elements of theater

1. ELEMENTS OF
THEATER

3. The Theater
•is said to be the convergence of all arts, where all other
art and disciplines are used in the creative process.
Literature in theater is evidenced in the use of script in
text-based theater productions. In some productions,
dance is incorporated as part of the whole production,
such as the use of movements carefully choreographed
as part of the scene.

4. The Theater
• Music is used in theater especially in the aspects of sound
scoring which may be live accompaniment or pre-recorded.
Theater uses visual arts with the use of scenic backdrop, or
any other visual elements to aid the production. It also
engages in architecture with the construction of set design for
the actual performance. More recently, the theater uses the art
of moving images, cinema, through the incorporation of
multimedia images in more contemporary productions.

5. The Theater
•is collaborative in nature. It is not a solo art. It
requires the combined works of many people who
are involved in the different aspects of production.
Theater combines various elements to produce a
unified creative piece that engages with the
audience.

6. Wilson & Goldfarb (2019)
•here are some characteristics that all theatrical
productions have in common. These are all present
whenever there is a theatrical performance. Without
these characteristics, a performance can no longer
be considered as theater, but just anew type of art,
with a completely different experience

7. THE
AUDIENCE

9. • The essence of theater is the exchange, the
chemistry, and the energy between the audience and
the actors on stage. Live theater is distinguished from
all other kinds of dramatic entertainment by the
presence of an audience. A theater performance is not
complete if no audience sees it and hears it. Every
form of performing arts, including theater, is analogous
to connecting positive and negative wires in an
electrical circuit.

10. • The actors are half of this connection and viewers
make up the other half. Both the audience and the
actors are necessary for a theater to take place. The
audience may not realize that their presence is
essential to the overall viewing experience. The
presence of an audience distinguishes theater from
seeing a theatrical performance on film, television, or
other technological media.

11. • And the feeling of being in the presence of a real,
breathing human being is priceless. These audience
reactions and their energy subtly affect actors’
performance on stage. A production with no audience
is, in a true sense, not a theater production. Only
when performers perform in front of an audience is
there a show. During a performance, the actors can
hear the laughter, tension and silence from the
audience.

12. The Influence of Audience Composition in
Experiencing Theater
• The audience interaction with the other audience members
influences the watching experience in the theater. The
members of the audience become at ease and secure when
they watch the performance with their friends or with people
who share the same values. However if a student audience
member feels alienated in a crowd of professionals, this
student would be unable to completely absorb the play’s
message due to uneasiness.

13. • The companions the individual goes with in watching the
performance will definitely have an impact on the viewing
experience in the theater. Thus, the composition of the
members of the audience affects the outcome of the
performance. Certain audiences are general. They come
from of all ages, from all places, and all socioeconomic
levels. Other audiences, such as those attending a high
school play, a children's theatrical production, a political
play, or a performance in jail, are more homogeneous.
They have almost similar audience profiles.

14. Audience Imagination
• The audience participates in the whole theater experience through
imagination. Audience sees an actor enter the stage and drink wine;
an actress crying while typing in her computer and so on. The
actors create their world which they share with the audience.
Members of the audience experience these feelings and emotions.
They feel a different kind of pain or warmth. Sensing the other
members of the audience and the overall production design,
audience creates imaginative connections that can incite feelings of
joy, sorrow, pain, anger, or laughter. All of these, occur without us
leaving our seats.

16. THE
PERFORMERS

18. •Another key element of theater is the performers, the
individuals on stage portraying characters in dramatic
action. Acting is central to all forms of theater. A
performer stands in front of the audience and begins
to act out a character, by speaking and moving in
ways that convey a character. This begins the magic
of theater when audience starts to accept that the
actor is someone else who embodies a character

19. Acting
• is not an easy job. It demands mastery of the craft and skill of
stage performance. The performers must learn how to use the
tools in acting (body, voice and imagination). They must possess
good flexibility and control in using their bodyand voice, so they
can be understood when performing on stage. Apart from this,
performers must be able to show believability on stage by acting
out the emotional truth of the characters. Audience needs to feel
that the actors are thinking, reacting and feeling like the characters
that they portray.

20. Acting
•The presence of performers distinguishes as film
and television. Performers embody the
characters through the text of the Script, aided
with the scenery and costumes that bring to life
the world of the play which actors inhabit.

21. Acting on Stage
• An actor must acquire both outer techniques coupled with inner
emotional resources to play a believable role. This is true
whether the actor is playing in a classical drama or a modern,
realistic play. On stage, the actors are watched by the
audience. They are always on display on stage under the
spotlight. Stage acting requires actors to portray entirely
unknown characters.

22. Acting on Stage
• Characters in plays are not actual people. Dramatists create
these characterswhich are portrayed by performers, thus,
developing stage personas to representindividuals. They
resemble individuals. In many situations, they appear to be
thesepersons, yet they are not. The actor's role in striving to
make the characters onstagelook genuine demands not just
skill but also training and discipline.

23. Challenges in Acting
1. Finding the inner truth of the characters.
Actors need to be convincing on stage.
Their acting has to be believable that is fit
to the character.

24. Challenges in Acting
2. Appropriate use of the body and voice. Actors
have to be precise in their physical acting by
using their body and voice to create characters.
They have to create a different body and voice
for the character.

25. Challenges in Acting
3. Integrating inner and outer acting abilities.
Actors need to master the skill of synthesizing
and integrating the outer and inner skills of
performance. They have to use both skills to be
effective on stage.

26. In the same manner, actors need to be aware of
the importance of ensemble acting in order to
create a wonderful overall performance. Actors
need to coordinate with other actors in the space
by listening carefully and sensing each other on
stage. Each must respond with perfect timing to
the dialogues and conversations with other
actors during the performance.

27. THE SCRIPT
/ TEXT

28. •The script is another important element in a theater.
This is also considered the blueprint for production. A
playwright, a writer who writes the script, creates the
dramatic script by transforming stories (such as
incidents and biographical events) into a sequence of
events showing characters interacting with each other.
A playwright develops dramatic structure by giving life
to characters; creating their personalities and conflict
to arouse the interest of the audience.

29. •A playwright creates the subject, the tone,
the structure and the point of view of the
script. Text, on the other hand, is an
inclusive term that is often used in place of
the script. Itcan be any performances
created and devised by both directors and
actors, and those created by playwrights.

30. Qualities of a
Fine Play
Cohen and Sherman (2017)

31. Credibility and Intrigue
• Credibility is the audience-imposed need for the logical flow
of actions of the characters, scenario and the setting provided
by the author in the play. A logical flow means that what
happens in Scene 2 is a reasonable development from Scene
1. In credibility, characters must appear to act and think like
real persons. As real persons, the characters must be
consistent in the portrayal of their feelings, thoughts, plans,
hopes and fears.

32. Credibility and Intrigue
• Characters should present something familiar to the
audience. Intrigue offers curiosity for the audience to
expect what will happen next in the play. A fine play
allows the audience to experience "suspense" which
gives viewers intrigue about what will happen in the
story. Credibility results in believability on the stage.

33. Speakability, Stageability, and Flow
• A fine play must possess dramatic actions that have "actable"
and stageable dialogues that have progressive flow until it
reaches its high impact. Speakability means that the
dialogues are believably that of the character and not of the
author. The author creates the rhythm of the words, but the
actors bring it to life as guided by the director. The dialogues
in the play seem to be lifelike and acceptable to be true.

34. •For example, the dialogues allow actors to
breathe from time to time. Stageability is a quality
of a play that allows it to be effectively staged
through a complementation of stage setting,
physical acting and the dialogues. A stageable
play has staging directions and stage businesses
that are not only adornments ofthe play, but are
necessary to the nature of the play.

35. •Flow means that a play must continuously say
something, do something and mean something on
stage. Entrances and exits of characters are
carefully planned to address unnecessary scene-
shifting. It also allows for act breaks in between to
allow a good flow of scenes. A script that is
speakable and stageable flows rather than
stumbles.

36. Richness
•A play that is rich in detail and dimension gives us a
high sense of satisfaction. Detail and dimension refer to
the creation of believable scenes. The details in the
play allow us to enter into the world of the play and
experience it with the actors. Through the richness of
the play's detail and dimension, the author invites us to
visit the make-believe reality that the play portrays on
stage.

37. Depth of Characterization
• Every character in the play must have a unique voice of its own, its
purpose and the reason of its presence. A character must exhibit
complexities and uniqueness to show intention, expression and
motivation. A playwright should create characters who must appear
to be reasonable in the play. Every role in the play, big or small,
should have been given more depth in terms of its relationship with
other characters. Audience must be able to understand the purpose
or motivation of every character.

38. Gravity and Pertinence
• Gravity and pertinence refer to the significance of a play's central
theme andits general relevance to the audience's interests. To state
that a drama has gravity is to indicate that its core theme has
significant and long-lasting importance in the spiritual, moral, or
intellectual life of humanity. If the play radiates power, it can create
a deep connection with the audience, thus, its felt relevance is
high. A play has pertinence when it touches current conditions or
situations that the audience is presently experiencing. Timely plays
are those plays that resonate feelings and sentiments of the public,
hence, they can have more impact on the audience.

39. Compression, Economy, and Intensity
•Compression refers to the playwright's device in
compressing a story that usually spans days or
years into one staging time (usually between one
hour to two hours). Economy refers to the
conscious decision of the playwright on what
events that happen to the character should be
included in the play

40. Compression, Economy, and Intensity
•Compression and economy in playwriting help to
heighten audience anticipation and generate interest. A
play that is tightly written gives a feeling of thrill as if we
intently follow what happens next. This experience gives
the intensity to the play which allows for dramatic
actions to create strong impact to the audience.

41. Celebration
• Plays should celebrate life, more than just purely depicting or
analyzing it. The purpose of theater is to broaden our horizons
of experience, to enlighten life, and to elevate existence to the
level of art. A good play resonates the experience of the
community and mirrors social realities on stage. Writing,
creating, and attending plays are also affirmative acts. These
demonstrate a want to share and communicate, as well as a
desire to celebrate human existence, involvement, and
communion.

42. THE
DIRECTOR

43. •is responsible for rehearsing the actors and coordinating
the works of the designers (scenic, costumes, lighting,
sound) and other members of the team to ensure that
the performance is both coherent and interesting. The
director is responsible for ensuring that the event is
conducted properly, wisely, and excitingly. A theater
director shapes the play's narrative and establishes its
style, tempo, and how the actors study and create their
characters and interact with one another.

44. •However, the director's work in a theater production is
not seen during the actual performance compared to the
works of the actors and designers whom the audience
physically sees and experiences on stage. The director
orchestrates everything in the production, but the
director's work ends when the play begins.

45. Types of
Director

46. Traditional Director
•In this directing approach, the script is the starting
point of the production. Also called the text-based
method, the director chooses the script to be
staged, analyzes it and prepares for the
production mounting. The director then decides
the theatrical style of presenting the play.

47. Traditional Director
•Developing a style means creating a directorial
concept, a unified blueprint to guide the creative
process in terms of idea, vision or point of view of
the director. Through this directorial treatment, the
director presents the interpretation of the play by
creating the overall image or metaphor based on
the text.

48. Auteur
•is a French word which means "author". In this
directing approach, the directors also serve as
authors who can easily create changes or
transformations of the material. This type of director
weaves various elements from many sources to
produce a theater production that we can see on-
stage. An auteur director takes full responsibility for
every transformation or change that is made in the
production including the script.

49. Postmodern
•creates productions that are radical, free-form and
sometimes rebellious. This kind of production
employs a process called deconstruction, which
involves taking a part of the text which may be
altered, reassembled, deleted, or taken out of
context. It also abandons the classical linear or
narrative structure.

50. Responsibility of the Director
• The theater director brings together all the aspects of production.
Directors are responsible to produce a unified and coherent piece
that can move us, enlighten us or even amuse us. If the director
has carefully orchestrated the whole production involving good
complementation of all production elements, he will produce
meaningful, unforgettable and exciting experiences for the
audience. The director is responsible for the overall design and
execution of all other elements in theater creation.

51. THE
THEATER
SPACE

52. • Another important element is the theater space, where
performers and audience members come together. It is
important to have a separate performance space for the actors
and audience seats for the audience. It is likewise essential to
have a dressing room for performers where they can change
costumes. This space also serves as the entrances and exits
of the actors. In theater, this space requires three-dimensional
features, hence stage space and audience need to be placed
in different configurations to allow the actual three-
dimensionality of the space.