Performance Flashcards
Acting Area
actors move in full view
Acting style
Acting which reflects cultural and historical influences
Action
Development of a plot or story in a play
Analysis
Exploring how Elements of drama are used
What are the three elements of drama?
Literary,technical, and performance
Antagonist
Actively competes against the hero/ a character (protagonist)
Apron
The area between the front curtain and the edge of the stage
Arena stage
Stage Without a frame or arch, audience in-the-round
Articulation
The clarity or distinction of speech
Aside
Lines spoken to audience (not heard by characters on stage)
Black box
A one-room theatre, interior painted black (everything)
Blocking
action by actors on starting , determined by director and marked on script
Business
Unscripted/improvised action to establish emotion. Fill space/pause
Catharsis
The feeling of release by audience at the end of a tragedy
Character
A person portrayed in drama, novel, piece
Characterisation
How an actor uses techniques to develop a character
choreography
the movement of actors and dancers
chorus
-Greek?
a group of performers who sing, dance, or recite in unison, Greek drama between episodes, narrated off-stage
climax
The point of greatest intensity
Comedy
-Shakespeare
-Greek
-Low vs High
humorous!
S: happy ending character -> fortunate
G: contemporary figures and problems. Low=physical>intellectual. High=sophisticated verbal>physical
comic relief
a break in the tension of a tragedy by comedy
concentration
the actor’s focus
conflict
internal or external struggle, creates dramatic tension
contrast
dynamic use of opposites
denouement
The moment in a drama when the essential plot point is unravelled
or explained.
development
progression of the plot or conflict in a play.
dialogue
express
thoughts, feelings, and actions.
dynamic
the energetic range of or variations within physical movement/ levels of sound
end on
layout where the audience is looking at
the stage from the same direction
ensemble
theatrical
production. interaction and harmonious blending
exposition
introduces the theme, characters, circumstances.
farce (French “to stuff”)
an extreme form of comedy. improbable events and
farfetched coincidences
flashback
in a non-linear plot, to go back in time to a previous event; a flash
focus
concentrating or staying in character
fourth wall
the invisible wall of a set, audience sees action
genre
dramas categories?
drama is a literary
genre
-tragedy, comedy, farce, and
melodrama, can be subdivided.
gesture
any movement of the actor’s limbs
imaging
performers slow down and focus
individually on issue by bits of narration, music, sounds, smells
improvisation
acting done without a
script. spontaneous
inflection
change in pitch or loudness of the voice
interaction
the action or relationship among characters.
irony
-Verbal
-situational
-dramatic
V- writer or
speaker says one thing means other.
S- conflict between expected results
and the actual results.
D- audience knows vs character
isolation (body parts)
ability to control or move one
part of the body independently of the rest.
kinaesthetic
resulting from the sensation of bodily position, presence, or
movement.
language
particular manner of verbal expression suggests type of character
mannerism
a peculiarity of speech or behaviour.
melodrama
-when originated?
-Features?
19th century, sensationalism and sentimentality. tend to feature
action>motivation, stock characters, and a strict view of
morality in which good triumphs>evil.
mime
acting without words
mirroring
copying the movement
exactly
monologue
a long speech made by one actor
mood
the tone or feeling of the play, often engendered by the music, set, light
motivation
the reason or reasons for a character’s behaviour
movement
stage blocking or the movements of the actors + action of the play
naturalism
when originated?
features?
late 19th century represents real life on stage without
artifice
the actions of characters dominated by determinism (societal or environmental forces)
pace
rate of movement or speed of action
parody
a mocking or satirical imitation of a literary or dramatic work
performance
elements
acting, speaking and nonverbal expression
pitch
the particular level of a voice, instrument or tune.
plot
the events of a play as opposed to the
theme.
plot development
the organization or building of the action
posture
conveys info about the character (stance)
projection
how well the voice carries to the audience.
prompt
to give actors their lines as a reminder
Proscenium
when most important?
arch separating the stage from the auditorium. Realistic
playwrights of the 19th century, imaginary forth wall
protagonist
the main character or hero in a play
proxemics
SPACE relationship between performers info about
character and circumstances
realism
when originated?
features?
(from 1820 to 1920)
represent everyday life and people as they are.
focus on the conditions of the working class.
resolution
how conflict is solved or concluded.
rhythm
measured flow of words or phrases in verse form patterns of
sound.
ritual
a prescribed form or ceremony; drama grew out of religious ritual.
role
the character portrayed by an actor
role playing
improvising to put oneself in another’s
place
satire
features?
a play in which sarcasm, irony, and ridicule used to expose folly or pretension in society.
scene
a small section or portion of a play
scenography
making scene light, costume, set , space and sound.
set
the physical surroundings, visible to the audience
setting
when and where the action of a play takes place.
sightlines
imaginary lines of sight, for audience view
soliloquy
speech-inner thoughts of character aloud
sound
the effects an audience hears communicate character, context, or environment.
sound elements
music, sound effects, actors’ voices.
space
a defined area
spatial
awareness
traditional term for proxemics. Spatial signifiers
stage presence
the level of comfort, commitment, and energy an actor appears to
have on stage
staging
where the
actors stand, act, plot, lighting, effect on audience
stock characters
representative personality types Greek/Roman comedy +commedia dell’ arte
story line
the plot or plan of action
structure
‘prologue, exposition, denouement’ timeline
stylisation
dramatic material, settings, or costumes nom-realistic
suspense
uncertainty as to the outcome
symbolism
the use of symbolic language, imagery, or colour to evoke emotions
or ideas.
tableau
(freezeframe)
actors create a frozen
picture, as if the action were paused
tempo
relative speed or rate of movement
tension
the state of anxiety the audience feels
text
a written script or structure for an improvisation
theatre games
improvisational exercises for breaking down inhibitions or
establishing trust.
theatre-in-the-round:
may be viewed from all sides
simultaneously
theme
the basic idea of a play
thrust
a stage into the audience area, with seats on three
sides
timbre
The distinctive character or quality of a musical or vocal sound
timing (3 aspects)
-setting cues for effects and lighting
-pace of delivery
-simultaneous
traverse
the audience is on either side of the stage
turning point:
the climax, when events can go either way.
vocal expression
how an actor uses voice to convey character
upstage: (verb)
draw the audience’s attention away from another
actor. they need to turn from audience
vocal projection
directing the voice out to be heard at a distance
voice
vocal qualities an actor uses
articulation, phrasing, and pronunciation.
wings
offstage areas to the right and left of the acting/onstage area.
