Theatre Publication of Note Flashcards
1
Q
Peter Brook The Empty Space
A
- idea that the director is the play’s main creative force
- 4 different forms of theatre
1) Deadly
2) Holy
3) Rough
4) Immediate - text is not god
2
Q
The Empty Space
1) Deadly
A
- theatre of commerce
- big budget hits w/o critical thought
- theatre of imitation and repetition
- no deep meaning exploration by director
- actors play characters in stereotypical way
3
Q
The Empty space
2) Holy
A
- “theatre of the invisible - made - visible”
- performance of rituals that ask questions about human nature, purpose, being in community, make change,
- offers ways to make perceptions possible
- answers true personal needs of those creating theatre. Not theatre for the masses and not popular.
- looks at hidden impulses
4
Q
The Empty Space
3) Rough Theatre
A
- antithesis of Holy Theatre
- informal, crude and popular
- can happen in “dirty settings”
- creates connection between audience and performers
- looks at real events and actions that affect the audience
- doesn’t require “great study”
5
Q
The Empty Space
4) Immediate Theatre
A
- theatrical “common reality” only exists in the moment of the performance
- liveness (immediacy) makes theatre unique
- audience reacting to what is happening on stage
- indulge in the present
6
Q
Antonin Artaud
Theatre and its Double
A
- 1938
- “mythic spectacles” communion between actors and audience in using the language of theatre (sound, gestures, lighting, scenery etc)
- verbal incantations, groans and screams, lighting,
- shock spectators into releasing deep-rooted suppressed fears and anxieties
- force people to see themselves without masks and shields of civilization
- ritualistic/cleansing aspect
7
Q
Brecht’s The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre
A
- 1930
- notes to accompany his opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
- ideas for “refunctioning” of the theatre
- epic theatre concept inspired by his Marxist beliefs to provoke change in society by having audience experience “estrangement” while critically thinking about the moral dilemmas before them and leaving the theatre to make change
- focused on reason rather than emotion
- projected explanatory captions
- didactic theatre (opposite to Stan’s realism and Expressionism)
- “separation of the elements (opposite to wagner’s idea) to see the constructed nature of theatre and then have audience realize the constructed nature of their own reality
- early forms of “gestus”:
acting technique - physical gestures and attitude developed by actor for character through exploration
8
Q
Gordon Craig’s On the Art of Theatre
A
- 1st chapter has specific advice for each job in the theatre an description of the job
- laid out the paths (from acting to stage management etc)
- laid out the process of design from concept to stage
- addresses all the jobs during apprenticeship “so that they would better understand and collaborate with those around them”
- acting is not an art because you come to art by design. emotions of an actor in performance is not rational and cannot be designed or controlled.
- acting has no laws, perfectness of a production can not be judged.
- did not like that actors would inject their own personalities into characters and explained his idea of the uber-marionette.
- Puppets should return to the stage
- deems himself an “onlooker”
- criticizes the system of theatrical organizations. it’s got too many leaders and no unity.
- blamed commercialism. theatre try to satisfy the public as supposed to challenge the public.
- Craig wanted laws for theatre so that he could reach for perfection.
9
Q
August Strindberg’s Preface to Miss Julie
A
- no door frames made of canvas
- 1 setting
- no painted backdrop
- abolition of footlights
- naturalistic blocking “indicated by the situation” and not in the centre of the proscenium for applause
- would want lifelike makeup instead of glamour (so that emotions on the face can be seen)
- darkened auditorium, raised seating, hide the orchestra
- small stage, small house
10
Q
Aristotle’s Poetics
- nature and purpose
A
art “in creating imitations” is for pleasure and for moral instruction
- “we learn through imitation and the experience is pleasurable.”
11
Q
Aristotle’s Poetics
Structure and Imitation
A
- narrative structure
- stories can imitation real life through: rhythm, language, character, emotion, action, harmony
- imitations come from real life
12
Q
Aristotle’s Poetics
Moral Character, types, tragedy and comedy
A
- moral character: good and bad characters
- types: character types (polarization)
- tragedy (humans as better than actual life, tragic hero suffered) and comedy (humans at the worse - comic character, bad behaviour)
- beginning of genre
13
Q
Aristotle’s Poetics
Medium, objects, manner of imitation (re-representation)
A
medium of imitation: poetry through language or song through rhythm
Object of imitation: humans in action
Manner of Imitation: narrative voice (which perspective?)
14
Q
Aristotle’s Poetics
6 part tragedy
A
- imitation (re-represent) of action
- serious, complete and of a certain magnitude (substantial)
- language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament
- in the form of action, of narrative (actors convey actual story)
- pity and fear, effecting the proper purgation of these emotion (catharsis)
- language, song enters
15
Q
Aristotle’s Poetics
Tragedy must have 6 parts
A
- plot: arrangement of incidents, organized to convey meaning
- character: moral or ethical quality, not individuals in a story (those are personal agents)
- thought: articulation of moral purpose, convey theme
- diction: expression of the words
- song: embellishment, not necessary for every play
- spectacle:emotional attraction, visual elements to make it appealing
