Genre- type of play Tragedy- 5th c. BC hero larger than life,

gains moral victory but suffers physical defeat; he has tragic flaw that participates in his own downfall

Comedy: deals with light and amusing themes, a farce has wildly active, trivial theme, a satire uses ridicule and irony

Genre- type of play Tragicomedy- mixed form with no happy

ending, but at least catastrophe is avoided

Melodrama- characterized by stereotyped characters, implausible plots, and an emphasis on spectacle- the forces of good and evil battling in exaggerated circumstances

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The Play Plot- structure of the play, the

framework on which all the other elements hang, how the play moves through time from one event to the next

Point of attack- where the playwright takes up the story, if set in chronological order, little exposition is needed

How It’s Put Together Exposition- necessary background

information through which the playwright introduces the characters; can be delivered in the form of dialogue, narration, setting, lighting, or costume; often at the beginning

How It’s Put Together

Complication- frustrates the expected course of events, keeps audience interested

Inciting incident- in the complication, an action or decision that upsets the current state of affairs

How It’s Put Together Foreshadowing- prepares the

audience for subsequent action, gives credibility for future action, and moves the play forward by pointing to events that will occur later

Discovery- revelation of information about characters, relationships, and feelings

Reversal

Reversal –a sudden turn of fortune

Reversal

In comedy it often changes the roles of the social classes

How It Ends

Climax- the ultimate crisis, the dynamics of the play rise in intensity until this moment

Denouement- the final resolution, material following the crisis, the intensity lessons to the end of the action

The Actors Script- dialogue of actors, language & tone Character- the psychological motivation of

the persons in play; shows how persons with specific character motivations react to the circumstances in which they find themselves

Protagonist- central personage, which is not always clear, it depends upon whom the director chooses to focus. We journey through the workings of the play by the actions and decisions of the protagonist.

Actor’s portrayal of the role The Actor: the main channel of

communication between the playwright and the audience. The actor’s portrayal of a role that enhance our response and understanding are two-fold:

(1) speech, words written by playwright, manner in which the lines are delivered

(2) physical reinforcement of the character’s motivation

The consistency of the motivations drives the decisions and actions of the actor

Theme Theme-the ideas that comprise the

intellectual content of the play; not necessarily the plot, which is what the play is about, but the thought behind the play which is for us to discover and develop

There are three aspects of thisa) The playwright’s idea,b) The interpretation of the director & his decisionsc) The audience’s perception

Visual Elements: Types of Theatres The theatre provides aesthetic

distance, our response is shaped by the design of the space in which the play is produced

Arena : audience on all sides Thrust: audience on three sides Proscenium : audience views play

through a frame

Visual Elements- Scene Design Scene design (stage setting)- creates an

environment conducive to the production’s ends

Tools of composition are used- line, form, mass, color, repetition, and unity- but scene design sculpts in 3-D space

Scene designer limited by the stage space, concepts of the director, & the abilities of the staff available to execute the design

Visual Elements- Lighting Design Lighting design- reinforces the dramatic

structure and dynamics of the play by working with light and shade; without shadows and highlights the human face and body become imperceptible

The lighting designer works to sculpt with light and shadows; they must enhance the color of a costume, accent the physique of an actor and reinforce the plasticity of a setting

Visual Elements-Costume DesignStage Costuming- costume designers work with

the entire body of the actor including hair styles and makeup to suit a specific purpose

-stage costuming has three functions: accents which actors are the most

important & their relationships reflects particular era, time of day,

climate, season, or location reveals the style of the performance, the

characters of the personages, the personages’ social position, profession, cleanliness, age, physique, and health

Properties-Set Props

Set props- these are part of the scene design, such as furniture, pictures, rugs, fireplace accessories, etc.

They identify the mood of the play and the character of those who inhabit the set

Properties can be significant to our understanding of a play- if all is neat and in order as the curtain opens, but as the play develops the actors disrupt the properties, that transition can help illustrate what may have happened

Properties-Hand props Hand props- used by the actors to help

portray characters, such as cigarettes, papers, glasses

Whatever an actor carries on and off stage

If the actor carries it, it’s a prop, if the actor wears it, it’s a costume

Aural Elements Background music Actor’s voices Sound effects

Dynamics Structural pattern of a play The director establishes audience

interest This must peak and then relax to

keep audience engaged Director controls the actors’ volume

& intensity, both bodily and vocal