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    Chapter 1

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    PNR
    The document discusses the origins and nature of theatre. It notes that theatre is at least 2,500 years old and has varied across cultures. The role of theatre has fluctuated over time, from religious activity to entertainment. The value and respectability of theatre has been debated, from those who see it as a form of lying to those who view it as reflecting human truth. The basic elements of theatre are identified as what is performed, the performance, and the audience. Theatre is compared to other art forms and its purposes and special qualities are explored.

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    Chapter 1

    Uploaded by

    PNR
    40 views21 pages
    The document discusses the origins and nature of theatre. It notes that theatre is at least 2,500 years old and has varied across cultures. The role of theatre has fluctuated over time, from religious activity to entertainment. The value and respectability of theatre has been debated, from those who see it as a form of lying to those who view it as reflecting human truth. The basic elements of theatre are identified as what is performed, the performance, and the audience. Theatre is compared to other art forms and its purposes and special qualities are explored.

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    The document discusses the origins and nature of theatre. It notes that theatre is at least 2,500 years old and has varied across cultures. The role of theatre has fluctuated over time, from religious activity to entertainment. The value and respectability of theatre has been debated, from those who see it as a form of lying to those who view it as reflecting human truth. The basic elements of theatre are identified as what is performed, the performance, and the audience. Theatre is compared to other art forms and its purposes and special qualities are explored.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    40 views21 pages

    Chapter 1

    Uploaded by

    PNR
    The document discusses the origins and nature of theatre. It notes that theatre is at least 2,500 years old and has varied across cultures. The role of theatre has fluctuated over time, from religious activity to entertainment. The value and respectability of theatre has been debated, from those who see it as a form of lying to those who view it as reflecting human truth. The basic elements of theatre are identified as what is performed, the performance, and the audience. Theatre is compared to other art forms and its purposes and special qualities are explored.

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    Chapter 1: The Nature of Theatre

    ! ! !

    Origins in ritual practices Theatre as a form is at least 2500 years old It has been as varied as the cultures in which it has appeared

    The Nature of Theatre

    The role/function of theatre in society has fluctuated over time


    Examples:
    ! ! !

    Theatre as religious activity Theatre as traveling performance Theatre as entertainment

    The Nature of Theatre

    The value and respectability of theatre has been a matter of debate


    Examples:
    !

    Theatre forbidden/banned because considered a form of lying

    Theatre as a truthful reflection of human behavior

    What do YOU think?


    1. What is the role/function of theatre in your society today? 2. How does live theatre performance differ from mediated performance forms such as film and television? 3. Do you consider theatre to be a form of lying or a reflection of truth? Why?

    The Basic Elements of Theatre


    3 Basic Elements of theatre: (1) What is performed (2) The Performance (3) The Audience The most basic definition of theatre is: someone performing something for someone else. A performs B for C
    (Eric Bentley)

    What is Performed
    Many types of activities may be considered theatre What is the essence of theatrical performance?
    Possibilities: The staged performance of a text Storytelling

    Since theatre has a broad range of possibilities, the essence of What is Performed is difficult to define Therefore theatre, as a performing art, is difficult to define

    The Performance
    The Performance translates the potential of a script, scenario, or plan into actuality.

    Key Components of the Performance include: Performance Space:


    Where the performance takes place and what the relationship is between the performers and the audience

    Artistic Collaboration:
    How the playwright, director, designers, and others work together to create the performance

    Theatrical Elements:
    Scenery, Costumes, Music, Lighting, and other effects that contribute to the performance

    The Audience
    The only thing that all forms of theatre have in common is the need for an audience. Peter Brook

    The Audience: Completes the cycle of Creation/Communication Provides Immediate Feedback to the Performers 3-Way Interaction: Performers Audience Audience Audience Performers Audience

    Theatre as a Form of Art


    What is art? How is art defined? Pre-18th century: Art = the systematic application of known principles to achieve some predetermined result 18th century: Distinction made between Useful and Fine Arts

    Useful vs. Fine Arts


    Useful Arts = Arts that can be taught and mastered through specific techniques Fine Arts = Products of genius that cannot be reduced to rules or principles
    Literature (including Drama) Painting Music Dance

    Popular Culture vs. Elitist Culture


    Popular Culture Reflects tastes of the general public
    Theatre that appeals to popular culture = entertainment, storytelling, and familiar character types and situations

    Elitist Culture Reflects tastes of a smaller group with particular standards


    Theatre that appeals to elitist culture = seeks new types of artistic expression, challenges views and assumptions, and raises questions

    What do YOU think?


    The text compares theatre with games, stating that both rely upon conventions. 1. What is a convention? How do you define that term? 2. Name some conventions of a particular game. 3. Name some conventions of theatre. 4. How are these conventions similar or different?

    Purposes of Art
    Art as a means to understand ones world Like other disciplines, such as history, art seeks to discover and record patterns in human experience . While historians, scientists, and other scholars appeal to the mind/intellect, artists appeal to the senses .

    Elements of Theatre Spectatorship


    Willing Suspension of Disbelief
    Term was coined by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Refers to the fact that we know that the events of the play are not real; however, we agree, during the experience of the performance, not to disbelieve the events of the play. Example: When a character kills another character onstage, we do not rush to the stage to help the victim, yet we may still weep or feel an emotional response to the action.

    Elements of Theatre Spectatorship

    Esthetic Distance
    We are detached enough from the performance to view it with some objectivity

    Empathy
    Feeling of involvement with the performance

    Esthetic distance and empathy seem to be contradictory concepts, but they balance each other in performance through the audiences willing suspension of disbelief.

    Special Qualities of Theatre


    Lifelikeness Theatre recreates everyday experiences. Ephemerality Theatre is live performance, and becomes a part of the past immediately after it occurs. Objectivity Theatre presents both outer and inner experience through speech and action.

    Special Qualities of Theatre

    Complexity Theatre combines varied elements such as movement, lighting, and sound while also drawing from all of the other arts. Immediacy Theatre is psychologically immediate, because it transpires in the simultaneous presence of live actors and spectators in the same room.

    What do YOU think?


    How do these Special Qualities define the strengths and weaknesses of theatre?
    Lifelikeness Ephemerality Objectivity Complexity Immediacy

    Art and Value

    Theatre as a Humanizing Force


    Understanding through role-playing and observation

    Theatre as Cultural Expression


    Understanding various cultures through their theatre

    Multiple Types of Intelligence


    1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Linguistic/Verbal Logical/Mathematical Musical Spatial Bodily/Kinesthetic Interpersonal Intrapersonal Something to Think About: How does theatre incorporate multiple intelligences?

    Making Connections:
    Chapter 1 encourages us to access the value of art in our lives

    Activity: (1) Make a list of all of the forms of art that enhance your life. (2) Consider how your life would change without these art forms (either for the positive or negative). (3) Consider ways in which you can share the art in your life with others.

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