Download The Production Process

Theatre Production
A collaborative class production
Key Concepts
Playscript/text
Context
Intended meaning
Interpretation
Production/realisation
Production stages/processes
Stagecraft
Playscript/text
Refers to both a whole play and
extract(s) from a play(s)
Context
The world of the play, from the
immediate to ever-broadening
perspectives
Historical context: referring to periods,
eras or times, such as Elizabethan
England or the period of World War II
Cultural context: referring to more
general social morals or conventions
which determine societal behaviour,
such as weddings and popular
entertainments
Social context: referring to aspects of
personal life during a particular period,
era or time, such as how people tended
to relate to their family and friends
Intended Meaning
Refers to the intention of the playwright as well as the
performance interpretation. The perceived intended
meaning of the playwright may differ from the
performance without the performance being
considered “wrong” or to have failed. The starting
point of all performances is the playwright’s intention.
The end point is the intention of the director,
performers and the enacted performance itself.
Interpretation
The process of making decisions
about the
presentation/performance of a
play, piece, and/or character. An
interpretation is one example of
how a text may be performed.
There is no definitive or perfect
interpretation of a text.
Production/Realisation
The production of a play
or script assumes a
performance before an
audience, incorporating
stagecraft appropriate to
the chosen style. The
realisation is the actual
performance, as distinct
from the planning,
development ad
evaluation.
The Production Process
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Producing a show
The Production Process
When putting on a theatre show there are many stages
in the production process.
Pre-production - planning and development
Production - the production season
Post-production - evaluation
Pre-production - Planning and
Development
Planning – the preliminary
processes of preparing for a
production.
Includes research, initial
design concepts and the
preparation of a production
schedule and booking of a
venue
Development – taking the
initial concepts and ideas to
the next stage.
Includes rehearsals,
construction and
organisation of props etc.
Production - Production
Season
Bump-in
Tech and dress rehearsal
Performances
Bump-out
NOTE – there may be development between
performances
Post-production - Evaluation
Evaluation of the relative success
and/or failure of all components of
the production and production
process – considers audience
response.
Evaluation of the ways specific
stagecraft contributed to the
production and achieved the
intended aims
Stagecraft
Components of a show
Stagecraft
The areas of production are called stagecraft elements,
and each contributes to creating a theatre show
Acting
Directing
Choreography
Design – costume, make-up, sound, lighting, set, props
Publicity and marketing
Production management and stage management
Production Roles
The people who make it
happen
Director
The Director’s Role
Has creative control of a production
Manages creative side of the production process in
collaboration with production team
Runs meetings with production team and actors
Works with actors, helping them develop their performances
Runs and gives notes during rehearsals, tech/dress
rehearsals and performances
Runs debrief meeting and discussion with production team
Dramaturg
The term dramaturgy comes from
German meaning, ‘dramatic
adviser’
The Dramaturg’s Role
Research the period in which the play is set to help the
designers and cast get a ‘feel’ for the era the play is set in
Research the era in which the play was written and the world of
the playwright – to help the director and cast get ‘into the head’
of the playwright to work out why certain characters, events
and settings were used
To research previous productions of the play to help the
director, designers and cast with their own interpretation
Research various aspects of the script that the director, cast, or
designers either need more information about or are unsure
about
Set Designer
The Set Designer’s Role
Conducts research based on initial concepts for set
Annotates examples of the set design from initial
ideas/concepts through to final design
Constructs and maintains the set
Attends meetings with director and other members of
production team
Attends debrief meeting with director and other
members of production team
Lighting
Designer
The Lighting Designer’s Role
Conducts research based on initial concepts for lighting
Annotates the script from initial ideas/concepts through to
final design and lighting cues
Rig, focus and plot lighting
Attends meetings with director and other members of
production team
Attends debrief meeting with director and other members of
production team
Costume
Designer
The Costume Designer’s Role
Conducts research based on initial concepts of costume
Annotates examples of the costume design/s from initial
concepts through to final design/s
Makes and maintains the costumes and costume breakdown
list
Attends meetings with director and other members of
production team
Attends debrief meeting with director and other members of
production team
Hair & MakeUp Designer
The Hair & Make-Up
Designer’s Role
Conducts research based on initial concepts of hair and
make-up
Annotates examples of the hair and make-up design/s from
initial concepts through to final design/s
Acquires supplies and conducts hair/make-up trials
Applies hair/make-up designs and maintains supplies
Attends meetings with director and other members of
production team
Attends debrief meeting with director and other members of
production team
Actor
The Actor’s Role
Annotates script and conducts research based on initial ideas
Learns lines and practices character role
Attends rehearsals and workshops with the director and other cast members
Attends debrief meeting with director
To bring their character and performance to life, actors need to use:
Expressive skills
Involves using the voice, body, movement, gesture and the use of space. Basically
these engage the physicality of acting through interpreting the character for
performance
Compositional skills
Involves the creation of belief, and the specific intent/focus of the actor through the
realisation of character. Basically these are the interpretative skills that an actor uses
in the creation of a character
Which roles interest you?
Go to:
http://getintotheatre.org/job-profiles
Research three roles, relevant to our class project,
which interest you
Answer these questions:
What’s involved in the role?
What aspects of production are they responsible for?
How might this change in a school production run by
students?