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Unit 1 Notes Introduction

The document outlines key concepts and figures in theatre, including definitions of aesthetics, notable playwrights, and the collaborative nature of theatre. It emphasizes the uniqueness of live performances and the audience's role in suspending disbelief. Additionally, it describes plot structure, character roles, and theatre etiquette.

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Coley Boyd
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4 views2 pages

Unit 1 Notes Introduction

The document outlines key concepts and figures in theatre, including definitions of aesthetics, notable playwrights, and the collaborative nature of theatre. It emphasizes the uniqueness of live performances and the audience's role in suspending disbelief. Additionally, it describes plot structure, character roles, and theatre etiquette.

Uploaded by

Coley Boyd
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

● Questions to answer

○ Define “aestethics”
○ Peter brook, what book did he write?
○ Agustal bola, brazilian theatre director and founder of the theatre of the oppressed
○ Oscar wilde:We want to create it, not to define it
○ Aristotle:first drama critic
○ Peter shafer:black comedy
○ Convention
○ Samuel taylor coolridge:the willing suspension of disbelief
○ Samuel becket:waiting for godot
○ Sophocles:oedipus the king
○ Harriet beecher stowe:uncle toms cabin
○ The living newspaper:news and politics through theatre
● Theatre is highly collaborative
○ Actor is the bare minimum, like the barest minimum
○ Other key players
■ Director
■ Stage manager
■ Designer
● Lighting
● Costume
● Set
● Sound
● How is theatre different?
○ Live theatre can’t be replicated.
○ Once a performance is over, it only exists in the memory of those who have seen
it.
● Convention or suspension of disbelief
○ Audience convention:an unspoken agreement between the actor and audience
concerning a fictional reality
○ Samuel taylor coolridge:he coined the term the willing suspension of disbelief for
audiences to put aside any doubt about a narrative being presented
○ The audience chooses to believe the reality put before them as long as the actors
hold up the bargain and support the established reality.
● Plot structure of many plays
○ Exposition
■ Lays the background of the play
■ Lays the groundwork for the play’s action
■ Provides information about the setting, characters, backstories, etc
○ Rising action:action of the play, using small conflicts to rise tension as we
aproach the climax
○ Climax:highest emotional point of the play
○ Falling action:starts the resolution
○ Denoument or resolution:when the final loose ends of the plot is resolved
● Who takes the plot journey
○ Protagonist:Our main character who goes along the journey
○ Antagonist:Someone who opposes our protagonist
● Theatre can be allegorical, which means it can convey a hidden meaning through actions
and events, conveying a moral, spiritual or political meaning.
● Theatre ettiqute:
○ Arrive on time
○ Do not talk or use your cellphone
○ Do not eat or drink during the show
○ Do not open candies with loud wrappers.
○ Side notes:Show your appreciation by clapping, and never say good luck, say
break a leg

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