both men were in love with her and now Lysander and Demetrius are hot for Helena.

Helena thinks this is just a prank and begins to argue with Hermia. Then the boys fight some more over Helena and challenge each other to a game of fisticuffs. They run off to duke it out somewhere in the wood. Helena decides to take off before Hermia gets violent and scratches her eyes out or something. Hermia chases after her.

Puck and Oberon have been watching all of this. Oberon instructs Puck to cast a shadow over the night, so the feuding boys can't find each other. Once the boys are asleep, Puck is to apply the remedy for the love potion on Lysander's eyes, so that he will fall back in love with Hermia. The hope is that lovers wake up in happy pairs. Puck follows all of these instructions accurately, finally.

Meanwhile, Titania is still having fits of love over Bottom, who is happily being tended to by fairies and the Fairy Queen. Oberon easily got the Indian boy from the love-crazed Titania earlier that evening. Now he sees Titania as pitiful, and reasons that it's time to bring her back to her senses. He asks Puck to transform Bottom to his natural self as well. Oberon un-enchants Titania, and she awakens as if from a dream. Oberon points to donkey-faced Bottom beside her and promises to explain later. Talk about a rough morning-after.

The next morning, Theseus shows up in the woods with Hippolyta (his bride), Egeus (Hermia's dad), and a hunting party. Theseus discovers the four Athenian youths sleeping on the ground in the woods. He wakes them up and wonders what could've brought them all together. Lysander admits his plan to elope with Hermia, and Demetrius also explains that he's now in love with Helena. So both couples are happily in love and seem to have forgotten last night's events. Egeus demands that the death sentence be carried out, but Theseus overrides him, declaring that the youths will all be married alongside him and Hippolyta this evening.

After the older folks leave, the foursome talks about the previous night, admitting it was dreamlike. Bottom wakes up as the young lovers exit and speaks of the strange dream he had. He then hurries back to Athens, where he pleasantly surprises all the Mechanicals with his presence. By this time, the Duke and other couples have all been married, and it's about time for them to seek their celebratory entertainment. The Mechanicals get ready to perform their play.

The play begins. It is the well-known tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe, two lovers separated by a wall. They speak through a hole in said wall, and decide to meet by moonlight at Ninus's tomb. Thisbe gets there early, but encounters a lion, which makes her run off, accidentally leaving her cape behind as a chew toy for the lion. Pyramus finds Thisbe's cape all torn and looking like a lion mauled it. He stabs himself, assuming his girl is dead. Thisbe then shows up and also chooses suicide. So everyone's dead, but the audience doesn't take it too seriously because it was so poorly performed. Following the entertainment, Theseus wishes the couples to bed.

Puck returns to the stage to talk about the scary things of night, and to sweep the doorstep, promising the couples will be happy and the house protected. He ends the play by saying that if you feel the play (A Midsummer Night's Dream) was absurd, you need only applaud and imagine the whole thing was a dream.
A Midsummer Nights Dream - Generic Features
ROMANTIC COMEDY

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a classic example of Shakespearean comedy.

is centered on marriage and relationships, and a happy ending means uniting the courting couples.

At the end of the play, Titania and Oberon are reunited, Lysander marries Hermia, and Demetrius marries Helena. Along with witty word play in the dialogue and the humorous confusion that the love potion causes, these marriages show that AMidsummer Night's Dream is a Shakespearean comedy.
A Midsummer Night's Dream Character List
Characters in this play are: ARISTOCRATS, AMAZONIAN QUEEN, KING AND QUEEN OF FAIRIES, VARIOUS OTHER FAIRIES. MECHANICALS INCLUDING ONE WHO ACQUIRES AN ASS'S HEAD.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Character List

Theseus
the Duke of Athens.

Hippolyta
the Queen of the Amazons and betrothed to Theseus.

Philostrate
the Master of the Revels to Theseus.

Egeus
the father of Hermia.

Hermia
the daughter of Egeus and in love with Lysander.

Lysander
the man loved by Hermia.

Demetrius
a suitor to Hermia.

Helena
a close friend of Hermia and in love with Demetrius.

Oberon
King of the Fairies.

Titania
the wife of Oberon and the Queen of the Fairies.

Robin Goodfellow, a puck
a mischievous fairy who causes much of the confusion in the play.

Peaseblossom
a fairy.

Cobweb
a fairy.

Mote
a fairy.

Mustardseed
a fairy.

Peter Quince
a carpenter and one of the artisans.

Nick Bottom
a weaver who is transformed into an ass by Puck.

Francis Flute
a bellows-mender and one of the artisans.

Tom Snout
a tinker and one of the artisans.

Snug
a joiner.

Robin Starveling
a tailor.

Other lords and fairies
Discuss these plays (Hedda and Midsummer NIghts Dream) with reference to our readings in Aristotle, Smiley, and TLA
Using Aristotle's distinguished six elements of tragedy: "plot, characters, dictation (language), thought, visual adornment, and song-composition (music)." HERE is a COMPARISON of both plays:



HEDDA GABLER VS A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

PLOT

MSND: LOVERS FLEE TO WOODS, ARE SUBJECT TO MAGIC POTION BY A FAIRY, EXPERIENCE CONFUSION, HAVE THE SPELL LIFTED, MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON
SUB STORIES: THE MECHANICALS / DONKEY-HEAD, OBERON AND TITANIA, THESEUS AND HIPPOLYTA

HEDDA: 36 HOURS IN WHICH MARRIED COUPLE RETURNS FROM HONEYMOON, MEET OLD ACQUAINTANCE, OLD ACQUAINTANCE DISGRACES & KILLS SELF. TO ESCAPE CONSEQUENCES, WIFE COMMITS SUICIDE.
SUB-STORIES: NONE

CHARACTERS

MSND: ARISTOCRATS, AMAZONIAN QUEEN, KING AND QUEEN OF FAIRIES, VARIOUS OTHER FAIRIES. MECHANICALS INCLUDING ONE WHO ACQUIRES AN ASS'S HEAD.

HEDDA: MEMBERS OF THE NORWEGIAN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS CIRCA 1890

THOUGHT

MSND: RANGES FROM DISCUSSIONS OF LOVE, TO PERSONAL INVECTIVE, TO DISCUSSIONS OF PERFORMANCE, TO DISPUTES ABOUT POSSESSION OF LITTLE INDIAN BOY AND THE DISRUPTION OF NATURAL PROCESSES BECAUSE OF THAT DISPUTE. ETHICAL/SPECULATIVE + EXPEDIENT

HEDDA: CONCERN FOR UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS SUCCESS PLUS ARISTOCRATIC WOMAN'S LONGING TO ESCAPE SOCIAL CONVENTION, WHICH SHE FEARS TO DO BECAUSE OF SCANDAL. MOSTLY EXPEDIENT

DICTION

MSND: POETRY AND PROSE. SOME OF THE POETRY IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER BLANK VERSE; SOME RHYMING. BOTH THE POETRY AND PROSE HIGHLY ORNAMENTED.

HEDDA: PROSE THAT STRIVES TO SOUND LIKE EVERYDAY CONVERSATION AS CONDUCTED BY EDUCATED MEMBERS OF THE UPPER MIDDLE CLASS IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURy

MUSIC

MSND: NUMEROUS SONGS

HEDDA: PISTOL SHOTS; HEDDA PLAYS THE PIANO JUST BEFORE SHOOTING HERSELF.

SPECTACLE
MSND: ATHENS, THE HOUSE OF PETER QUINCE, THE FOREST, TITANIA'S BOWER, THE PALACE. ACTION MOVES FREELY AMONG SCENES EVOKED RATHER THAN PHOTOGRAPHICALLY REPLICATED. COSTUMES DEFINE MEANING OF FAIRY.

HEDDA: THE INTERIOR OF AN UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS HOUSE, PRESENTED SO AS TO RESEMBLE THE REAL-WORLD VERSION OF SAME. COSTUMES IDENTICAL TO CLOTHING WORN AT THE TIME.
Review the assigned chapters in TLA,
Review TLA........assigned chapters
Character Types
CONTRAST: CHARACTERS IN PAIRS, THEIR DIFFERENCES SUPPLEMENTING EACH OTHER.

ACTIONS LOUDER THAN WORDS: IMPORTANT CHOICES RATHER THAN SPOKEN INTENTIONS. WHAT DOES LOVBORG ACTUALLY DO AT & AFTER THE STAG PARTY VS. WHAT HE SAYS HE INTENDS TO DO?


ARCHETYPE: AN ORIGINAL AFTER WHICH OTHERS ARE PATTERNED; EMBODIMENT OF A RECURRENT FEATURE OF HUMAN NATURE; UNIVERSAL MODEL. PETER PAN. SCROOGE. ALICE IN WONDERLAND. DOROTHY.

STEREOTYPE: A FIXED, UNVARYING, IMPRISONING DEFINITION

PROTAGONIST extended struggle or passion / most important character / most volition (often) / propels events

ANTAGONIST: OPPOSER OF PROTAGONIST

FOIL: CONTRASTING COMPANION THE FOIL MAKES THE TRAITS AND QUALITIES OF THE MAIN CHARACTER STAND OUT MORE BOLDLY. THE MECHANICALS ARE ALL FOILS FOR BOTTOM. GEORGE IS A FOIL FOR HEDDA.

RAISONNEUR: A CHARACTER WHO SPEAKS FOR THE AUTHOR. THE CHARACTER WHO PRESENTS THE REASOABLE POINT OF VIEW IN A CONTENTIOUS SITUATION.

MESSENGER: A CHARACTER WHOSE SOLE (OR PRIMARY) FUNCTION IS TO DELIVER INFORMATION.
You should also know the basic lighting instruments.
SPOTLIGHTS,
AREA LIGHTS/FLOODLIGHTS,
STRIP LIGHTS
FOOTLIGHTS
Spotlights
can be used as footlights, spread light evenly across vertical expanse, excellent for saturation

General term for any lantern with a lens system. See Fresnel, PC, Profile.
area lights/floodlights
are basic theatrical lighting instruments, consisting of primarily of a reflector box and a lamp, usually attached to a yoke to allow the instrument to be hung. They are often used in the theater for color washes, or left uncolored for use as work lights. They offer practically no control of the beam or focus. Gels placed over a floodlight tend to fade quickly because floodlights generate a great deal of heat. However, floodlights tend to be among the least expensive lighting instruments due to their simple construction and few complicated parts.They are also used in football games,cricket games,netball games and many more.
Striplights
contains several individual lights, and illuminates a large area
footlights
lights in front of the stage floor
the principal ideas concerning scenery, costume, and lighting design. This means you should have a good grasp on the "objectives" and "elements" of each type of design.
SCENERY

OBJECTIVES
ESTABLISH TONE AND STYLE; SUPPORT THE SUMMARY ACTION
INDICATE HISTORICAL PERIOD AND LOCALE
DEVELOP DESIGN CONCEPT: A GENERAL IDEA ABOUT THE PLAY / PRODUCTION
PROVIDE CENTRAL IMAGE/METAPHOR: EXECUTION OF CONCEPT
COORDINATE SCENERY WITH WHOLE
SOLVE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

ELEMENTS
LINE
MASS
COMPOSITION
TEXTURE
COLOR

COSTUME DESIGN: COSTUME AN EXTENSION OF PERFORMANCE.

COSTUMES HELP REVEAL
POSITION AND STATUS
SEX
OCCUPATION
TEMPERAMENT
CONFORMITY VS INDEPENDENCE
WORK/LEISURE; SPECIAL EVENT/ROUTINE EVENT

OBJECTIVES
TONE AND STYLE
HISTORICAL PERIOD
NATURE OF CHARACTERS AND GROUPS: MAJOR, MINOR.
RELATIONSHIPS: AFFILIATED; CONTRASTED
MEET ACTING NEEDS
HARMONIZE WITH WHOLE

ELEMENTS
LINE, SHAPE, SILHOUETTE
COLOR
FABRIC
ACCESSORIES

RELATED ELEMENTS: MAKEUP, HAIRSTYLE, MASKS

LIGHTS

OBJECTIVES
VISIBILITY
TIME AND PLACE
MOOD
HARMONY WITH WHOLE
FOCUS
RHYTHM


QUALITIES / ELEMENTS
INTENSITY
COLOR
DIRECTION
SHAPE
MOVEMENT
terms denoting positions on stage (upstage, downstage, etc.)
Here is the Chart:
Stage Positions - see the chart

Note: term-that a position designated on the stage refers to a general territory, rather than to a given point
Upstage
Downstage
Right = R
Left = L
Up = U
Down = D
Center = C
Up Right = UR
Right Center = RC
Down Left Center = DLC
Upstage
1. situated or occurring at the back of a theater stage
2. means away from the footlights
Downstage
1. at or toward the front of a stage.
2. means toward the footlights
Right and Left
are used with reference to the actor as he faces the audience

see diagram how you face the audience determines right and left
l
means Left - on the stage only as you face the audience
R
means Right - on the stage only as you face the audience
UR
used in combination

means Up Right
C
means center
U
means Up
1. situated or occurring at the back of a theater stage
2. means away from the footlights
RC
used in combination

right center - facing audience
D
means down
1. at or toward the front of a stage.
2. means toward the footlights
DLC
used in combination

down left center - facing audience
Be familiar with the basic types of theater space (proscenium, thrust, arena, found space, multifocal space),
1. Proscenium
2. Thrust
3. Arena
4. Found Space
5. Multi-focal Space
proscenium
arch or frame surrounding the stage opening in a box or picture stage

PROSCENIUM: FROM PROSCENIUM ARCH [I.E., PRO-SKENE; IN FRONT OF THE SCENE], THE FRAME SURROUNDING THE SPACE IN WHICH THE PERFORMANCE OCCURS.

FOURTH WALL IDEA.
THE RAKED HOUSE OR AUDITORIUM.
IN THIS TYPE OF THEATER THE ORCHESTRA REFERS TO THE SEATS ON THE MAIN FLOOR.

ADVANTAGES:
STAGE AREA: DEEP, WITH FLY LOFT AND WING SPACE.
ESPECIALLY SUITED TO SPECTACLES; ILLUSIONISM; DETAILED REALISM;
FRAME PROVIDES FOCUS AND OBJECTIVITY.
EXPLOITS FRONTALITY OF HUMAN BODY

DISADVANTAGES
LOSS OF INTIMACY
SENSE OF DISTANCE AND SEPARATION
OFTEN EXPENSIVE TO FILL THE FRAME

Proscenium: from proscenium arch, the frame surrounding the space in which the performance occurs
Fourth wall idea
The raked house or auditorium
In this type of theater the orchestra refers to the seats on the main floor

Advantages:
Stage area: deep with fly loft and wing space
Especially suited to spectacles; illusion-ism; detailed realism
Frame provides focus and objectivity
Exploits frontal of human body
Disadvantages
Loss of intimacy
Sense of distance and separation
Often expensive to fill
thrust
stage space that thrusts into the audience space;

a stage surrounded on three sides by audience

ADVANTAGES:
RELATIVE INTIMACY (COMPARED WITH PROSCENIUM),
MUCH OF THE CLASSICAL REPERTORY WRITTEN FOR THRUST THEATERS.
SOME DEVELOPED SCENERY POSSIBLE.

DISADVANTAGES:
BUT ALSO, SOME LIMITATIONS ON USE OF SCENERY
SOME PART OF AUDIENCE WILL BE FACING ACTOR'S BACK OR SIDE


Thrust: Most widely used over time and across cultures
Used by Greeks Japanese medieval theaters(platforms or trestle stage)Elizabethan public theaters, Spanish corrals
During the 17th century, thrust retreated behind proscenium for some 200 years

Rediscovery of thrust C 1900 in west coincides with revival of interest in authentic productions of Shakespeare

Since WW2 many thrust theaters have been built


MOST WIDELY USED OVER TIME AND ACROSS CULTURES.
USED BY GREEKS, JAPANESE, MEDIEVAL THEATERS [PLATFORM OR TRESTLE STAGE], ELIZABETHAN PUBLIC THEATERS, SPANISH CORRALES.

DURING 17TH C. THRUST RETREATED BEHIND PROSCENIUM FOR SOME 200 YEARS.
REDISCOVERY OF THRUST C. 1900 IN WEST COINCIDES WITH REVIVAL OF INTEREST IN AUTHENTIC PRODUCTIONS OF SHAKESPEARE

SINCE WWII MANY THRUST THEATERS HAVE BEEN BUILT: STRATFORD ONTARIO, GUTHRIE IN MINNEAPOLIS, LONG WHARF IN NEW HAVEN.
Found Space Theater
theater performed in a space that was not intended for use as a theater

FOUND SPACE
EXAMPLES: TEMPLES, ALTARS, CATHEDRALS, TENNIS COURTS, BANQUET HALLS, INNYARDS, GARAGES, FACTORIES, LOFTS, ETC.
GENERALLY, ONE OF THE ABOVE CONFIGURATIONS IS IMPOSED ON THE FOUND SPACE, THOUGH OTHERS ARE POSSIBLE:
ALLEY STAGING: AS IN A BASKETBALL GAME IN A HIGH SCHOOL GYM

ENVIRONMENTAL STAGING: THE SPECTACLE SURROUNDS OR INFILTRATES THE AUDIENCE
arena
stage entirely surrounded by the audience also known as circle

CIRCLE THEATER, THEATER IN THE ROUND.
HUMAN INCLINATION TO ASSEMBLE IN A CIRCLE TO WATCH EVENTS.

ADVANTAGES:
GREATEST INTIMACY FOR ANY GIVEN NUMBER OF SPECTATORS.
INEXPENSIVE: LITTLE SCENERY NEEDED OR POSSIBLE.

DISADVANTAGES:
SOME PART OF AUDIENCE ALWAYS FACING ACTOR'S BACK.
ELABORATE SCENERY NOT POSSIBLE, EVEN IF DESIRED.
multi-focal Space
MULTIFOCAL:
DOES NOT "PRIVILEGE" ONE EVENT OVER ANOTHER;
SIMULTANEITY SUGGESTS LACK OF HIERARCHY;
ALSO MORE LIKE THE MULTIPLICITY OF LIFE'S ACTIONS. ALLIED TO MULTIMEDIA
MULTIPURPOSE BOX
ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE
form
There are four basic theatrical forms either defined, implied, or derived by or from Aristotle: Tragedy; Comedy; Melodrama; and Drama. ... Theatrical styles are influenced by their time and place, artistic and other social structures, as well as the individual style of the particular artist or artists.

Theatrical styles are influenced by their time and place, artistic and other social structures, as well as the individual style of the particular artist or artists.
medium
Language and song
Plot - a selection and arrangement of scenes from a story
must be..complex, realistic and predictable. It should only include necessary components.
action
Physical movement involving action. Something the character chooses to do. Not something that accidentally happens, like slipping on a banana peel.

Everything that happens in a story
drama
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
Requirements of Drama
limited time, limited space, strongly opposed forces, a balance of forces, incentive and motivation
dramatic form
A medium or a way of expressing dramatic meaning
theater
the enactment of a drama onstage before an audience. a place where plays are usually presented
agent
a sequence of events linked by cause and effect, unifies a play with beginning, middle and end, the central unifying conflict and movement through a play
obstacle
delays or prevents the achieving goal by a character, the obstacle creates complications and conflict
objective
...
Crisis and Climax
A series of crises leads to a climax

• Crisis - two or more forces are in conflict and the outcome is uncertain, has the potential to resolve the drama, but it doesn't there can be several moments of crisis before your reach the climax

• Climax (ladder) - only one crisis ends the action; that's the climax, the climax is over, a character reaches their super objective
climax
the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex.
crisis
point when action reaches an important confrontation or critical turn, dramas include a series of crisis that lead to a final crisis (climax)
climactic vs. episodic plots.
CLIMACTIC / INTENSIVE: LATE POINT OF ATTACK: HEDDA STARTS 36 HRS BEFORE HER DEATH. RESTRICTED SCENES, LOCATIONS, CHARACTERS, TIME-SPAN. TIGHT CONSTRUCTION: WELL-KNIT SUCCESSION OF EVENTS FOLLOW ONE ANOTHER AS CAUSEEFFECT LEADING TO A CLEAR CLIMAX.

EPISODIC / EXTENSIVE OFTEN, EARLY POINT OF ATTACK. MANY CHARACTERS, LOCATIONS, EVENTS; EXTENDED TIME SPAN. SUB-STORIES SUCCESSION OF SCENES OFTEN NOT DETERMINED BY AB CAUSALITY. INSTEAD, LOGIC MAY BE DICTATED BY CONTRAST, JUXTAPOSITION, ETC. IMPACT IS CUMULATIVE: NO SINGLE FATAL EVENT; INSTEAD, MANY EVENTS PILE UP TO FORM AN OVERALL PATTERN OR IMPRESSION.
Diction
Words should reflect natural character. The choice of words and how they are expressed matter
Song
Help embellish the play
Spectacle
emotional attraction
magnitude
complexity and size
Review our discussion of acting.
Elements of acting

Above all,
Convey the action of the character.
Understand and project six traits: bio, phys,disp,motiv, delib, decisive.
Voice=projection, poetry, etc Outer aspects= special skills
Body=breath, movement, dance, etc Inner aspects= believability/unity/pyscho. Coherence integrate outer with inner

So performers responsibilities
Speak clearly/project: outer
Move with authority...
Be familiar with the main ideas of Stanislavsky system
Stanislavsky 1863-1938
Goals of the system and the actor
Make outward activities of the performer - gesture, voice, movement - natural and convincing
Convey inner truth of a role - achieve conviction and belief.
Make life of character both dynamic (constantly undergoing troubles and enigmas) and continuous
Develop ensemble (Interacting a way that your with a group and important to the play as a whole) and not by yourself playing
Poetry
Is more philosophical than history.
Review our discussion of directing. Know what a director does,
What a director does
Select play
read , analyze, and interpret play

A. a concept or overall idea
B. which may be supported by a metaphor
Decide on the kind of space
Confer with designers about A. and B. above
Cast the play
Rehearse the play

A. Find the thru-line (summary action)
For the plays as a whole
For each character
Make the action visible
Blocking/business
Composition
Focus
Pursue Unity of elements
how and why the role of director developed
...
Reversal of the Situation
Things go from good to bad
Director
with the support of the stage manager, rehearses the performers and coordinates their work with that of others, to make sure the event is performed appropriately, intelligently, and excitingly
director responsibilities
Choosing a Script
The "Spine" of the play
The style of the production
interpreter
...
Auteur Director
A director who believes that his or her role is to be the author of a production. An auteur director's point of view dominates that of the playwright, and the director may make textual changes and modifications.
Recognition
Change from ignorance to knowledge
Know the directorial meaning of such terms as blocking, business, focus, concept, metaphor.
Blocking = moving and arranging actors on stage
Composition = Goal of blocking. Spatial arrangement of actors for of creating a purpose
Business = physical activities usually involving scenery props or costume pieces not necessarily requiring movement through space
Gesture = movement, usually of arms
Review our discussion of style and stylization. To which of the four causes do these terms relate? Review the meanings of "realism" vs. "stylization," "theatricalism," "presentationalism." Review "Axis of Art."
STYLIZATION IN THEATER IS A MATTER OF DEGREE o TO EMPHASIZE THE ARTIFICIALITY OR THE MANNER OF THE REPRESENTATION, OR TO FOREGROUND THE EFFICIENT CAUSE,

IS CALLED PRESENTATIONALISM OR THEATRICALISM o TO SEEK TO THE APPARENT ARTIFICIALITY OF THE REPRESENTATION IS CALLED REALISM OR NATURALISM OR REPRESENTATIONALISM
Style and stylization
stylized
If something is stylized it means it's represented in a non-naturalistic conventional form. The heart-shaped symbol in the popular phrase "I heart NY," for example, is a classic stylized representation of a real heart.

Anything can be stylized — an entire movie or play or wardrobe, for example. Superhero movies that make entire cities look like cartoons are stylized. The film director Elia Kazan summed up the difference between what is stylized and what is not nicely: "Stylized acting and direction is to realistic acting and direction as poetry is to prose." From the Old English word stile meaning "designation, title, manner or mode of expression."
Realism vs. Stylization
The significant difference between realism and stylized is that with realism you are restricted to making things look 'real' while enhancing their visual language.

One of the fundamental properties of visual art is the degree to which it is realistic or stylized. The less a work of art resembles something in the physical world, the more stylized it is.

REALISM
Resembles observable reality
Characters rooted in recognizable human truth
Characters with life histories, motives and anxieties
Setting and costumes that reflect where "real" people would live and what they would wear

STYLIZATION
With stylized you are free to play with the shapes and colors, exaggerate or remove details to enhance the look and feel in any direction
theatricalism
Exposing the elements of theatre to make the audience members aware that they are watching theatre

Theatricalism favors [among other elements]: A performance space projecting into the physical space of the audience in order to put the actor in direct, alert contact with the spectators and remove the psychological barriers between them. Accepting the obvious truth that playgoers are in a theatre and that actors are on a stage, carrying out dramatic action with the help of settings that are obviously scenic constructions illuminated by stage lights.

Believing that the removal of barriers between actors and audience establishes full dramatic communication between them. Acceptance by the spectators of the frank scenic artifices and conventions laid before them.
Axis of Art.
...
presentationalism
A style of theater which does not concern itself with creating a slice of life on stage.

Instead it: Presents its story directly to the audience without apology. Openly acknowledges its artificial nature, reveling in its theatricality. Has no "fourth wall." Actors may speak directly to the spectators, sometimes portraying abstract characters such as Good Deeds in a morality play, or frogs in an ancient Greek comedy. Encourages the set designer to take a more symbolic approach: a waving blue cloth might stand for the sea, a leaf projection from a spotlight may substitute for a forest. Sometimes the stage remains bare, filled only by the actors' presence and the spectators' imagination. A style of performance where the characters or performers make aware of the audience's presence, often breaking the fourth wall.
Be thoroughly familiar with Smiley's discussions of plot and character, especially the elements of a story, character traits, and the crucial qualities covered in class.
Differentiation and contrast: traits
Biological traits: species and sex; basic level (lion, fairy)
Physical trait: next level. Age; size; weight; deformities; beauties; habits (Heddas hair)
Dispositional: basic personalities bent; prevailing moods; 7 dwarfs (Heddas boredom)
Motivational: more complex and differentiated; Desires; instinct/emotion/sentiment. The explicit or implicit reasons for acting (Power over someone)
Deliberative: quality and quantity of thought; Expedient vs Ethical (telling demetrious something)
Decisive: Deliberation is crisis; decision is climax.(telling one person something instead of someone else)
Decisions are based on or composed of other 5 traits
Give deepest insight and best knowledge. You are what you do
Decision is action; forces change; character becomes plot
Crucial Qualities:
Volition: Emphatic objective / awareness of same / Others aware / if 2, dilemma / No shifting / Suffer from lack / Make plan / Take risks / For-see penalties / Influence others
Stature: Strength / intensity of convictions / More important than self / Objective a facet of conviction / Suffer because of but not abandon / Moment of weakness / Evident in crises
Attractiveness: Within the traits / Attractive friends / Repulsive enemies / Empathetic / Moral purpose
Be totally familiar with the handout from Aristotle's Poetics.
In the Poetics, Aristotle used the same analytical methods that he had successfully applied in studies of politics, ethics, and the natural sciences in order to determine tragedy's fundamental principles of composition and content.

Aristotle's Poetics is the only critical study of Greek drama to have been made by a near-contemporary. It contains much valuable information about the origins, methods, and purposes of tragedy, and to a degree shows us how the Greeks themselves reacted to their theater.

In addition, Aristotle's work had an overwhelming influence on the development of drama long after it was compiled. The ideas and principles of the Poetics are reflected in the drama of the Roman Empire and dominated the composition of tragedy in western Europe during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

According to Aristotle, tragedy has six main elements: plot, character, diction (language), thought, spectacle (scenic effect or visual adornment), and song (music), of which the first two are primary. Of these, PLOT is the most important. ... All plots have some pathos (suffering), but a complex plot includes reversal and recognition.

Most of the Poetics is devoted to analysis of the scope and proper use of these elements, with illustrative examples selected from many tragic dramas, especially those of Sophocles, although Aeschylus, Euripides, and some playwrights whose works no longer survive are also cited.
Aristotle's Poetics: Parts of a tragedy
1.Plot
2.Characters
3.Thought
4.Diction (language)
5.Song (music)
6.Spectacle (scenic effect or visual adornment)

Aristotle distinguished six elements of tragedy: "plot, characters, dictation (language), thought, visual adornment, and song-composition (music)."

Of these, PLOT is the most important. ... All plots have some pathos (suffering), but a complex plot includes reversal and recognition.
Aristotle's Poetics: know also the identity and meaning of the four causes as discussed in class.
Four things to aim at in expressing character:
a. the characters should be good
b. characters must be appropriate or true to type
c. characters must be true to life
d. character must be consistent
Aristotles' Poetics: MEMORIZE WORD-FOR-WORD the definition of tragedy on p. 719 beginning, "Tragedy then . . .," and ending with, "purgation of those emotions."
Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.
Aristotle's Poetics. " be familiar with Aristotle's definition of character on p. 720
Character determines a man's qualities BUT it is by their actions that they are happy or reverse. Character is that which reveals moral purpose, showing what kind of things a man chooses or avoids.
Aristotle's Poetics. be clear on the distinction between simple and complex plots
All plots have some pathos (suffering), but a complex plot includes reversal and recognition.

complex: reversal of this situation is better

simple: Does not have reversal of the situation
Aristotle's Poetics. know the meaning of the terms "reversal," "recognition," "pity," and "fear;"
"reversal" (peripeteia), where the opposite of what was planned or hoped for by the protagonist takes place; and

"recognition" (anagnorisis), the point when the protagonist recognizes the truth of a situation, discovers another character's identity, or comes to a realization about himself.

Pity and Fear: The aim of tragedy, Aristotle writes, is to bring about a "catharsis" of the spectators — to arouse in them sensations of pity and fear, and to purge them of these emotions so that they leave the theater feeling cleansed and uplifted, with a heightened understanding of the ways of gods and men. This catharsis is brought about by witnessing some disastrous and moving change in the fortunes of the drama's protagonist (Aristotle recognized that the change might not be disastrous, but felt this was the kind shown in the best tragedies

Since the aim of a tragedy is to arouse pity and fear through an alteration in the status of the central character, he must be a figure with whom the audience can identify and whose fate can trigger these emotions. Aristotle says that "pity is aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves." He surveys various possible types of characters on the basis of these premises, then defines the ideal protagonist as
In Aristotle's The Poetics: Parts of a Tragedy
plot, character, thought, language, music, visual adornment
Review our discussions of comedy, tragedy, and melodrama. Know the general properties of each type with respect to: seriousness, stature, character flaws, irony, the ludicrous. Be able to identify the nature of the beginnings, middles, and endings of each type.
comedy: emotional purpose to create laughter & satisfaction

tragedy: emotional purpose: to create pity and fear.

melodrama: Emotional purpose: to create serious apprehension followed by relief & satisfaction.
Requirements of Comedy
Emotional purpose: to create laughter and satisfaction.

Specific kind of action and characters: ludicrous: i.e., marked by physical, intellectual, or moral ugliness.

Characteristic progression from worse to better (audience/protagonist pov).

With a certain kind of character: low in stature.

Who is driven by appetite to folly rather than calamity.
Melodrama
MELODRAMA, THIRD ARRANGEMENT

Deals with serious threats/danger/tragic calamity
Has a good/comic/affirmative ending
Things are going great then something really bad happens
Antagonist is taken down at the end

Emotional purpose: to create serious apprehension followed by relief & satisfaction.

Mixed action: serious threat followed by happy conclusion.

Progression from better to worse to better again.

Protagonists of stature and protagonists & antagonists of strong volition.

Protagonists driven by danger to seek safety or relief.
Tragedy
TRAGEDY IS A KIND OF PLOT: AN ARRANGEMENT OF THE INCIDENTS

-An imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament. It is in the form of action not narrative through pity and fear.

-Consists of a beginning, middle, and end

For an emotional purpose: purgation of pity and fear.

With a specific kind of action: serious.

With a characteristic progression from better to worse, ending in calamity. (From pov of protagonist & audience.)

With a certain kind of character: of great stature & volition who arouses pity and fear.

Who is beset by a weakness that contributes to or even causes his downfall.

And thus the whole is marked by irony.
When writing a tragedy, the author must...
focus on what he wants and not what the audience wants
A well constructed plot will...
be simple or complex, story or non-story, intensive or extensive, comedy or tragedy or hybrd

it deals with a single issue
Character Qualities
-Must be relatable
-Be secondary
-Must Face Adversity
-Needs to be someone who can be knocked
down
-Consistent
-Have valour if it's a man
For a tragic act to be meaningful...
-the person doing the bad act to the hero should have a close relation.
-Tragedy must be done purposefully and be known by person committing the act
What is the best way to construct a tragedy?
-To critique it as if you were an audience member
-Have emotions be evident, convincing, and natural
-Have an outline first, then details
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...