Selective Realism In American Theatre

Creating film adaptations of stage productions can be very easy, but creating a film adaptation of a stage production that makes effective use of the film medium to communicate an idea without losing the essence or message of the original production, well, it can be quite difficult. Although screenwriters, cinematographers, and directors have and use various tools that aren’t available to playwrights and book writers they often struggle with the effective presentation of an idea. They wonder what they could change to enhance the author’s message and how they could change it without losing/disparaging the original charm or themes. The constructive use of film techniques and film medium is the key to both a distinguished film adaptation, and the successful presentation of major ideas. It is evident that in Miller’s 1996 film adaptation that one of the major ideas present in The Crucible is the irony of male power. This idea could only be effectively presented through the use of various film techniques such as lighting, music/sound, and camera angles/shot selection.

The Ancient Greeks have influenced American culture through their language, their architecture, and in the theater. Many words in the English language were derived from those of the Ancient Greeks. You can find many examples of Greek architecture in America today, especially in our nations capital. The Ancient Greeks were the first people to start theater and that is still very popular today through stage theater, and through movies.

During the 1800’s in America, the population grew very rapidly. There was especially a large number of immigrants from Europe. As the population and cities grew bigger so did the middle class. As the middle class grew the people in the upper middle class wanted to be able to have more privileges. There was also a lot of advances during this time. “America entered the 19th Century as an agricultural economy but by the end was an industrial powered nation.” (Brockman, 2017) A lot of the advancements and changes that occurred modernized the theatre and helped make the productions more entertaining. Theatre and circuses were important to the sensationalism of the 1800’s because of the excitement of having an American impact or touch on the society

In the beginning of Act 3 Scene 2. Hamlet is speaking to the actors of the play that is about to be performed before Claudius, Gertrude, and the rest of the royal court. His style of speech is different than when he is being watched by Polonius and/or Claudius because he is speaking in clear prose, making sure he’s understood by the players. Because of this shift it’s clear that Hamlet hasn’t actually become mad because of his encounter with the ghost, but rather he’s been acting as he said. In the first lines of the scene it’s reaffirmed that Hamlet is a skilled actor, showing that he’d have the ability to convince everyone that he’s crazy. He instructs the players to “Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” Not only has

“Art, freedom and creativity will change society faster than politics” (Victor Pinchuk). Musical theatre may not be the first thing that comes to mind when concerning American culture, however, the theater has greatly shaped America into what it is today. Portraying a story through song and dance allows for an expression of emotion that cannot be replicated. With this method of storytelling, artists have been able to integrate social and political issues in a way that makes the audience not only want to listen, but enjoy. Musical theatre is able to address important and controversial topics such as racism, women’s rights, and violence in an entertaining and fresh way. Audiences can relate to characters who embody American life and values. American musical theatre positively affected and reflected the culture of 20th century America by addressing the social issues of each generation.

The purpose of realism in the 1800s was to get people’s attention. The authors did that by relating to real life situations or adding in things people wanted or needed. For example, Frederick Douglass wrote My bondage And my freedom and Kate Chopin wrote “ The story of an hour”. Both authors included the point that people wanted to be free. When they both got what they wanted, they were not really free. The authors used methods to draw their points across by using conflict and irony.

In the twenty-first century, the plays of William Shakespeare may at first appear dated and irrelevant: they use archaic language, are set in the age of Kings and Queens, and the Kingdom of England. However, it would be plainly mistaken to construe that Shakespeare’s works do not still remain integral to a twenty-first century society. Shakespeare’s plays gave the words and expressions one uses every day, revolutionized the art of theater as it was known, and forewarned about issues that would unknowingly still apply centuries later. Therefore, Shakespeare has had a profound effect on our lives by enriching our language and culture, as well as providing ideas that would still apply five centuries later, and it would thus behoove us to learn from his works and life.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673) took up the name Molière in 1642 and set out to become one of the most influential actors and playwrights of all time. The popularity and reach of his creations rivals that of William Shakespeare and is easily as influential. His writings are relatable and understandable to all, and have even reached the point to which they are taught in high schools. Mary Shelly describes an occasion in which Louis XIV asked Boileau which writer he considered to be the most distinguished, and she goes on to describe how Boileau immediately answered with one name, “Molière.”

The Renaissance was a period during which Europe flourished through the middle ages. The Renaissance comes from the French word rebirth. Given the name Rebirth, it was not only a historical period in Europe, but also the emerging of a new spirit of intellectual and creative review. It was the main feature in the religious, political, and theoretical sensation. Moreover, it represents the renewal of the spirit of both Rome and ancient Greece and for literature, a new meaning in the analysis of famous writers of classical literature. The Renaissance did not only affect many nations in Western Europe, it also affected other nations, cities, and regions internationally. Dramatists revitalized and reinventing the classical traditions

Oxford dictionary defines the word “play” in relation to theatre as “a dramatic composition which is represented or performed in a theatrical performance or film” . Also known as drama, a play is principally meant to be performed on stage rather than be read as it brings a more active form of presentation. It also “provides an extra dimension of dynamism as the readers can visualise the characters enacting the dialogue and action of the play while the audience can see the actors perform live on stage” (Tutorial notes-Unit 1, 2017). As a short story or novel, a play especially tragedy, according to Aristotle (384-322 BC) contained six vital elements. It includes (in order of importance) the plot, character, theme, language, rhythm and spectacle . Though ranked as the least important element of theatre , spectacle comprises everything that is heard and seen in a play which greatly contributes to the enjoyment of the audience.

Shakespeare was a famous author and poet that wrote extremely well-known texts, such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet.” Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance when art and science advanced and he was one of the major contributors to this historical period. “Shakespeare Influences the way we speak now” by Hephzibah Anderson, “William Shakespeare’s Impact on Theatre” by Octane, and “How Outrage Built Over a Shakespearean Depiction of Trump” by Sara Krulwich suggest that Shakespeare had a great influence on many aspects of society, such as the phrases we use, style of theater, and is a figure of inspiration to many people.

From Colonial Williamsburg Theatre to Broadway, theatre is ever-changing. The differences in each era of theatre are vast; the costumes, staging, acting techniques, and audiences all vary drastically from each other. The major eras and genres of American theatre include the colonial era, the Post-Revolution era, the Civil War era, Broadway, and Post-Modern—all with unique and varying aspects to them.

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman takes place in the post-World War II era. Miller does a phenomenal job of incorporating the elements of social commentary and realism. Social commentary and realism involves portraying current and realistic social issues. These issues give characters real world problems and makes it easier for the audience to relate to them. In this case, Miller successfully uses the social ideals of 1949 to develop his character’s motives. In 1949, society’s high value of material success brought on financial anxieties and insecurities for many families. It is these societal pressures that influence the characters and work ethics of the Loman family.

Drama is literature written for performance--or at least written in a style that would allow for stage performance. As a text form, drama can be thought of as story told though spoken remarks and stage directions(Kurland ,2000) .When we hear the term drama we think fun, excitement , expression of one’s self . A famous quote says that “play is not in the words, it’s in you” (Steller Adler).

“Life is a mixing of all kind of things: comedy and tragedy going together” (Alejandro Jodorowsky). Comedy and tragedy have been two popular forms of entertainment for people throughout the ages. From Greek performances to contemporary plays, the art of theatre is well and thriving. While the styles of playwrights and the way theatre is experienced changes through time, the messages these plays gaves have more or less stayed the same. Drama can, for the most part, be classified as either tragedy or comedy. The conventions of tragedy and comedy, such as the tragedy in Oedipus Rex and the comedy in The Taming of the Shrew, can shape the way the play is developed. Thorough analysis can reveal these dramas to be discussions of human experience. As Laurence Olivier once said: “The office of drama is to exercise, possibly exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring relief of tears. Disgust and terror are the other points of the compass.” Through the outcomes of both plays, the audience is able to receive some hard truths and be confronted with reality. In their respective ways, the two plays reveal truths about the human experience in the way that the plays are symbolic of very real human or societal problems.