Staging

Question 1

What does the director do in postmodern theatre?

Answer 1

• the director does not oversee all production aspects anymore, they facilitate questions and stimulate the creative process in actors and designers

Question 2

What does postmodern theatre do to our perspective of the world?

Answer 2

Postmodern theatre disrupts our comfortable ways of seeing the world by mixing art forms, genres and styles

Question 3

How does postmodernism change our idea of what theatre should be?

Answer 3

• performances can switch from spoken performances to video projections and then to sculpture, breaking our conventional ideas of what ‘theatre’ should be

Question 4

What are the characteristics of lighting and sound in postmodern theatre?

Answer 4

• lighting and sound become independent audiovisual effects used to enhance the audience’s theatrical experience
• strong use of music contributing to the making of ‘meaning’

Question 5

What is the nature of theatre elements in postmodern theatre?

Answer 5

• theatre elements do not support the historical context of a play
• e.g. rock music in a greek tragedy

Question 6

What is the nature of media in postmodern theatre?

Answer 6

• strong use of visual images, use of multi-media
• mix of images, stolen, borrowed, from all times and places

Question 7

What is the nature of the stage and set in postmodern theatre?

Answer 7

• choice of stage and set is based on its visual impact
• may be in contrast with the setting of the play’s dramatic action
• is non-specific or a cliché

Question 8

What is the nature of performance in postmodern theatre?

Answer 8

• repeated performance is not considered important in a postmodern play, which emphasis the fact that each performance is a unique, living experience
• the emphasis is on the process rather than the product

Question 9

What is the nature of the rehearsal process in postmodern theatre?

Answer 9

• the rehearsal process in a theatrical production is driven more by shared meaning-making and improvisation than by the scripted text

Question 10

What is the nature of texts in postmodern theatre?

Answer 10

• texts are changed, revised, updated and transformed through performance