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SARAH’S DRAMA STUDY NOTES 8/4/08
About Absurdist Plays
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depict humans as oppressed by ‘non-man’ and forces outside their control
life is a ‘waiting period’ that is painful and monotonous and the only
escape is either routine or fantasy
nothing is absolute, everything is relative
Features of Absurdist Plays
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obscuring the distinction between humans and non-humans, suggesting
humans and animals are interchangeable (e.g. Lucky)
often using disconnected and non-communicative speech
references to God abandoning the human race to isolation and alienation;
the myths or illusion of an omnipresent being holding sway over the
human race
the idea that without hope, time and space are meaningless
the idea that within the concept of time, everything had happened before
idle songs, dances and jokes
violence, sex and simple hygiene taken to hedonistic (no moral constraint)
excess
inanimate objects coming to life and taking on significance
the suggestion that if humans are strong enough to face reality, they are
left to the only certain escape – death - possibly through their last wilful
choice – suicide
Symbolism
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a representation of something
symbols are used to represent greater meanings
anything we give special meaning to (object, picture, action)
symbols are used everyday and play an important part in our experience
of the world
some have universal meaning which everyone understands (e.g. gold
wedding ring = marriage and the emotional, legal and practical
implications of being married)
many symbols used in theatre are sounds and actions
soundscapes create deeper meanings to actions (e.g. beating of a heart =
symbol of life)
music creates symbolic meaning (e.g. soft violins = romance)
movement has symbolic meaning (e.g. shaking fist = threat)
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skilled designers use symbols to design sets, costume and lighting to
convey meaning
masks used in theatre (since ancient Greek times) symbolise aspects of
character and emotion (e.g. commedia dell arte masks = medieval)
the most important factor in conveying symbolic meaning is the character
themselves in a play, characters have a symbolic dimension, expressing a
particular idea belief or view on human experience
Symbolism and Expressionism
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the movement in theatre began in the early 20th century as playwrights
began to use non-realistic form and styles in their plays
the symbolists explored the world of the subconscious mind and dreams
(ancient Greeks explored this in their myths e.g. Pandora’s box)
symbolists believed in using subconscious memories and thoughts in
drama by using symbols that would take the audience to a higher level of
reality and understanding about everyday life as opposed to the simplicity
of Realism and Naturalism
their ideas were expressed in abstract forms
Playwrights
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Maurice Maeterlinck used symbolic techniques for his plays (e.g. “the
intruder, the blind, the bluebird”)
He believed that most dramatic movements onstage should be static and
silent, with thought and mystery
His plays are famous for sound interspersed silence, frequent vocal
repetition and dreamlike colour combinations in lighting
The plots and characters in Maeterlinck’s plays are bit based on realistic
circumstances, they live on another plane, on a mystical level – in this
world beyond reality his characters appear to move through a dream
August Strindberg wrote plays that followed a pattern of dreams in which
anything seemed possible and where time and space were reality
He believed that by using imagination in combination with memory,
fantasy, absurdity and improvisation, a playwright can create new patterns
of existence
His characters were not based in reality, but were split, doubled and
multiplied, then vanished and reappeared in a dramatic structure held
together by the dreamer (e.g. Ruby Moon)
These playwrights were experimenting with new forms of drama. They
would often reflect what was happening in society (e.g. technology,
psychology and world events)
Artaud & Theatre of Cruelty
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a French theatre practitioner in the 1920’s
described theatre in terms of ritual and myth
expected the audience to experience trance and inspiration
aimed to take the audience from the present to a more primitive past by
eliminating words and script
saw life and theatre as a “double”, one reflecting on the other, called this
‘Theatre of Cruelty’
his cruelty was the psychological purging of the humans soul,
freeing us from the bondage of discussion and logic
believed theatre would have the power to disturb the audience so much
that they would be impelled to take action and re-evaluate their lives
to do the above he would use shocking and violent and sometimes
pornographic techniques
he wanted to reach the subconscious mind of the audience and
subject them to emotional and primitive responses
Samuael Beckett
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born in Ireland, lived most of his life in Paris
one of his most important plays is called ‘Waiting for Godot’
when it first appeared on stage it provoked a storm of criticism
nothing happens during the entire play, it does not even tell a story, its full
of pauses and silences, strange uses of language and peculiar people
In the play, 2 actors are waiting for God, it seems to hold out some hope
of salvation yet that hope is very uncertain - Godot never appears and
even if he did, what would he give them?
The play can be seen as an expression of Satre’s existential theory, the
actors cannot bear to face the truth that there is nothing to wait for, no
purpose or meaning in their lives
The play is fundamentally about human existence, our struggle to
understand our lives and the conflict between freedom and necessity
The Comic and Tragic Merge in Beckett’s Plays
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any line spoken in one of his plays can provoke either laughter or despair
actions, characters, dialogue and stage business are a tragicomedy
commentary on the infinite complexities of our daily lives
The Elements of Theatrical Design
Line
– has 2 different meanings in both set and costume design
– costume: refers to the shape or silhouette of the costume design, different
designs emphasise the horizontal or vertical line and shapes of a
costume, can also address some of the historical needs of the design
– set: used to give definition to boundaries with the hope of evoking an
emotional response, this contributes to the mood or atmosphere (e.g.
straight lines suggest stability, horizontal suggest calmness and
tranquillity, vertical indicate dignity, height, hope and power, curved lines
create romantic appearance, lagged lines connote chaos, injustice and
pain and diagonal imply conflict or uncertainty)
Mass
- identifies shape, size and gives feelings of weight
- important in set designs for tragedy (e.g. thick, horizontal mass creates a
sense of oppression, vertical gives impression of power and dominance, a
dark mass on stage appears heavier than light coloured objects)
- in costumes mass is used to emphasise a characters bulk, size or stature
Colour
- stimulates the visual senses so as to produce different emotional
reactions, helps establish moods and atmosphere
- costumes: gives focus to particular character and makes them stand out,
also differentiates one group of characters from another, a dominant
colour scheme can be effective in strengthening the mood and
atmosphere
WARM COLOURS
COOL COLOURS
NEUTRAL COLOURS
Appropriate for emotion
scenes and comedies
Appropriate for dramas
and tragedies
Appropriate for serious
drams, sombre scenes
RED – passionate,
bloody; danger, death
BLUE – tranquil, cold,
spiritual
GREY – sombre
ORANGE – lively
YELLOW – cheerful
PINK - romantic
GREEN – jealous, evil,
supernatural, also
youthful
PURPLE – regal, mystic,
mournful
BROWN – earthy,
poverty
BLACK – tragic, gloomy;
death
WHITE – innocent, pure,
peaceful
Texture
- Touch or feel of a material, distinctive look and feel, communicates social
class and economic conditions, influences atmosphere and mood
(hardship and poverty portrayed using roughness and graininess of
Hessian, rope, tin and logs – wealth, prosperity and royalty portrayed
using the smoothness and richness of satin, velvet, marble and polished
wood)
Ornaments/Props
- set: add information on status, be used to authenticate particular historical
periods (paintings, curtains, carpets, couches, desks)
- costume: give rank/status, wealth or symbols of office (badges, crowns,
earrings, beads, hats)
Space
- overall performance area
- director: use of staging space formed as result of set design, how actors
are placed on the stage (placement of actors in lines evokes order and
randomly a more naturalistic state, tight performance spaces imply
intimacy)
- set: shape and form of the space, different spaces suggest different
moods and ideas (large minimal sets imply desolation, loneliness and
isolation, tight small spaces imply poverty)
Time
- refers to historical time placements of the production, affect by whether its
realistic or non-realistic in style
- for realistic, costume set etc would be based on existing historical designs
or reinterpretation
Perspective
- viewpoint of the audience
- realistic perspective: objects are realistic in size, style most used
- non-realistic perspective: sets are smaller or larger then they would
appear in comparison with actors (e.g. CATS, INTO THE WOODS)
Balance and Harmony
- balance: attained by various means both through the grouping of actors
and the design of the set
- symmetrical: one side of the stage mirrors the other
- asymmetrical: where items on stage are placed irregularly, yet the stage
still attains a state of balance
- harmony: how well each component of the design works together
- E.g. do the colours work with the lighting and costumes, does the design
of the set work with the chosen furniture etc.
Improvisation
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involves responding spontaneously positively to a given stimulus, so that
you make up a scene as you go along
is spontaneous and unrehearsed
can be used in a role play, to explore realistic situations, to provide
another way of exploring a text, to develop ideas in a script, to provide a
way of getting a cast to work together on common ground, to develop the
skill of observation, listening, concentrating, group cooperation,
imaginative thinking and quick thinking
requires the actor to respond to a new situation instantly and positively
without hesitating or being embarrassed
is not a competitive game, is a tool the actor can use to develop
performance skills
is about teamwork, giving and receiving offers
offering is the process of providing an action to begin or to keep a scene
progressing, should be clear and specific so other performers can keep a
clear picture, becomes the focus of the performance and the audience,
performers must contribute to the focus at all times
accepting is saying yes the an offer that comes from another performer, so
the offer can be developed for the benefit of the scene and advance the
action, accepting is also saying yes to the impulses you feel personally so
that you can also make offers
advancing involves the actor accepting the offer and then contributing a
new idea or focus to the scene, advancing moves the narrative forward to
its next stage
stalling occurs when a performer refuses to take responsibility for the
development of the scene, it is unhelpful, uncreative and does not add to
or advance the scene, asking too many questions or answering an offer
with a question is a form of stalling
gagging is another form of stalling the action that involves responding to
an offer with irrelevant jokes or gags, which have not derived from the
narrative of the scene but are just made for a laugh - gags cause
performers to lose belief in a scene
blocking occurs when an offer is rejected or ignored, the performer says
no to an offer and so stops the scene and breaks the belief which has
been established, blocking prevents the improvisation from developing
stealing occurs when an actor does not share the responsibility of the
scene with other performers but rather persists in dominating the scene by
selfishly maintaining the focus of the audience’s attention to the detriment
of the improvisation’s development
a good improviser makes offers, accepts offers, is specific, avoids stalling,
always contributes to the focus, shares the responsibility for the scene
with other actors, extends the focus before advancing the idea, never
blocks, listens and concentrates
Stanislavski’s System
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a system that allows actors to follow a detailed programme of work
designed to lift their performances to a higher artistic plane
he believed that the actor should play absolute truth of emotion and
thought, and by doing this enact the physical reality of the character, the
character must live through the actor, actors must draw on their own past
experiences and memories to build a life for each character they play,
actors must be prepared to draw on all aspects of their own experience
Stanislavski proposed that is was possible to learn to act, and set
about finding a way to train actors. He borrowed from other disciplines, so
to develop the actor’s voice he used singing exercises and concentrated
on projection and articulation. He knew actors needed both grace and
strength in their movement, but most of all he wanted actors to be able to
control their movement and to be aware of their bodies. To achieve this,
he drew on the principles of mime and dance. Partly as a result of
Stanislavski’s great influence in the field of actor training, we now take it
for granted that actors must work on their voices and bodies throughout
their careers.
Units of Action
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a play is divided into acts and scenes, but these can be further
divided into units of action
each unit of action is defined and controlled by one objective within it,
these push the story onwards
when the objective ends, so does the unit
new units indicate a change of objective and are sometimes marked by
exits and entrances of characters
changes in the objective act as signposts on the journey through the
actions of the character
Beats
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once all units of action have been recognised, they can be broken down
further into even shorter sections known as beats
beats are the individual thoughts or moments that create the rhythmic
changes in the unit
each actor needs to keep the rhythm of the characters actions distinct
from the rhythm of other characters on stage, this helps to create dramatic
tension
Fundamental Questions
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these questions are about the character and the play, the answers are to
be found in the text of the play but once all relevant information there has
been found, supplement it using your imagination
Who am I? Think about what your character is like in terms of personality,
appearance, age, family background, beliefs, prejudices, interests and so on
What time is it? Consider the century, the year, the season, the day of the
week, the month, the date and the time in which the action of the play takes
place
Where am I? Consider the setting of the play. Does it take place in the country or
the city? What kind of house do the characters live in? What kind of
neighbourhood? What part of the room does the action occur?
What surrounds me? Consider your environment. Are there people around
you? Is so, are there many or few? What are they like? Know what furniture,
colours, smells, textures and sounds are around you.
What are the given circumstances? Your given circumstances include the
details of your recent past (what happened to you yesterday, today and five
minutes ago), how you are feeling now, what are about to happen to you and any
other relevent details of your present situation. A character’s given circumstances
change from moment to moment; they are not constant
What are my relationships? Consider your relationships to other characters, to
events and to the things that surround you.
What is my objective? Know what you want n each scene, what your
motivation, or reason for action is.
What is the obstacle? Know what problems you are encountering and what
problems you must attempt to overcome in order to achieve your objective. The
obstacles that stand in the way of the character reaching an objective give rise to
the conflict in the play.
What is the action? The action is what you are doing to get what you want. You
need to know what physical and verbal action you are playing to reach your
objective. All action is the result of the objective; you play an action because you
want to achieve your objective.
What is my super-objective? This is your main goal in the whole play, the
overriding action of the play.