Intro to theatre chapter 2 notes PDF

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Summary

Notes taken from the assigned textbook reading. Professor Jarom Brown. The information in the textbook is used on chapter quizzes....

Description

The word “drama” comes from the Greek word “dran”, which means “something done”. Plays differ from other performance events, as plays supply drama.

Aristotle believed plays (dramas in particular) should evoke a kind of catharsis from the audience. They feel pity or fear for the characters. The Natyasastra s tates the audience should feel pleasure from viewing a play. There isn’t a set duration for plays. They can vary in how long they run.

The earliest genres of plays are comedy and tragedy. The basic structure of a tragedy is a powerful and successful protagonist’s fall from grace. They make a critical mistake and, after recognizing it, lose wealth, love, success, life, whatever it may be. Tragic protagonists are up against antagonists exceeding human power. Though the tragic protagonists fall, they rise powerfully to the challenge. Comedies, unlike tragedies, are about regular life in which the characters experience life-like things. Other genres of plays include history plays, documentary dramas, melodrama, tanztheatre (dance theatre)

Plays consist of patterns of dramatic action. Dramaturgy refers to these patterns. Dramaturgy makes the actions in plays consequential. Another definition of dramaturgy is the play’s components, such as plot and character.

Drama’s components: ● Plot ● Character ● Thought ● Diction ● Music ● Spectacle

● Convention

Pre-play: The process of getting an audience to see the play. Advertising, by whatever means, is what brings the audience in. The audience is given programs that provide certain details about the play, music is played, certain lighting is used, etc. Post-play: Begins with the curtain call. The audience applauds the actors and the actors bow in respect to the patrons. The audience may discuss the show after they leave, reviews may be published about the production, etc....