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Explore Theatre: A Backstage Pass Michael M. O’Hara & Judith A. Sebesta PowerPoints prepared by the authors This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: •any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; •preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; •any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Chapter 2 What is the Experience of Theatre? Stage versus Page Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Theatre “experienced” on stage, not on page. • “Page” has some advantages: • “Stage” limited • “Page” (drama) is unlimited • “Page” audience is bigger Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Theatre on a stage; drama on the page! • Avoid narrative and contextual traps: • • Scripts are not the end result of theatrical work. Productions always happen within temporal and cultural contexts. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Theatre/Drama = Double Consciousness • Perpetual Present Tense • always “now” • Cultural and Historical Repository • always “yesterday” Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Double Possibilities • Because theatre is both now and yesterday: • Read (historical and ephemeral) texts simultaneously • Complexity Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Clicker Question • Literary v. Popular drama. • How many of you have read: • A. a contemporary television script • B. a contemporary movie script • C. both of the above • D. none of the above Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Clicker Question • How many of you have read: • A. a contemporary play script • B. a Shakespearean play script • C. both of the above • D. none of the above Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Popular v. Literary • Why the difference? • Aristotle, his Poetics - and his "lost" Book. • “Name of the Rose” • High v. Low culture Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Parts of Drama (all) • • • • • • Plot - what happens (not Story: what happened + happens + may happen) Character - a moral quality Theme (idea) - the engine that drives theatre Language - how it is said or sung Music - even the voice is an instrument Spectacle - what you see Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Genre = type • • • • • • Tragedy - serious consequences depicted seriously Comedy - non-serious consequences depicted nonseriously Melodrama - moral universe & motivated music Tragicomedy - mix Farce - aim is laughter To which types are we most exposed? Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Clicker Question • How many of you have seen a theatrical: • • • • • A. Tragedy B. Comedy C. Melodrama D. Farce E. None of the above Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Clicker Question • How many of you have seen a film: • A. tragedy (e.g., Braveheart) • B. comedy (e.g., The Hangover) • C. melodrama (e.g., Star Wars) • D. farce (e.g., Dumb and Dumber) • E. all of the above Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved • • Analysis versus Viewing Viewing responds to a text • Emotional, Effortless, and Easy (primarily personal) Analysis critiques a text • Cogent, Coherent, Concise (expands beyond the personal) Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved • • • How is ‘drama’ different from life? How does life begin, develop, end? • • Temporally Actions are chaotic How does (most) drama begin, develop, end? • • Theatrically Actions are ordered Do we sometimes conflate dramatic expectations with life experiences? Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved What do the differences suggest about life? • • • What is the experience of “life” when compared to “drama?” How do we try to impose order on life? What does this sense of “order” do to our perception of life and or drama? Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Summary: • Literary and theatrical approaches to plays share the belief that texts are not complete, that meaning is created through the process of completing those texts by placing text within context: historical, contemporary, theoretical, and enactment. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved