Unit One Flashcards
Below
In front of a set piece on stage.
Above
Behind a set piece on stage.
Proscenium
In front of the scene
Blocking
The planned movements and groupings of the actors on stage.
Stage business
Small, sometimes unnoticeable, movements or gestures that add to a scene or define a character.
Upstaging
When you cause another actor to turn and face upstage (and turn their back to the audience)
Fourth wall
The imaginary wall through which the audience views the stage.
Auditorium
Greek word for “hearing place”.
Theatron
Great word for “seeing place”
House
Where the audience sits to view the play
Two similarities between Greek drama and modern drama
- we have similar scenery
- wealthy people fund plays
4 differences between Greek plays and modern plays
- in Greek plays they weren’t allowed to show violence while now we’re allowed to show as much violence as we want
- in Greek plays there acting was over dramatic and not realistic while today acting must be realistic
- in Greek time plays could only take place during religious festivals while now we perform plays at basically any time
- in Greek plays only 3 actors play all the main roles and they are backed up by a chorus while now there is rarely a chorus and any number of actors can be in the play
Which costume pieces had to be oversized? Why?
They used big masks, tall headpieces and elevated shoes to distinguish between characters and help people see them in the back row
What does the term tableau mean? Write three steps involved in creating a tableau presentation.
The term tableau means a frozen picture or a series of frozen pictures. It is a unique dramatic form that is often used to tell a story without words. To create a tableau you must choose a story to tell, decide on the main points of the story and start the tableau in neutral position
Define the word convention. List three conventions that were commonly used in the Greek era.
Convention is a rule on a way of doing things generally used in society. Some examples from the Greek era was that violence was never shown on stage, that only three actors played all the main roles and that plays could only take place during religious festivals.
