Download THEATRE 102 Making Theatre Happen

Theatre
THEATRE 102
Making Theatre Happen - Journal
Name: ________________________________________
Period: __________
General Vocabulary (NCCAS)
Use the powerpoint presentation to obtain the definitions. Create your own
picture/synonym for each word.
Word
Character Traits
Genre
Gesture
Inner Thoughts
Motivation
Script Analysis
Scripted Drama
Staging
Theatrical
Conventions
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Definition
Picture/Synonym
Theatrical Conventions
Complete the table from the presentation.
Do
3
Don’t
Articulation - ​
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD ARTICULATION FOR
AN ACTOR
The main job of an actor is to use their voice and to communicate to an audience​
; particularly in a play
where the lines will be a very important and integral part of the performance. Therefore ​
it is very
important for an actor to develop a good articulated voice as well as other voice skills​
. Every word that
an actor speaks must be understood by an audience for the performance to be at its most effective,
the lines are the very essence of the play.
Comedy plays, for example, require extended vocal skills and particularly articulation because they are
mostly fast-paced and the jokes must be accurately heard by the audience for it to be funny. Choral
speaking would also call for a chorus of well articulated voices; this would be so that the chorus stay in
unison with one another. For actors using a certain dialect or accent, articulation would be very useful;
for some accents are very hard to understand if you are not familiar with it, therefore using good
articulation would help anyone that was listening to understand much easier. Another type of play that
would need articulation so the audience understand easier would be a Shakespeare performance,
because of its unfamiliar language to today’s audience, good diction is essential to communicate the
lines.
What is articulation?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
__
What do articulators do?
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What articulators does an actor have?
________________________________________________________
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Projection
Projecting is not about yelling, it’s about enlarging your voice so the audience can
hear you. For some, this is a very scary thought but a necessary phobia to
overcome. Having good projection is a skill that anyone can learn.
What is projection? __________________________________________________________________
Why is it important? _________________________________________________________________
Subtext
Watch the “Kevin Spacey talks about Subtext” video
(​
http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/videos/acting-workshop-with-kevin-spacey-dram
atic-subtext​
) and answer the questions.
What is subtext? _____________________________________________________________________
Why is it important? _________________________________________________________________
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Blocking
Blocking is the positioning and movement of the characters to tell the story in visual terms. This
placement can suggest the attitudes of the characters toward one another so the story situation is
conveyed to the audience with or without dialogue. It makes the audience understand, at times
contrary to the dialogue, the inner meaning existing within and between characters.
Blocking should make the dramatic or comedic purpose of the scene so clearly apparent to the viewer
that even a deaf man could understand it. For example, silent films were almost all physical behavior. A
whole generation grew up understanding and enjoying these films.
The visual story reflects the moment to moment failure or success of each character’s struggle toward
their objective, as well as the intensity (commitment) and focus (direction) of their emotions. Blocking is
thus the accumulation of several components: the dramatic relationship, the character’s wants, what
he feels, what stands in the way, and how is the conflict presently resolving. Now when I say winning or
failing, I don’t mean whether the character achieves their end goal, but whether they are succeeding or
failing at specific moments along the way.
Blocking, is therefore, a comparative portrayal of strong and weak movements, and relative positions.
This means that certain body positions; stage areas, planes, and levels along with character
movements have definite values. They inject meaning into the picture and the telling of the story.
What is blocking? ____________________________________________________________________
Why is it important? _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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STAGE ORIENTATIONS AND EMPHASIS
Lets look at the stage areas, the planes, levels, and their relative strengths. The stage is divided into various areas and notated from the actor’s perspective looking out towards the audience. In large opera productions, the back portion of the sloped stage is elevated to facilitate better viewing of the company. This is how the terms upstage and downstage evolved. The rest of the stage is subdivided up right center, down left center and so forth as indicated by the above layout. How did the terms Upstage and Downstage evolve? _______________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Stage directions are notated from who’s perspective? ______________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 8
Relative Strength of Movement
Movement from or to various areas is indicative of its relative strength. The following chart provides the value of lines of movements of a moving figure not only in strong and weak stage movements but also in their relative degree of strength and weakness. Movements that are indicated by the number (1) are the strongest in each set. In this way, important dialogue and business can be strengthen making the character emphatic. On the other hand, a character kept in a weak area until the crucial moment will become stronger going from a weak area into a strong area. In fact, more so than if the character were in the strong area continuously. This principle, that of relative weakness and strength, is true in many areas of blocking. 9
5 Basic Body Positions There are five basic body positions relative to facing the audience or camera. In the ​
Full Front​
, the actor
faces the audience or camera and is considered to be the strongest of the body positions. The full front
position and the one-quarter front position (facing slightly to left or right) are labeled as open
positions. The ​
Full Back​
position has the actor standing with his back to the camera or audience,
usually for a brief period. This body position is usually used for dramatic effect.
With the ​
one-quarter front​
position, the body is turned a quarter away from the camera or audience
either facing slightly left or right. Being an open (strong) position, it is the most frequently used and is
also referred to as ​
three-quarter front​
. When the actor stands or sits facing either to the left or to the
right allowing the camera or audience to see only one side of the face and body, it is called the ​
Profile
Position​
. When two actors face one another in profile, they are said to be ‘sharing’ the scene. Also
referred to as the half position, this body position is not particularly strong. In theatre, the actor
looking to his right is said to be in “right profile” and the left side of the face and body is open to the
audience. For the camera actor, facing to the right is actually the same as a camera left profile. This is
because all positions for the screen actor are designated from the camera’s point of view.
In the ​
Three-Quarter Back Position​
, the actor turns his body nearly full back to the camera or audience,
either left or right so only one side of the head and shoulder is visible. It is the weakest of the five
positions.
What are the 5 basic body positions?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Which is the strongest position? _______________________________________________
Which is the weakest position? _________________________________________________
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