Chapter 1: The Nature of Theatre

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Nelson Jennings
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1 Chapter 1: The Nature of Theatre Origins in ritual practices Theatre as a form is at least 2500 years old It has been as varied as the cultures in which it has appeared

2 The Nature of Theatre The role/function of theatre in society has fluctuated over time Examples: Theatre as religious activity Theatre as traveling performance Theatre as entertainment

3 The Nature of Theatre The value and respectability of theatre has been a matter of debate Examples: Theatre forbidden/banned because considered a form of lying Theatre as a truthful reflection of human behavior

Theatre forbidden/banned because considered a form

4 What do YOU think? 1. What is the role/function of theatre in your society today? 2. How does live theatre performance differ from mediated performance forms such as film and television? 3. Do you consider theatre to be a form of lying or a reflection of truth? Why?

How does live theatre performance differ from mediated performance

5 The Basic Elements of Theatre 3 Basic Elements of theatre: (1) What is performed (2) The Performance (3) The Audience The most basic definition of theatre is: someone performing something for someone else. A performs B for C (Eric Bentley)

The most basic definition of theatre is: someone performing

6 What is Performed Many types of activities may be considered theatre What is the essence of theatrical performance? Possibilities: The staged performance of a text Storytelling Since theatre has a broad range of possibilities, the essence of What is Performed is difficult to define Therefore theatre, as a performing art, is difficult to define

Possibilities: The staged performance of a text Storytelling Since theatre has a broad

7 The Performance The Performance translates the potential of a script, scenario, or plan into actuality. Key Components of the Performance include: Performance Space: Where the performance takes place and what the relationship is between the performers and the audience Artistic Collaboration: How the playwright, director, designers, and others work together to create the performance Theatrical Elements: Scenery, Costumes, Music, Lighting, and other effects that contribute to the performance

is between the performers and the audience Artistic Collaboration: How the playwright, director, designers, and others work

8 The Audience The only thing that all forms of theatre have in common is the need for an audience. Peter Brook The Audience: Completes the cycle of Creation/Communication Provides Immediate Feedback to the Performers 3-Way Interaction: Performers Audience Audience Audience Performers Audience

Peter Brook The Audience: Completes the cycle of Creation/Communication

9 Theatre as a Form of Art What is art? How is art defined? Pre-18 th century: Art = the systematic application of known principles to achieve some predetermined result 18 th century: Distinction made between Useful and Fine Arts

known principles to achieve some predetermined result 18

10 Useful vs. Fine Arts Useful Arts = Arts that can be taught and mastered through specific techniques Fine Arts = Products of genius that cannot be reduced to rules or principles Literature (including Drama) Painting Music Dance

11 Popular Culture vs. Elitist Culture Popular Culture Reflects tastes of the general public Theatre that appeals to popular culture = entertainment, storytelling, and familiar character types and situations Elitist Culture Reflects tastes of a smaller group with particular standards Theatre that appeals to elitist culture = seeks new types of artistic expression, challenges views and assumptions, and raises questions

culture = entertainment, storytelling, and familiar character types and situations Elitist Culture

12 What do YOU think? The text compares theatre with games, stating that both rely upon conventions. 1. What is a convention? How do you define that term? 2. Name some conventions of a particular game. 3. Name some conventions of theatre. 4. How are these conventions similar or different?

conventions. 1. What is a convention? How do you define that term? 2.

13 Purposes of Art Art as a means to understand one s world Like other disciplines, such as history, art seeks to discover and record patterns in human experience. While historians, scientists, and other scholars appeal to the mind/intellect, artists appeal to the senses.

14 Elements of Theatre Spectatorship Willing Suspension of Disbelief Term was coined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Refers to the fact that we know that the events of the play are not real; however, we agree, during the experience of the performance, not to disbelieve the events of the play. Example: When a character kills another character onstage, we do not rush to the stage to help the victim, yet we may still weep or feel an emotional response to the action.

of the performance, not to disbelieve the events of the play.

15 Elements of Theatre Spectatorship Esthetic Distance We are detached enough from the performance to view it with some objectivity Empathy Feeling of involvement with the performance Esthetic distance and empathy seem to be contradictory concepts, but they balance each other in performance through the audience s willing suspension of disbelief.

performance Esthetic distance and empathy seem to be contradictory concepts, but they

16 Special Qualities of Theatre Lifelikeness Theatre recreates everyday experiences. Ephemerality Theatre is live performance, and becomes a part of the past immediately after it occurs. Objectivity Theatre presents both outer and inner experience through speech and action.

Ephemerality Theatre is live performance, and becomes a part of the

17 Special Qualities of Theatre Complexity Theatre combines varied elements such as movement, lighting, and sound while also drawing from all of the other arts. Immediacy Theatre is psychologically immediate, because it transpires in the simultaneous presence of live actors and spectators in the same room.

18 What do YOU think? How do these Special Qualities define the strengths and weaknesses of theatre? Lifelikeness Ephemerality Objectivity Complexity Immediacy

19 Art and Value Theatre as a Humanizing Force Understanding through role-playing and observation Theatre as Cultural Expression Understanding various cultures through their theatre

20 Multiple Types of Intelligence 1. Linguistic/Verbal 2. Logical/Mathematical 3. Musical 4. Spatial 5. Bodily/Kinesthetic 6. Interpersonal 7. Intrapersonal Something to Think About: How does theatre incorporate multiple intelligences?

21 Making Connections: Chapter 1 encourages us to access the value of art in our lives Activity: (1) Make a list of all of the forms of art that enhance your life. (2) Consider how your life would change without these art forms (either for the positive or negative). (3) Consider ways in which you can share the art in your life with others.

a. Identify physical qualities that might reveal a character s inner traits in the imagined world of a drama/theatre work.

a. Identify physical qualities that might reveal a character s inner traits in the imagined world of a drama/theatre work. CREATING THEATRE Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and Enduring Understanding: Theatre artists rely on intuition, curiosity, and critical inquiry. Essential Question(s): What