Chapter 2 slides

1. Chapter 2

2. PETER BROOK
“Only 3 elements are necessary to create
theatre.”
 1. Any empty space
 2. A person in action
 3. Someone observing the person in action.
from the book The Empty Space

3. All the World’s a Stage!
 Theatre is everywhere.
 All social interactions are essentially theatrical
productions.
 People are always acting and reacting to other
people and outside stimuli...thus creating
theatre.

4. Theatre as an Event
Theatre is a living, breathing, evolving organism,
therefore, a particular theatrical performance
can only ever happen once. The sequence of
events and dialogue may stay the same, but it is
always changing.
 No two experiences are ever the same for anyone.
 No two audiences are the same.
 Different emotions and events impact actors.

5. What’s the purpose again?
 Aristotle: A safe place to experience Catharsis
(the expulsion or purge of emotion).
 Bertolt Brecht: Appeal to the intellect to incite
social action.
 Zeami: End result of contemplation.

6. The Audience
 Theatre provides a sensory experience for the
audience. It stimulates and entices on multiple
levels.
 Emotional stimulation
 Psychological stimulation
 Sensory perception (sometimes all 5)

7. Empathy and Aesthetic Distance
 Empathy: Emotional identification or a sense of
participation with a character. When you feel
with them not just for them (sympathy)
 Aesthetic distance: Psychological separation,
or a sense of detachment. “The distance of
art”

8. When have you experienced
Empathy?

9. Aesthetic Distance
 Romeo and Juliet
 As a viewer I understand What
is happening I likely EMPATHISE
with the characters, but I do
not stop the action because I
am aware of the distance
between reality and the stage.

10. Our Town
 Manipulates aesthetic
distance by using a
Stage Manager
character to comment
on the action and
directly address the
audience?

11. Epic Theatre
 The idea of Epic Theatre
was popularized by the
playwright, theorist, and
director Bertolt Brecht.

12. Our Town

13. Environmental Theatre
 The term "environmental
theatre" refers to the
principle of actors and
audience sharing the
same space.

14. Federal Theatre Project 1937-1939
 Goal: Put artists back to work with “free, adult,
and uncensored” theatre to entertain poor
families.
 Artists took this as a green light to do anything.

15. Federal Theatre Project 1937-1939
 Living Newspapers were very progressive and
left wing plays that were popular with everyone
but congress who eventually pulled funding.
 Actors and audiences demonstrated against
the ending of the Federal Theatre Project
during a production of Pinocchio.

16. The Performing Garage in the Soho District
of New York City
 is the site of performances by the Wooster
Group experimental company.
 was used by Richard Schechner and the
Performance Group for environmental theatre.
 is an example of a found space converted to a
theatrical one.

18. Noh Theatre
 Playwright and theorist
Zeami described the ideal
image of performance for
Japanese Noh Theatre as:
a flower - a perfect,
transitory beauty.

19. Who They Are. . .What They Do.
Playwright
Producer
Director
Casting director
Technical director
Stage manager
Scenic designer
Lighting designer
Sound designer
Makeup designer
Costume designer
Composer and
lyricist
Music director
Choreographer
House manager
Box office manager

20. Who They Are. . .What They Do.
 Playwright: Author of the script
 Producer: Business aspects of the production
 Director: Artistic aspects of production
 Casting Director: Helps with the selection of
Actors

21. Who They Are. . .What They Do.
 Stage Manager: executes artistic decisions by
the creative team and ensures that things run
smoothly on and backstage.
 Technical Director: Responsible for the
technical operations of the theatre.

22. Who They Are. . .What They Do.
(Designers)
 Scenic: Set and scenery (The visual home of
the play)
 Lighting: lighting position, color, mood, and
intensity
 Sound: acoustic and recorded sound
 Costume: Clothing (wearable scenery)
 Makeup: makeup and special effects makeup

23. Who They Are. . .What They Do.
(musicals)
 Composer and lyricist: create music and lyrics
 Music director: works with singers and
orchestra
 Choreographer: stages dancing

24. Who They Are. . .What They Do.
 House manager: responsible for the safety and
comfort of the audience.
 Box office manager: responsible for ticket
sales.

25. Types of Traditional Stages/Theaters
 Proscenium: Traditional space with audience on
one side.
 Arena: Audience on all sides
 Thrust: Audience on three sides
 Booth Stage: Portable stage for a traveling troupe.
 Black Box: Transformed room with flexible seating.

26. Non Tradition Stages
 Found Space: Space that was never intended
at a theater.
 Site Specific: Designed for a particular location
 Environmental: Audience and actors share the
space

27. The Proscenium Arch:
 Creates the effect of watching a picture in
motion and in three dimensions.
 Focuses the action.
 Allows the use of changeable scenery with the
ability to mask the offstage activity from the
audience.

28. Drottningholm Court Theatre in
Sweden.
 Historic proscenium theatre.

29. Arena Stage
 The traditional theatre space in which the
audience completely surrounds the
performance area is the arena.

30. Arena stages
Arena encourages artistic and financial
economy in staging.
An audience member always has other
audience members in view.
Arena does not lends itself to the use of many
large scenic units.
Actors must move more frequently than they
would in other traditional spaces.

32. Stage areas