Foundations of Theatre Flashcards
What qualities must an actor naturally possess or work to acquire?
Relaxation, Concentration, Imagination, and Observation
An actor who is properly concentrating on the role will think about ______________ rather than ____________.
What they are doing … How they are doing it.
The “magic if” theory…
requires the actors to imagine they are in the character’s situation.
In this method, the actors analyze their reactions and examine how they compare to what the character would do in the situation.
The “magic if” theory
In the “magic if” theory, it is helpful to draw upon ________ memory and ________ memory to be able to depict a realistic emotion or reaction during a performance.
Sense memory & emotional memory.
The Alexander Technique was developed by Shakespearean orator and actor ______________ in order to overcome _____________.
Frederick Matthias Alexander & his chronic laryngitis.
Alexander’s technique requires that actors become aware of __________
the tension they hold in their necks while performing.
The Alexander’s technique attempts to…
rid the body of tension and stress through alteration of one’s daily physical movements.
The James-Lange Theory was developed by psychologist _____________ and physiologist _______________.
William James & Carl Lange
According to the James-Lange Theory, emotions are a result of _____________ to ______________.
Physiological response & external stimuli.
When practicing the _____________ theory, students describe or act out physical symptoms while other students guess the corresponding emotion.
James-Lange
The Cannon-Bard theory was developed by psychologists __________ and ___________.
Walter Cannon & Phillip Bard.
According to the Cannon-Bard Theory, _________ cause a __________ reaction.
emotions & physiological
When practicing the ________ theory, students participate in scenarios that make them fearful, anxious, angry, or excited and then have them describe the physiological symptoms which accompany that emotion.
Cannon-Bard
The ______________ involves holding specific poses to convey emotions or attitudes.
Delsarte System of Expression
The Delsarte System of Expression was developed by _________.
Francois Delsarte
Which method was used in the first acting school of the United States?
The Delsarte System of Expression.
Francois Delsarte studied __________ and ________, ___________, _________, _________, and ________________.
Human behavior and movement, anatomical medicine, voice, breath, and body language.
Delsarte’s work was introduced by his protege, __________.
Steele Mackaye
Delsarte’s system consists of ______ principles of gesture, the relationship of inner experience and physical __________, and the symbolism of various lines and their connection to human __________.
Nine, Manifestation, Awareness.
Meisner Technique has often been described as getting actors to “_________________________.”
Live truthfully under imaginary circumstances
In the exercise called __________, one personal spontaneously makes a comment based on their partner’s behavior, and that phrase would be repeated back and forth between the two in the same manner until it changed on its won.
Repetition
The Meisner Technique emphasizes carrying out an action ________ on stage and letting emotion and subtext build on the ______ of the action and on the other characters around them.
Truthfully, truth
_____________ is the ability to clearly pronounce words while acting or performing.
Articulation
___________ is the development of movements of actors on stage in relation to other actors and scenery/props.
Blocking
________ is the purging of an emotion, such as fear or grief, which can occur while performing on stage.
Catharsis
____________ the ability of an actor to be “in character” through use of dialogue, attitude, voice, costume, expressions, and mannerisms.
Concentration
____________ is reading a script for the first time.
Cold Reading
_________ is the condition or climate in which a play was written or meant to be performed.
Context
______ is the signal that serves as an indicator of another action that is about to occur.
Cue
__________ occurs when the final conflict in a production is resolved.
Denouement
___________ is the choice of words that the actor uses to express themselves.
Diction
__________ is the physical location on the stage that is the closest to the audience.
Downstage
________________ is a tool used by actors in which they use their own specific memories of events in which they reacted emotionally to understand the emotions of the character they are portraying.
Emotional memory
A ________ is a specialist in theatre who may be called upon to advise actors, directors, and producers in certain aspects of theatrical productions.
Dramaturg
_________ occurs when one must provide information regarding the facts of the plot, usually to the audience either before or during a performance.
Exposition
_______ is the height of an actor’s head in a performance while carrying out certain actions.
Level
In ___________ participants adopt and act out the roles of characters, or parts, that may have personalities, motivations, and backgrounds different from their own.
Role-Playing
Modern improvisational theatre began in the classroom with the “theatre games” of _______________ and _____________ in the 1950s.
Viola Spolin & Keith Johnstone
A _______ is a representational object manipulated by a ___________.
Puppet & Puppeteer.
A mask is an artefact worn on the face, typically for ____________, __________, ____________, or ___________.
Protection, concealment, performance, or amusement.
The word mask comes from ________ Masque and either ________ Maschera or _________ Mascara.
French, Italian, Spanish
The oldest surviving mask is __________ years old and is called the ______________.
5000& Summerian mask of Warka.
The commedia character, the _______, is the peasant clown.
Zanni
The commedia character, the __________ is the old Miser.
Pantalone
The commedia character, the ________ is the Banal Doctor
Il Dottore
A ______ is an actor who communicated entirely be gesture and facial expression.
Mime
The ________ refers to the script that contains notes for actors or technicians and may be written by the playwright or the premiere production staff.
acting edition
_______ occurs when an actor must improvise lines or actions to compensate for forgetting their own or for another actor’s lapse in memory.
Ad lib
____ is a solo performance in an opera the conveys the emotional state of the main character.
Aria
An _____ occurs when an actor speaks directly to the audience, though the other characters are not privy to the information being shared.
Aside
_______ are scene changes that are done in the view of the audience.
Avista
________ refers to the prompt corner on stage right instead of stage left.
Bastard Prompt
______ is the term shouted by the stage management to signify it is time for the actors who appear in the first scene to come onto the stage.
Beginners
A very small role in a performance is called a ___________.
Bit Part
A _____ refers to a prompt book or the unsung parts of a musical.
Book
A sudden flash of light often used as a cue is called a ______.
Bump
A ______ is a request that an actor come to the stage to prepare for entrance into a scene.
Call
_________, is a term used by Stage Mangers, giving verbal cues to lighting, sound, and fly operators, as well as stage crew throughout a performance.
Calling the show
______ an actor’s movement facing toward the audience
Cheat
The path that one actor takes from one side of the stage to the other is called a ____________.
Crossover
A __________ is a speech given by the director or theatre owner before a performance begins.
Curtain Speech
A ________ is a specialist brought in to assist actors with specific accents necessary for dialogue within the production.
Dialect coach
The _______ is the imaginary wall that separates the audience and the actors.
Fourth Wall
_____ is the terms that stage management shouts to actors backstage when the show will being in thirty minutes.
Half
A _______ or _____ is a 15-20 minute break between sections of of a performane
Interval or Intermission
_______ is the emphasis of certain words during any oral recitation.
Inotation
_______ is the term used to refer to an actor who must use a script during a scene.
On book, or On the book.
_______ is the term used to refer to an actor who has memorized, or does need a script during a scene.
Off book
______ a term called out by directors when it is time for actors to stand in their appropriate positions to begin a scene.
Places
____________ refers to the time before a production in which the planning is done.
Preproduction
_______ is the performance that occurs prior to opening night.
Preview
__________ refers to the main actors in a production.
Pinricipals
A _________ is a staff member who follows the script as the play is performed, standing ready to remind an actor of a line in the event they forget during a performance.
Prompter
________ is the term the stage management shouts to the actors when the show will start in 15 minutes.
Quarter
A ____________ is a costume change that must happen so quickly that it must be done near the side of the stage instead of completely back stage.
Quick Change
A _________ is a theatrical company organization in which two or more productions are alternated throughout the performing season.
Repertoire
________ is a term used in musicals to refer to the repetition of a song or dance at a later point in the show.
Reprise
A _____ refers to the number of time a production is schedule to show.
Run
A ______ is used in musicals to refer to the act or scene that immediately follows another.
Segue
A _________ is a report provided by stage management detailing any problems from the previous performance; actors and technical staff receive copies so that the problems can be addressed.
Show Report
