Download Theatre - Keith Tyler MacLennan Webfolio

Introduction
 Examples
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Rules for being a good audience member:
-I will be attentive and respectful during others performances.
-I will listen and watch each performance quietly.
-I will not talk to others around me during a performance.
-I will not shout out rude or inappropriate comments.
-I will not selfishly interrupt another group’s performance.
Rules for being a good fellow actor:
-I will be supportive and encouraging to my fellow actors.
-When it is appropriate, I will give only constructive criticism to my
fellow actors.
-I will not laugh at, mock, or insult another actor’s performance.
-I will pull my weight during the performance and creative process.
-I will be an equal partner in the performance activity process.
-I will try my best to be open and flexible to other actors ideas.
 Costumes: clothing that
actors wear to take on
the appearance of their
characters. Costumes can
represent the culture and
fashion of their
characters nationality, as
well as represent the
time period in which
they lived.
 Props: objects used in performance by actors (sword,
smoking pipe, coffee cup, telephone, etc.).
 Theatre in-the-round: A theatre set up with the stage
in the middle and the audience on all sides.
 Theatre in-the-round: A theatre set up with the stage
in the middle and the audience on all sides.
 Proscenium stage: The audience is located on one side
of the stage with the remaining sides hidden and used
by the performers and technicians.
 Theatre in-the-round: A theatre set up with the stage
in the middle and the audience on all sides.
 Proscenium stage: The audience is located on one side
of the stage with the remaining sides hidden and used
by the performers and technicians.
 Thrust Stage: similar to proscenium stages but with a
platform or performance area that extends into the
audience space so that the audience is located on three
sides.
 Theatre in-the-round: a theatre set up with the stage in the
middle and the audience on all sides.
 Proscenium stage: the audience is located on one side of the
stage with the remaining sides hidden and used by the
performers and technicians.
 Thrust Stage: similar to proscenium stages but with a platform or
performance area that extends into the audience space so that
the audience is located on three sides.
 Black box theatre: a black box theater (or experimental
theater) consists of a simple, undecorated performance space,
usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor. It is
a relatively recent innovation in theatre. The seating is not fixed
so the audience can be placed and situated in any way a
production requires. It can take on the characteristics of any
other stage type.
 Globe Theatre: Located in Regina Saskatchewan.
Founded in 1966.
-Saskatchewan’s first professional theatre company.
-Canada’s first professional theatre for young people.
-First theatre company in Canada to employ a resident
playwright.
Theatre Company: A theatre company is a group of
people who work collaboratively to create and put on
theatrical productions for an audience (Directors,
Actors, Artistic Directors, etc.).
 To present a series of plays that challenge the audience
at all levels – socially, politically, morally, emotionally,
intellectually—theatre that is socially useful.
 To find an audience from as wide a spectrum of the
population as possible—a peoples’ theatre rather than
theatre for the privileged.
 To present the great works of the past and the present,
and to seek out and present new work from Canada
and abroad—theatre that speaks to many.
 Globe Theatre Mission Statement
 To present a series of plays that challenge the audience at all levels – socially,
politically, morally, emotionally, intellectually—theatre that is socially useful.
-Theatre is supposed to mirror human life. It’s supposed to take important
moral, social and political issues and bring the audience members face to face
with them. It’s meant to teach people in a society about important issues by
addressing it from a different perspective.
 To find an audience from as wide a spectrum of the population as possible—a
peoples’ theatre rather than theatre for the privileged.
-Theatre is meant to represent the voice of the people. In Canada we have a
population with very diverse cultural heritages. Some call Canada a “cultural
melting pot.” This is something an Artistic Director would have to keep in
mind when choosing their list of shows for the next season.
 To present the great works of the past and the present, and to seek out and
present new work from Canada and abroad—theatre that speaks to many.
-Since theatre is meant to be the voice of the people, plays from different
countries can teach us a lot about other cultures. It can teach us a lot about
their current political issues, social issues, historical events and cultural
traditions.
 Question:
If theatre is supposed to
mirror society, and should be
socially relevant to its
audience, what are some of
the themes or issues that an
RVMS theatre company
would try to bring to the
stage?
Ask yourself what issues do
students at RVMS face every
day? What every day issues
should be given a voice?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq0Ohvo_b1U
 The regular narrative is turned into simple dialogue.
 The speaker is indicated by their name or title fallowed by a colon (:),
rather then explanatory phrases (Bill said, said Bill, replied Bill).
 Example:
Narrative Dialogue: “For someone so smart he sure acts stupid,” said
Jenna.
Script Dialogue:
Jenna: For someone so smart he sure acts stupid.
 Usually a theatre script does not have a narrator like in
a short story or a novel. It usually only consists of real
people speaking as they do in real life.
 However, In a Reader’s Theatre script the narrator of
the story actually becomes one of the
speaking/performing characters.
 “Martina!” A shout echoed around the gym. The short guy beside
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me cringed as the crowd parted like the Red Sea for three guys.
The entire gym went silent.
“M-my name’s M-M-Martin, Shane,” the short guy said,
clutching his schoolbag.
“Oh, excu-u-u-use me.” Shane got right up in Martin’s face.
“Still a total loser, eh, Ma-ma-ma-martina? Some things never
change.”
“Same dork, different day,” the tallest of the three echoed.
“Hey,” Shane grabbed the leather schoolbag hanging on a
long strap across Martin’s chest. “Nice purse, Martina. You don’t
mind if I do a little back-to-school shopping, do ya?” Shane
pulled the strap until it tightened across Martin’s chest.
From the look of Shane, back-to-school-shopping was not
his thing. His ratty jeans and dingy T-shirt looked like they’d
been worn all summer. Even his sneakers had holes.
 [Enter Shane with two other boys. Shane is wearing ratty
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jeans, a dingy old T-Shirt and a pair of worn sneakers with
holes in them.]
Shane: Martina!
Martin: [While cringing and clutching his school bag.] Mmy name’s M-M-Martin, Shane.
Shane: Oh, excu-u-u-use me. Still a total loser, eh, Ma-mama-martina? Some things never change.
Other Bully: Same dork, different day.
Shane: [While grabbing the leather strap of Martin’s school
bag.] Hey. Nice purse, Martina. You don’t mind if I do a
little back-to-school shopping, do ya?
 Narrator 1: The gym was packed that first day of grade nine.
 Narrator 2: Among the crowd, I recognized our classmates from St.
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Anne’s.
Narrator 3: Some looked different.
Narrator 1: Others were trying to.
Narrator 2: As though new pants or a new hairstyle might help us
believe we belonged here.
Narrator 3: But then I saw someone who was the same as ever.
Narrator 1,2 & 3: [together] Will.
Jenna: What’s he doing?
Narrator 1: Jenna asked.
Narrator 2: Watching him creep along on his elbows and knees, nose
to the floor and butt up in the air.
Narrator 3: I shrugged.
Katie: Leave it to Will to find the one bug in a room of a hundred
people.
 A Reader’s Theatre performance can have the visual and
performance elements that are found in regular theatre.
- Costumes, props, physical articulation (body movement),
etc.
- Normally however physical acting is kept to a minimum
due to the fact that the actors read from their scripts during
a performance, rather then completely memorize their
lines. However some physical articulation is strongly
encouraged since it makes the performance more dynamic
and engaging for the viewer.
- The use of props is also minimal since the performers
might only have one free hand due to their scripts. But
again, using props is encouraged if it’s at all possible.
 “A play write and a theatre company both succeed
when the dialogue seems to hang so naturally on the
lips” (Deverell).
 http://goanimate.com/videos/0VHpoXxWFU1w?utm_
source=linkshare