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Theatre history 1 final review 280
British theatre history
The development of the theater
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The Art of Theater
Neither a book nor a work, but an energy
Theater is the most remarkable art of life. It is a collaborate art combining different people into one solid group in which they work together harmoniously in order to portray a certain idea, concept, or piece of art. Theater deals with various forms of emotions and is most commonly expected to leave a trace or stimulate sentiments on the audience. The mind plays a big role in theater, for the art lies within our imagination. Our mind stimulates many different types of strong emotions such as power, anger, joy, and more. These intangible feelings created by our mind, are the reason why theater the most noteworthy art of life.
Theater “ is neither a book nor a work, but an energy “. Theater is considered to be an energy because it is a calculated act from beginning to end. A piece of theater only lasts for a specific period of time. It has a beginning, middle, and an end. Furthermore, every theatrical piece has a predestined conclusion. Implying that the audience is most often aware of what will happen at the end of the play, yet the art of it is to keep them focused and interested until the very end. Furthermore, unlike other modes of communication, in theater one cannot go back and see a certain scene. A theatrical act takes place in the present, has an ending, and becomes part of our past.
Theater is a challenge to our mind, for it makes us think and allows us to use our imagination. During a theatrical act, we are projected into a world of fantasy and imagination, a world that only lasts for a certain period of time. A period of time in which one feels pain, joy, hatred, or love. This is reinforced by the direct contact between the actors and the audience stimulating more personal emotion between different individuals.
In my opinion, the art of theater is one of the most empowering factors in ones life.
Every theatergoer may consider the question: What is it about performance that draws people to sit and listen attentively in a theater, watching other people labor on stage and hoping to be moved and provoked, challenged and comforted? In Utopia in Performance, Jill Dolan “argues that live performance provides a place where people come together, embodied and passionate, to share experiences of meaning making and imagination that can describe or capture fleeting intimations of a better world (p.2)”. She traces the sense of visceral, emotional, and social connection that we experience at such times, connections that allow audience members to sense a better world, and the hopeful utopic sentiment might become motivation for civic engagement
years ago the word "theater" possessed a different meaning than it does in today's society. The
In this essay I will address racial issues in Musical theatre, specifically the black and white divide. I have chosen this subject because I find it interesting how racism used to be so accepted in society, and although it’s decreasing presence it is still an issue today. I will be looking at two similar yet contrasting musicals written at different times. Both these musicals have racial issues through their storyline. I will look at the similarities and differences between these two musicals and how racial issues are expressed. Additionally I will consider when the shows were written; what impact these musicals had on society and vice versa.
...d and given life to help the playwrights tell the stories of their day. It provided that “visual actuality'; that imposed an emotional response. If we sit back and say that it is nothing more than just a building, then we are guilty of having no passion for the art that we love so much. As sophisticated as theatre is today, most of what we know started almost two thousand years ago.
Through the evolution of the performing art, the market and industry of performing start to rise in popularity. The concept of going to theater is cool because people are able to enjoy the visual effects of live shows that people cannot experience when watching television at home. Going to theater seems to be simple and usual but people are reluctant to sacrifice leisure time to watch shows at a theater. The differences between watching television shows at home and attending theater shows are the personal experience and the cultural atmosphere. When people are watching the television shows alone, they are unlikely to feel the powerful effect of rendering the stage. The interactions between the audience and the actors do not seem realistic on the television because the ambience does not penetrate through the screen to reach the people. Going to theater also provides the
...pressing of emotions, identifying with other systems of thought. Theatrical arts have managed to transcend ethical issues, racial differences, and many other facets of discourse in society. If theatre is indeed an engine for social change it should not be held from the people who need it the most. Those who are incarcerated. Programs across the nation have already started to see success in the prisons they operate in, so to think about the effect that theatre in prison would have on a nationwide scale is indeed a beautiful thought. If theatre programs in prison would be funded by the states or nationally, potentially the idea of professional prison playhouses could become a reality, and the world would be introduced into a new era of art that is truly a beautiful thing to behold. Shakespeare writes in Hamlet, “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
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.
“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation,” says Stella Adler. Theater is unique and intriguing because it blends literary and visual arts to tell a story. Before Theater 10, I viewed theater on the surface level: cheesy plot lines with dramatic scenarios for entertainment purposes. Throughout the course, I have learned what it means to appreciate theater, such as understanding Brechtian and Chinese theatre; however, I believe understanding theater’s ability to convey crucial historical and social messages, such as in the production of RENT, is more relevant and important for theater appreciation.
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.
...ously and see plays and performances not only as art but as a vital part of the human existence.
Theater is a natural outlet for our desire to hear and tell stories, and in some ways it is even more primal and powerful than the written word. At its worst, theater will merely bore; while at its best it will not only entertain but move and shape its audience. Two such genres of theater, or drama, have consistently achieved this effect. Tragedy, represented by the weeping actors’ mask, usually features the title character’s fall from greatness to ruin, guided by the gods or fate. Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is the epitome of classic Tragedy, as defined by Aristotle (96-101). Here, Oedipus falls from kingship to blindness and exile. Drama’s other great genre, Comedy, is represented by the laughing actors’ mask. In Comedy the action is usually propelled by a problem or crisis of some sorts, but unlike tragedy it usually ends well. Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes, is a perfect example of classic Comedy. The farcical story line follows the title character, who rallies the women of Greece to withhold sex from their mates all in the good cause of ending war. At first glance these two genres would seem to have nothing in common with each other. Comedy entails laughter and good feelings while the audience will leave a Tragedy in tears. But the best of Comedy and the best of Tragedy will produce the same affect: catharsis. Catharsis is the purgation and purifying of the emotions, specifically fear or pity. (“Catharsis”) The plays that manage to produce catharsis in their audience are the ones that we return to time and time again. Although catharsis is one of the main objectives of Greek Tragedy (Jacobus 34), Comedy done well will shape and move its audience in the same way. These two classic genres use characters that are co...
The survival of theatre lies in the very nature of humankind: its inner voyeuristic drive. The desire to watch other people dealing with their conflicts and fates challenges as well as reinforces values and the morality of society. The theatre provides an exciting opportunity to watch stories and situations as if they were real life, showing us the truth of our nature.
Theatre as we know it now was born more than two thousand years ago and has gone through many streams until it reached the current modernity. Among these streams is the avant-garde theatre. This theatre achieved a break in the traditional theatre and became the forefront of a new experimental theatre. Therefore it is necessary to ask how this theatre started, what impact it had on society and if this type of theatre is still common in our modern era.
For thousands of years, people have been arguing that theatre is a dying art form. Many people think theatre is all just cheesy singing and dancing or just boring old Shakespeare, but there is much more to theatre than those two extremes. Theatre is important to our society because it teaches us more about real life than recorded media. Theatre has been around for thousands of years and began as a religious ceremony that evolved into an art form that teaches about the true essence of life. Theatre can incorporate profound, and provocative, observations of the human condition that can transcend time; lessons found in Greek plays can still be relevant to the modern world. People argue that the very essence of theatre is being snuffed out by modern