Theatre 115 Response One
Chapter 10 highlights the importance of the interaction between the audience and the performers. If the audience on a given night is altogether apathetic in regards to the performance they have gone to see, then it will serve as a negative impact on the overall confidence of the actors once they pick up on it.
Theatre is often used to provide an insightful reflection of the way in which society is functioning at a given time. One example that was not listed in the book is Hair, which goes well with the other listed works critiquing the Vietnam War. Certainly, it is a piece that is capable, even today, of stirring up certain sentiments within an audience, even if the audience was not necessarily alive during the original
Chloe Gard Acting II: Methods and Theories Tracy Manning May 19th, 2023 “The Good Life” "Theatre as Life" by Paul Marcus is a thought-provoking book that explores the profound connection between theater and the human experience. In Chapter 12, titled "The Good Life," Marcus delves into the concept of the good life and its relationship to theater and performance. This chapter offers a unique perspective on how the pursuit of the good life can be understood through the lens of theatricality and the transformative power of the stage. In this paper, we will reflect upon the key concepts and ideas presented in Chapter 12, examining the author's insights and analyzing their implications.
The Seagull does this, but only to a short extent- there is a small play performed within the play, and there is talk about the relevance of theatre and art to modern life. In contrast, SFB is a veritable motherload of meta. The characters know that they’re characters, and that they happen to be performing for you. They even know that they’re specifically in an adaptation- in our specific production vision, we like to see it as our characters taking the story into their own hands to retell it. The audience see two overlapping worlds: the reality the characters face in the plot of the play, and the constructed reality of a theatrical
This shines through in the eminently clear attitudes of characters and the relationships between the characters on stage, as previously mentioned before through blocking. For example, when Joshua and Lily, interacted on stage; the contrasting experiences of the time between whites and people of color was immensely evident. The quixotic ignorance of Lily playing against the affable precaution of Joshua, illustrated the privilege of the time given to whites despite the intimate history between both characters. Likewise, the comprehensive research is evident through attention to small details within the production. For example, when the recreation of the green book appears on stage, though it is not called for in the script, it brings a historical weight to the moment that may have not been present otherwise.
“Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it.” (Boal) Applied theatre is an umbrella term that covers theatre and drama in non-traditional settings with marginialised members of societies; with focus customarily on relevant social and cultural issues of those socieities. The Applied Theatre Reader by Tim Prentki and Sheila Preston consists of chapters by various authors who have experienced and been involved with the practice of applied theatre first-hand, and who share these experiences in the book. Three chapters that I found interesting and engaging were Chapter 7 (“Lift your mask”), Chapter 39 (“Is this the play?”), and Chapter
Most didn’t sit and watch in silence like today.” (The Globe Theater, Robson). The Audience presented their emotions towards the show if they felt like it. If they did not like the play they would throw things and booed to the actors, on the other hand if they did like the play that was showing they would cheer on and encourage the things that were happening on stage. People in this time acted and knew differently than people do
Youth pull themselves away from life to focus all of their attention on the theatre. This becomes the social life of the
Unfortunately, as stated by Peter Brook, Deadly theatre is recognized as the most common and seen type of theatre, also known as “bad theatre”. This means is that this type of theatre is identified from performances perpetuated to be dull, boring, traditional, consumeristic and conventional. Hence, as Brook states, one of the reasons why this type of theatre still remains is due to the deadly spectators who enjoy watching a performance with lack of intensity and entertainment. Likewise, other individuals have the tendency to associate culture and tradition with historical costumes and the sensation of being bored. Therefore, the right amount of boringness can create the illusion that the play was worthwhile to see (Brook,
“Imagination no longer has a function”, says Emile Zola in his essay, ‘Naturalism in the Theatre’. Many of the ideas which Zola has discussed in this essay have been taken up by modern theatre, both in theory and practice. Modern theatre, for instance, is aware of the fact that analysis and not synthesis should be the basis for theatrical production. It is with this theory at the back of his mind that Bertolt Brecht has discussed theatre’s role as an educator only if the elements associated with spectacle are removed from theatre.
After reading the article, for the most part agree with what Warman is saying. Warman says that theatre is supposed to be mischiefious, playful mischief. Warman believes that when watching a performance, you’re supposed to be taken out of your world, into a new reality. If you can’t engage the audience into a new reality then they will be bored.
The field of theater and the arts holistically present audiences with of a dilemma. These works of art and expression often find themselves grounded in the reality we know, the one that exists beyond the stage or screen and yet is not an exact copy. The reality of the film, play, or show takes liberties with reality, asking the viewer to put on hold certain understandings and beliefs in order to allow the events of the work to unfold or to advance the plot. In doing so the creators of these works of art ask audiences to partake in the “suspension of disbelief.” This concept can best be defined as the act of an audience putting preconceived knowledge regarding the fundamentals of reality on hold while consuming some form of performance art,
As a result, the experience of Shakespeare’s plays in the theater took a populist turn” (Octane 1). This shows that Shakespeare brought many new elements to playwriting, which seemingly improved plays because “Audience members engaged with the events taking place on stage, becoming vocal and often raucous” (Octane 1). This suggests that the new elements in Shakespeare’s writing sparked emotion in audience members as if the events were real. If an author can spark emotion in so many audience members, it shows that their writing style is extremely effective. Additionally, “Shakespeare is also credited as having invented genres that mixed both tragedy and comedy.
Before a play begins, I see people sitting in hard metal chairs. Seeing the people fills me with nervousness and excitement. Every person looks different than the last. I see different faces, different clothes, and different expectations on what they are about to see. The sound of quiet talking fills the air, traveling about the room, causing each person to speak just a little louder so he will be heard.
This dislike in Naturalistic theatre led
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.
To add on, some people might say “theater is not a necessity in life”. So what? Theater just gets taken away, which is too heartbreaking to understand when it’s not within people’s grasps. Theater might not be an essential for survival, but the importance of this argument is that it can improve in the educational system. And isn’t that what it is all about?