The document summarizes themes and elements of art applied to theatrical performances. It discusses different dramatic forms like tragedy, comedy, drama, and melodrama. It also outlines elements of art used in performances like sound, music, gesture, movement, dance, costumes, and makeup. Additionally, it provides examples of Philippine plays and principles of art applied to performances. Finally, it describes the roles of key production staff and performers as well as visual components of stage plays like lighting, costumes, and props.

1. Themes and Elements of Art Applied to Performance
Theatrical Forms
A. Tragedy. It is a dramatic play portraying the struggle of a strong-willed protagonist against fate, as predestined by
mysterious, divine, social, or psychological forces, culminating in disaster and usually caused by a flaw in the
protagonist’s character.
B. Comedy. It is a dramatic play of light and humorous character, typically with a cheerful and happy ending.
C. Drama. It is a play that is “for real”. The characters represent realistic and everyday people.
D. Melodrama. It is a dramatic composition characterized by extravagant theatricality and the dominance of plot and
physical action over characterization.
The Elements of Art as Applied to an Original Performance
A. Sound and Music. These two elements set for the audience different moods and emotions. Through the use of
different sounds, they provide different effects to the play that heighten the emotions of the characters and the
audience. The sound effects also make the play more realistic and exciting. The use of sound and music in a play
entails the incorporation of sound recording and editing techniques using applications for computers, tablets and
Android phones.
B. Gesture, Movement, and Dance. These are bodily movements or actions that usually express emotions, character,
and narrative actions with accompanying sound or music. Every single gesture, movement or dance step conveys a
meaning or message.
C. Costume, Mask, Makeup, and Accessories. These comprise the visual effects, of which the main function is to
enhance visibility and aesthetic value. They help make the character appear realistic according to the role he/she
portrays.
D. Spectacle. This is something exhibited for view as something unusual, notable, or entertaining, especially an eye-
catching or dramatic public display which may be regarded as impressive and breathtaking and on stage if visual,
lighting, sound, music, costumes, dance, and special effects are properly manifested in a play.
Examples of Philippine Plays
A. Sarswela It is a type of melodrama in three acts where pieces are both spoken and sung. Aside from being a significant
part of the Philippine history, it was also employed as a tool to fight against colonization.
B. Epic Poetry Dating back to the pre-colonial period and commonly presented during festivals and gatherings, it is
considered by scholars to be the highest point of Filipino folk literature. The usual topics are romance and adventure.
C. Duplo It is a poetic debate presented through song and dance originating from indigenous courtship customs. In this
type of play, poets use proverbs and riddles to present their suit to the woman of their choice.
D. Moro Moro It is one of the most popular types of theater that and depicts the conflicts between the Moros and the
Christians. Themes like love, and vengeance, and religion predominate.
E. Senakulo It is also known as Passion play. This dramatization of the life and death of Jesus Christ has been a part of the
lives of the Catholics and is celebrated during Holy Week.
F. Traditional Folkdance It is one of the oldest forms of theater and thus an important part of our heritage today. These
are dances that reflect the lives of the people in a certain place or region and describe their culture and origin.
G. Bodabil It is Vaudeville of American origin that became uniquely Filipino with the localization of the name, Bodabil. It
is a variety show consisting of musical numbers and comedic and dramatic skits with songs and dances. It was
popularized by Filipino artists like Dolphy, Anita Linda, and Atang dela Rama.
Principles of Art as Applied to an Original Performance
1. Rhythm, Movement. This principle guides the directors and other production staff of the play on the proper use of
music and movement. These elements should contribute in setting the mood and tone of the play and the scenes.
2. Balance. This principle guides the director on how to achieve the proper balance and composition in terms of stage
blockings, props, backdrops, costume and set design/set pieces. This will also guide the production staff in setting the
right perspective of the play.
3. Emphasis. This principle guides the director on which part of the play should be emphasized This will help in
communicating to the audience the theme of the play.
4. Harmony, Unity and Variety. These principles guide the director on how to put the elements of arts like set design,
costumes, spectacle, etc. in harmony. These elements should complement each other and also have variation to
create a spectacular visual impact on the play.
5. Proportion. This principle guides the director as to how to make the play more realistic or stylized through proper use
of space, height, width and sizes of the elements or materials to be used in the play.
Role of a Character as an Actor/Performer, or Production staff
 PRODUCER One of the main roles of a producer is to oversee the overall aspects of the production. He or she is responsible
to the financial and managerial functions of the production. The producer provides financial backing to the production or
invites investors to pour in financing, and hires the creative staffs like the director, writers, choreographer, and composer.
Though the casting of actors is a job for the director, a producer has the power of casting approval. A producer acts like a
bridge to connect financing or business in the realization of the playwright’s vision.
Themes
and
Elements
of
Art
Applied
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Performance
 DIRECTOR The director provides the overall vision and guidance of a performance, ensuring that
all elements are unified, and that production runs smoothly. The director works closely with the
design and production teams and sometimes with the playwright to hone the vision and define
the production schedule. He or she ensures that all elements are executed perfectly and that
everyone in the production are in tune with his/her artistic vision to create a great impact in the
audience.
 PLAYWRIGHT The playwright develops the concepts and puts them into script plays. The script
forms the basis of the entire production. It contains the narrative through dialogues, and it may
also have the description of settings, sounds, mood, lights, costumes, and makeup of the
characters.
 PRODUCTION MANAGER The production manager is tasked in overseeing the crews for the sets
and props, the sound and music, the lighting, and the costumes. He or she manages the behind-
the-scenes of the production.
 SET DESIGNER He/she designs and supervises the construction of the set (or sets) that will be the
physical world of the play’s characters. The set and set pieces may be realistic, but it can be done
in other styles such as minimalism or whimsical. The set designer may use a variety of materials
like backdrops, theater flats, curtains/drapes, or LED screens. The set designer must work with
the director to note the flow of action to create a suitable ground plan for the actors to move
around in.
 LIGHTING DESIGNER As a lighting designer, he/she uses colored lights or filters, as well as special
effects such as increasing or lowering the brightness of light, creating flickering effects, and
synchs them to create the mood and atmosphere. The lighting designer plans all these and adds
detailed notes on the script for the lighting crew to follow during rehearsals and the actual
performance.
 COSTUME DESIGNER The task of a costume designer is to create the actors’ costumes or outfits
that are suitable to their characters. The costume designer looks into the time and setting of the
script to make the look of the characters more believable. He or she also takes consideration the
personality of each character to achieve authenticity in the delivery of script. The costumes
maybe sewn, hand-made, or assembled to create the characters’ depiction in the script.
 SOUND DESIGNER Like the lighting designer, a sound designer serves a vital role in creating and
enhancing the atmosphere of the performance. He or she is responsible in incorporating sound
effects to create the right balance of sound, the tempo, and overall effect of the production.
 TECHNICAL DIRECTOR The technical director oversees all the instructions relating to lighting and
sounds. During the technical rehearsals, the technical director notes all the cues, errors, and
other issues to iron them out before the actual production.
 STAGE MANAGER The stage manager oversees all the director’s instructions- from costumes to
make up, and from set to the actors and actresses. Also, the stage manager notes all the
director’s instructions in his/her script so that in the absence of the director, he/she can
supervise the rehearsals. He/she also checks the attendance and punctuality of the actors.
 CHOREOGRAPHER The choreographer is responsible with the dance steps that are suitable for
the dance numbers of the production. In case there are fight scenes, he or she will choreograph
the scenes in accordance with the director’s vision and ensure safety for the actors and
actresses.
 MAKEUP DESIGNER The makeup designer works closely with the costume designer to achieve a
suitable look. The makeup designer makes the actors look real and believable based on their
emotions, age, personality as well as the time and place of the events of the play. In some cases,
a makeup designer may use prosthetics, wigs, masks, and other accessories to alter and suit the
character’s role.
Visual Components of Stage Play
LIGHTING DESIGN The lighting design is as important as the stage settings since it contributes to the
overall mood of the performance.
COSTUME DESIGN The costume used by the performers helps convey meanings, time periods and
historical context. It shows vital scenes and the relationship between people, showing, a particular
period, weather, or location of the scene; revealing the characters portrayed by the performers.
PROPERTIES/PROPS The properties of a play include the stage props and hand props that are used as
part of the scene setting. The stage props may include jar, lampshades, furniture, pictures, chairs, and
tables, and many more. Hand props, on the other hand, include ballpen, glasses, cup, pencils,
cigarettes, and others. Properties are essential to convey a scene’s objectives and to aid the actors in
communicating a scene.
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