Technical Theatre class was a great learning experience for me. When I first signed up for the class, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. I had always been quite clumsy, and I’d never been very handy; so I didn’t think I would be of much use to the set building process. However, before the building process began, the class was taught how to properly and safely use power tools. Being educated on how to handle the equipment made me feel a lot more confident. Now, I’m proud of myself because I ended up getting a lot of work done that I didn’t think I was capable of. I helped with a lot of projects throughout the set-build, but the project I probably spent the most time on was the ladders. The ladders connected the second level of the set to the floor of the stage. They were important to the overall scheme of the production because they were used as exits for the actors during the show and rehearsals. They were also used as ways for the director, designers, and stage crew to access the second level of the set during miscellaneous tasks. But most importantly, the ladders needed to be built safely and secured to the ground so that no one got injured. The ladders were built of stock lumber. Two planks were cut the same length …show more content…
(around 10 ft) with the miter saw; the ends were cut at a diagonal. These two planks were used for the longer edges of the ladder. The diagonal ends were fitted to lean up against the ground and second level of the set. Many two-by-fours were sawed at the same lengths (maybe 2.5 ft) for the rungs. Then twice as many two-by-fours were sawed at an even shorter length (maybe 5 in.) to be used for attaching the ladder’s edges and rungs. I measured with the measuring tape and marked exactly where on the edge planks the rungs should go. Then, the est. 5 in. pieces were drilled to the edge planks using an electric hand drill and Phillips screws. The two-by-four rungs were laid on top of the est. 5 in. pieces. The rungs were then fastened on with Robertson square screws. Once completed, the ladders were taken to the stage and secured to the ground and second levels with square screws. Drew and Brittney helped me with this process on different days. I could not have finished the ladders as quickly or efficiently without them. Another project that I helped out on was making an extension cord. Amy helped me with this. We made two 50 ft twist-lock extension cords. The first step was to take the end of a black electrical wire and strip off the insulating jacket. Next, we took the female end of the twist-lock connector and unscrewed the external cable clamps with a Phillips screwdriver. We pulled the electrical wire through the opening of the connector. Then we stripped the insulation off the black, green, and white wires. We separated the individual wires and twisted them. On the inside of connecter, there were corresponding black, white, and green sections. We attached the correct wires to the color coded sections. Then we closed the external cable clamps and screwed it shut. We repeated the same process with the male end of the twist-lock connector. The process was important to the overall theme of the show because it assisted the lighting director. The lighting design makes actors visible, directs the audience’s focus, and sets the mood and atmosphere. If one lighting instrument goes out on stage it could negatively effect any of those elements. Many lighting instruments were probably connected to that chord. Also, safety was a major issue. Faulty wiring can cause electrocution or a fire. Building the set was the collective effort of the class.
For instance, I was there when the support for the second floor was built. By this point, some students had already built the room-like structures on stage left and stage right. Kat and I used a circular saw to cut I-beams to an appropriate length. With the help of others the I-beams were then lifted up and set on top of the room-like structures. Justin, Kiki, Drew, and Kat stood on ladders and attached the I-beams to the existing support with hand drills. This was nice because I’m afraid of heights and didn’t have to use the ladders. We repeated the process with the rest of the I-beams. During each project students helped each other out; each task depended on
another. Overall I think the current process of work being done during shop hours goes pretty smoothly. As a suggestion, you could possibly tell students what tasks are scheduled to be done on what days. That way if students want to learn a specific skill for future use, they will have the opportunity. Also, I think it would be easier if students were told the names of the all the tools they were going to be using. Some of the tools I used I didn’t know the name of, and for this paper I looked at the pictures in the textbook for a lot of the names. During shop hours, I was told the names of the less common tools but I think it was just assumed that I knew all the ‘common’ ones. Another proposal is to encourage students to write down some short notes after each day they work in the shop. This would be for the students’ personal use and include notes on about what they built and what tools they used. I really enjoyed this semester's Technical Theatre class. The shop hours were a great hands-on way to learn about live theatre. The skills I learned during the set build boosted my confidence about my handiness. The set looked really neat once finished and it’s nice to be able to say I had a part in that. The whole process gave me a rewarding sense of accomplishment.
Pause for a second and think about a play or musical that you have seen. Consider the plot, whether you liked it or not and if the experience was positive or negative. Think about the characters, the costumes, and the emotions that were emitted. The discourse community of theatre is unique in the way that it is so complex and there are many different parts that ultimately come together to create a dynamic whole. The term discourse community is rather broad, but John Swales in his article “The Concept of Discourse Community” gives six characteristics that define it. Swales lists them saying,
“Devised theatre can start from anything. It is determined and defined by a group of people who set up an initial framework or structure to explore and experiment with ideas, images, concepts, themes, or specific stimuli that might include music, text, objects, paintings, or movement.” (Alison Oddey 1). Devised theatre, also called collaborative creation, is a form of theatre in which the script is created through a collaborative process with the actors and the playwright, rather than the traditional method of theatre with a premade script. Devised theatre is created through the process, collaboration, and multi-vision of the group. Similar to improvisational theatre, a devised theatre play is created in the rehearsal process from the performers interacting with each other. By the time the devised play is performed the work is a cohesive piece that is, for the most part, set in stone. This form of theatre is a modern form of theatre, that came about from the collaboration of many different type of artists, because of the need of the performers to have some input into what they are performing. The devised theatre form is most utilized in the USA, Great Britain, and Australia, but especially in our country. Devised theatre utilizes physical movements, rather than focusing on only the language.
Even if I didn’t make it, I don’t think anyone realizes what you learn when training in this profession. Musical theatre has allowed me to step up, commit to my work, become more confident and to have fun! You learn to become focused and pay more attention to detail. Building sets, reading scenes and learning music betters your communication and listening skills. All of these skills I have acquired over the last few years and I they are still helping me to grow. I think my biggest take away from this past summer is to become more confident as a person and in my work. Confidence is a big part of doing musical theatre. Some people having no confidence or a little too much. Trying to gain confidence has made me appreciate my body, the little things and what I do. I have already had many people come up to me at school and tell me that they’re loving my new glow confidence and love for myself. Overall, I see why people doubt the career, but they only consider the outside results. Musical theatre has made me the person I am today and I will never forget
On this Fall I was taking Theater class with a great professor. His name is Kendrick Jones and he is from Detroit. The professor was so kind with the student and helpful because he wanted us to learn about Theater. He wanted us to learn at least 1 thing about Theater from his class. Also, he let the class to be fun by doing some activities because he doesn’t want the students to get bored in his class. By doing some activates and meet with our groups during the class will help the students to communicate with each other. Also, that will help them to improve their skills and to share the ideas and come up with something new for the audience. It’s gives the class a different taste when the instructor let the students meet with their groups and let them work together. For me I always want to come to theater class not just because the attendance points, but I wanted to learn some things that I don’t know. Thank god I learned some things by attending this class everyday, and I took 200 out of 200 on the attendance grade.
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
Building Construction procedures involve the erection of various types of structures. The major trend in present-day construction continues away from handcrafting at the building site and toward on-site assembly of even larger, more integrated subassemblies manufactured away from the site. Construction in the United States is the product of a diverse group of subindistries, with many individuals and organizations involved in the construction of a single structure, from the manufacture of necessary components to final assembly. The major elements of a building are as follows: (1) the foundation, which supports the building and provides stability; (2) the structure, which supports all the imposed loads and transmits them to the foundation; (3) the exterior walls, which may or may not be part of the primary supporting structure; (4) the interior partitions, which also may or may not be part of the primary structure; (5) the environmental- control systems, including the heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, lighting, and acoustical systems; (6) the vertical transportation systems, including elevators, escalators, and stairways; (7) communications, which may include such subsystems as intercommunications, public address , and closed-circuit television, as well as the more usual telephone wiring systems; and (8) the power, water supply, and waste disposal systems.
Theatre-In-Education The theatre education industry/movement has seen some rapid changes since its initial developments and establishment in the 1960’s. However its origins mainly lie in the early years of the last century. It was the initial establishment of companies such as Bertha Waddell’s in Scotland and Esme Church’s in the north of England that thoroughly established the main roots of TIE.
Then, there is technical theatre. This area of theatre is my favorite and the goal for my future. Technicians are the ones who create the world for the actors or somehow manage everything behind the scenes. Before I explain the multiple fields and areas of technical theatre, I must stress how important this side of theatre is overall. When it comes down to getting a degree in technical theatre or pursuing it, people tend to view it as a purely practical occupation and experience based. Take a look at it in comparison to performance; in a graduate thesis by Christian J. Hershey in 2015, he took a survey of college courses offered for theatre education for a technical focused theatre degree rather than those offered for a performance focused
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.
The history of theatre in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is one of the increasing commercialization of the art, accompanied by technological innovations, the introduction of serious critical review, expansion of the subject matters portrayed to include ordinary people, and an emphasis on more natural forms of acting. Theatre, which had been dominated by the church for centuries, and then by the tastes of monarchs for more than 200 years, became accessible to merchants, industrialists, and the less privileged and then the masses.
I thought I was helping with sound but the leader noticed I always wanted to help lead in some way so she made me head or director of the whole stage crew and the show. I was shocked, nervous, but strangely overjoyed. It was very hard, I won’t lie, and yet it was easy. It felt so natural. Helping everyone find out what they had to do and making sure everything went smoothly was very fun. The day of the show made me so nervous but everyone was counting on me. Everyone knew how I felt and they liked the way I took lead and calmed me down. That was the best experience of my life and I'm still so thankful for
...arize what they have accomplished and understand may be useful to gauge the timing for scaffolding removal.
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.
The ambient lights fill my peripheral vision. A headache from the depths of hell appeared at the most unfortunate times. Now, out of all the more convenient times that it could've showed itself, it had to be now. I grudgingly proceed walking to the stage. It's almost my time to shine and put all the people in awe.
I haven’t dreamt in color lately. Normally my subconscious performs elaborate shows for me, with brightly painted sets and multi-hued costumes. Since Sam’s passing, the whirlwind of events that has followed has been reflected within the theatre of my mind, the former extravagance reduced to a thick layer of clouds and distant thunder. It’s a sad excuse for a recurring dream, and I often find myself impatient for the shriek of an alarm clock. Today, however, I am not roused from the murk by a clock but by a ringtone.