Exam 3/ Final Set Flashcards
The Art of Acting
imitating and representing specific or imaginary human beings and their actions through intellectual, psychological, and emotional exploration
Skills needed to be an actor
ability to memorize quickly and correctly; training/technique; understands the importance of research (vital to character preparation); knows how to improvise (allows the actor to investigate different characteristics of a role; excellent concentration/being PRESENT; a thick skin (enduring a lot of rejections)
Auditioning
the professional actor rarely stops auditioning throughout his/her career; it is the job of the actor to audition
What are the facets of voice training?
vocal variety; projection; articulation; dialects; the breath
Vocal Variety
use different pitches so as to not sound monotone
Projection
so the people in the nose bleed section can hear you without a microphone
Articulation
no marble mouths
Dialects
What happens if you are a Northerner living in the south? You learn the dialect
The Breath
learning how to breath correctly is the cornerstone of all acting techniques
What can an actor do to remain healthy during a physically demanding show that runs eight time a week?
rest, workout/yoga, vitamins/supplements, no partying, drinking lots and lots of water
Representational
attempts to portray real life; audience observes actors on stage and actors make no interaction with them (4th wall); follow a clear linear structure (beginning middle and end); realistic and familiar dialogue; realistic setting
Konstantin Stanislavski
the father of all acting techniques; began the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898; created a common language for sharing the acting process between director and actor; stressed the importance of psychological exploration of character; most teachers have taken the basic points of his work and added additional methods
What is training of the actor also known as?
technique
Famous acting teacher who was influenced by Stanislavski
Michael Chekhov, Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner
The Stanislavski System
much of Stanislavskis technique centers around Given Circumstances and The Magic If
Given Circumstances
the first step towards doing this is going through the play and writing down all the facts about your character you can find; once you have found out everything you can about your Given Circumstances, you should have lots of material to help you to start understanding your character
Example of Given Circumstances questions to ask
Where am I?, When is it?, Who am I?, What relationships do I have?, What has happened before the play started?
The Magic If
Stanislavski describes the Magic If as being able to imagine a characters Given Circumstances enough to understand what that character might do in any situation that arises; so when something happens to your character in the play you can understand how they would respond because you know so much about the world that they exist in
Lee Strasberg and “The Method”
Strasbergs method requires actors to go beyond emotional memory and use a technique called “substitution” to temporarily become the characters they are portraying; Method acting dictates that actors should prepare for a role by immersing themselves as much as possible in the circumstances of their characters
Famous actors that use “The Method”
Heath Ledger as the Joker (probably the most famous); Daniel Day Lewis; Forest Whitaker; Rooney Mara; Christian Bale
Rehearsal Schedule at the Professional and University Level
Professional Level (Broadway)- 8 hours a day, 6 days per week for 3 weeks; off on sundays
University Level- at UWG, 6:30-10pm Monday-Friday and Saturday 1-4:30pm; rehearsals last anywhere from 5-9 weeks; off on sundays
How might you begin rehearsing a Shakespeare play, musical, or “Straight” play
Shakespeare- might spend the first week dissecting the text; Musical- might begin by staging the choreography or rehearse the songs/music; “Straight”- might begin by doing a table read, then put it on its feet after a week or two
“Straight” Play
a non-musical play
Ground Plan
a birds eye view of the stage that shows all doors, stairs, furniture, entrances/exits
Tape Out
is done so that everyone knows where they are going before they get on the actual set
What does the stage manager do with the set designers ground plan?
uses it to “tape out” the rehearsal room
Stage directions are recorded by the stage manager
this is done just in case the director is out for a rehearsal; in musicals, if a performer injures themself, understudies will step in and they need to know what they are doing
Technical Rehearsal
focuses on the technological aspects (lights, props, special effects, sound, costumes) of the performance; will run through the entire production from beginning to end; stage manager, designers, and director will run whats known as a “cue-to-cue”; stage manager and running crew will fine tune “scene shifts” (aka Scene Changes); technical rehearsals are the final phase of the rehearsal process
Cue to Cue
meant specifically to time and fine tune all the cues, putting lights and sound together with scenery and costumes for the first time; performers are present and the acting takes a backseat
Dress Rehearsal
costumes are added; once the costumes have been added the play should be ready for an audience
Previews
performances that allow the director and crew to make changes, fix problems and make adjustments before critics are invited to attend; critics are never allowed to attend previews especially on Broadway
Proscenium Stage/Space/Theatre
what we usually think of as a “theatre”; its primary feature is the proscenium, a “picture frame” placed around the front of the playing area of an end stage
The Wings
spaces of either side of the stage; used for storage of scenic elements, props, and other equipment until they are needed on stage; actors, before they go on stage, are usually “waiting in the wings”
Thrust Space
performance space in which the stage breaks through and extends well past the proscenium arch; reaches out into the auditorium, so that it is surronded on 3 sides by the audience; makes a dynamic performance space; stage is flexible: the length, size, and shape of the thrust can be altered to suit the needs of each production
Thrust Spaces in history
thousands of years old and is the oldest known type of fixed staging; ancient greek amphitheaters had a thrust configuration; type of stage at the old Globe Theatre in London where many of shakespeares works were performed in Elixabethan times
Arena Stage
any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area; requires no stage curtain, little scenery and allows the audience to sit on four sides of the stage; the stage itself is typically round, diamond, or triangular, with actors entering and exiting through the audience from different direction or from below stage
Arena Stage in History
theatre in the round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome but was not widely explored again until the latter half of the 20th century; 1947 Margo JOnes established Americas first professional theatre-in the round company: Theatre ‘47
Black Box
bare room with a movable seating area, stage, and a flexible lighting system; became popular during the explosion of experimental theatre in the 1960’s when storefronts, church basements, etc suddenly became intimate performance venues
Found Space
aka Experimental theatre; found spaces are nontheatrical spaces such as a church, warehouse, courtroom, carpenters shop; space is typically chosen because of its context to the play
Raked Stage
theatre stage floor angled from the edge of the stage, near the audience, up toward teh back of the stage, furthest from the audience; angled stage prompted the use of the terms upstage, downstage, and center stage; raking the stage allowed cast members placed behind the immediate action happening near the audience to still be seen; now the seating is raked
Conventions
a theatre convention is an unspoken agreement between performers and audience; codes of communication; governed by a specific culture and the attitudes and beliefs of that culture
Examples of Theatre Conventions (Historical)
during Elizabeth Renaissance Era, women were not allowed on stage (men played womens parts); ancient greece only three actors were allowed on stage at a time; no violence on stage; masks were used
Conventions Used by Playwrights
one of the conventions used by Playwrights is Spoken Decor
Spoken Decor
establishes place and time; such as using language to let the audience know several things about the world of the play
(Modern) Conventions of Theatre
fourth wall, seats for the audience, applause, “curtain call”, getting your ticket and program, theatre etiquette
Fourth Wall
imaginary wall at the front of the stage separating the audience from the performers; the fourth wall (along with the sides and back of the standard stage) encloses the world of the play
Front of House
the box office staff (sells tickets; also refers to a shows revenue); house manager; the ushers
House Manager
responsible for the safety of the audience; helps audience members who may have a medical emergency; coordinates with the stage manager to let them know that “the house” is seated and ready for the show to begin
Curtain Speech
delivered by the house manager; done right beofre the show is about to begin; usually a recording
Ushers
take your ticket; give you a program; guide you to your seat and keep disruptions (latecomers, texting) to a minimum
Musical
a play or movie in which singing and dancing play an essential part; musicals developed from light opera in the early 20th century
What is considered the first musical
The Black Crook; premiered in New York on September 12, 1866; much debate about it being the first musical; historians no longer considered it to have been a musical; it was a phenomenal mix of play, dance, music and spectacle
The Music Director
supervises all aspects of music in a musical; at UWG they are in charge of teaching the songs the actors sing; conduct the band/orchestra during the production run; music director works in tandem with the stage director of a musical; important for the music director, stage director, and set designer to know where the band/orchestra will be for any given show
The Pit
an orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform; orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music
Choreographer
person who serves as an assistant to the stage director for all movement in a musical theatre production
What is the role of the critic?
a critic is a professional who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms or creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theatre, fashion architecture and food
The Functions, Roles and Impacts of Reviews
goal of reviews is to succinctly communicate their honest reaction to the major elements of a production; critics enthusiasm can be infectious and lead to ticket sales and vice versa; role of the critic is to honestly and impartially assess whats in front of them; good critics should be intelligent, informed, balanced, and insightful; bad critics believe their job is to deliver “zingers” that potentially close a show
Strike
refers to the restoring of the stage (playing space) to the condition it was before the show moved in; long standing tradition; at UWG all studnets involved strike the show under faculty supervision
What happens during a strike…
all set pieces are removed; all furniture and props are rreturned to storage; if in good condition, save any wood boards to reuse; discard of anything needed to be; costumes washed and stored carefully; all lightning, sound, and media equipment stored; borrowed equipment returned; can take anywhere from 2-10 hours
Postmortem
an informal assessment of all elements of a production process from first rehearsal to strike; intent is to increase efficiency, identify best practice and maintaining these practices for the next production; opportunity to address miscommunication inaccurate information and bad habits; questions such as What can be improved and what went well are asked
Presentational
not as limited as representational; attempts to present ideas to the audience; no fourth wall; presentational used to be the only form of drama; characters are usually simplistic and stereotypical; plot may be non-linear; can rely on audiences imagination for the unrealistic world;
