AC A4 Theatre explore and expand

• CKV/AC
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Theatre

Theatre explore

Theatre is a collaborative form of art that uses live performers, typically actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance. Theatre can be purely entertaining, but often has another purpose as well.

                                         LEARNING GOALS

1. You know the theatre genres and characteristics.
2. You know the difference between fact and fiction and you can explain how this can play a role in a performance.
3. You can apply the characteristics in the in-depth assignment of your choise.

What kind of theatre do you like the most?
Think of plays, cabaret, musical, opera etc.

Have you ever played in a theatre yourself? Write down your thoughts about that performance here. (did you like it etc)

THEATRE MOVEMENTS

Read the movements below and answer the question on the next slide

Tragedy

The structure of Greek tragedy is characterized by a set of conventions. The tragedy usually begins with a prologue, (from ‘pro’ and ‘logos’, "preliminary speech") in which one or more characters introduce the drama and explain the background of the ensuing story. The prologue is followed by the parodos (entry of the characters/group), after which the story unfolds in three or more episodes. The episodes are interspersed by stasima, choral interludes explaining or commenting on the situation developing in the play. The tragedy ends with the exodus, concluding the story.

Music tragedy

is a generic name for theatre in which music plays a major role, for instance an opera or musical. Many theatre makers use music to tell their story.

Physical theatre

is a well-known genre of theatrical performance that encompasses storytelling primarily through physical movement. The actors use the body’s power of expression to tell a story.

Site specific theatre

Theater producers can be inspired by a particular location. In site-specific-theatre, the chosen loation is decisive for the production. It can only be performed at that specific location.

Cabaret

Cabaret productions often consist of a sequence of short fragments of comedy, song, dance and theatre, in which the performer directly addresses the audience. The comedian tells humourous stories that often contain a moral, and comments on current social events. Most comedians possess a good dose of self-mockery. 

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Entertainment or engagement

Like dance, theatre can be entertaining, but it can also include a message, engagement.

 Sometimes performances are made for a special audience, for instance pupils. Watch this video up to the question.

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Is this entertainment, engagement or both?
Would you like to visit such a performance?

There are different forms of cabaret.
Watch this excerpt and choose what kind of cabaret
it is.

1. Stand-up comedy
2. Music cabaret
3. Nonsense cabaret
4. Physical cabaret

There are different forms of cabaret.
Watch this excerpt and choose what kind of cabaret
it is.

1. Stand-up comedy
2. Music cabaret
3. Nonsense cabaret
4. Physical cabaret

There are different forms of cabaret.
Watch this excerpt and choose what kind of cabaret
it is.

1. Stand-up comedy
2. Music cabaret
3. Nonsense cabaret
4. Physical cabaret

THEATRE CHARACTERISTICS

Read the texts below

Body

Through posture and movements actors can express all sorts of things with their bodies.Someone who is anxious stands and moves differently than someone who is cheerful. Facial expressions also play a big role in showing emotions.

Voice

Actors use their voices in many ways. They can play with volume and pace, adopt a certain accent or place different intonation on the script in order to bring across emotion to the audience, For example, a sad character wil speak in a soft , trembling voice, while someone who is angry will speak faster and more loudly,

Acting styles

Theatre has different acting styes. When the performers act very explicitly, this is referred to as stylized acting. If the play is almost real, we call it naturalistic style.The actors often build a character by drawing on their own memories. To make it as realistic as possible, actors also pretend there is a wall at the front of the stage, so that they cannot see the audience (the fourth wall)

Representation

This refers to the subject matter of the play. In addition, the ‘five W’s” provide guidelines for both the creator and the audience, (who, what, where, why and when).

Stage design

This refers to everything that determines the set of the production. This includes decor, props, costumes, theatre make-up, lighting, music or sound. Sometimes it resembles reality, sometimes it is more abstract

Mise-en-scène

The way in which actors enter and leave the stage, stand and move, is called mise-en-scène or blocking and is influenced by the stage design.

THEATRE EXPAND

In expand we will watch theatre from the dimension Fact and Fiction

The Fact and Fiction dimension is a way of looking at art. Think of a theatre or dance show you have been to, that has made an impression on you. Was it completely fictional, based on facts, or somewhere in between? Has this influenced your opinion ?

A lot of artists use their imagination to make you reflect on reality. Satirical acts, on the contrary, show contempt for reality and put you on the wrong track. Some artists go even further: they lie to expose the truth.

Cabaret artists also play with the truth. Often the truth is enlarged to make it funny. Remember that sometimes facts are funnier than fiction.

Cabaret performers sometimes use true stories in
their shows. In this sketch, Jochem Meyer tells a
story about an experience he had on the airport of
Bonaire. Is this fact or fiction or both?

Which theatre characteristics did Meyer use the most to make it look more realistic?

1. Body
2. Voice
3. Mise-en-scène
4. Stage design

Exercise

The characteristics of theater refer to the five w's. Theater makers determine in advance:

WHO - which characters are going to play in a play.

WHAT - which subject is leading in that play.

WHERE - the place where everything takes place.

WHEN - the time of the event.

WHY - the reason for all actions / events.

In a group of max. 4 students, you will experience it yourself. You will have to come up 

with a short script of a scene where all five W's are represented.