SPEECH AND THEATER ARTS (AB-4)
The history of drama includes liturgical drama, cycle plays, and historical dramas. Elements of drama include plot, setting,
character, and language.
History of drama
Liturgical drama
A type of drama that was part of Catholic church worship, typically performed by clergymen in a church setting
Cycle plays
A new type of religious drama that began in the late 12th century and was performed outside in church courtyards
Historical drama
A dramatic work set in a past time period, often used in film and television
Elements of drama
Plot
The arrangement of events in a play, including what is shown on stage and in what order.
Setting
The time and place in which the drama unfolds, including the physical, social, cultural, and historical context
Character
The people in the play, including their personality, beliefs, and principles.
Language
The use of verbal tricks and nuances to convey the setting and time of the play
Theme
The main idea or lesson of the play
Drama and theater can educate, entertain, and inspire social change. They can also help people develop confidence and
self-esteem.
Education
Drama and theater can help students develop literacy and critical thinking skills.
Students who participate in theater tend to do better in school.
Drama workshops can help children build confidence and self-esteem.
Entertainment
Theater can entertain audiences with a wide range of emotions.
Theater can provide a cathartic experience for both performers and audiences.
Social change
Theater can promote social discourse, dialogue, and potential social change.
Theater can challenge social norms.
Theater can reflect a society's values, beliefs, and struggles.
Theater can provide a platform for critical reflection and discussion on topics such as politics, human rights, and social
justice.
Personal development
Drama can help people develop confidence and self-esteem.
Drama can help people identify and represent themselves and others
Drama can help people self-explore and flourish their creativity.
Theater is a collaborative art form that uses a combination of movement, voice, words, and visual elements to convey
meaning. It's a performing art that involves actors and actresses performing in front of an audience.
Elements of theater
Acting: The performers use speech, gesture, song, music, and dance to communicate the experience
Set design: Painted scenery and lighting are used to enhance the experience
Costume design: The performers wear costumes that support the narrative
Direction: The director guides the action on stage
FORMS THEATER
Plays, Musicals, Opera, Ballet, Illusion, Mime, Pantomime, Improvisational theater, Postmodern theater, and
Performance art.
Theater's Impact
Theater has a powerful impact on audiences because of the live interaction between performers and the audience. The
audience may lose their powers of independent thought and become swept up in the emotions of the performance.
Theater's Origins
Modern Western theater has many of its themes, plot elements, and stock characters from ancient Greek theater.
Creative Drama
-is a form of theater that uses improvisation and role-play to help people learn and develop social skills. It's often used in
education to help students understand academic concepts.
How it works:
Participants are guided by a leader to imagine, act out, and reflect on experiences
Participants take on roles and act them out as a way of exploring themselves and their surroundings
Participants produce their own dialogs and actions
Benefits:
Helps children with academic work, social skills, and emotional development
Enhances students' skills and abilities
Fosters social relationships
Facilitates knowledge construction
Reorganizes cognitive patterns
Encourages participants to express their identities, values, and goals
Techniques sense memory improvisation exercises, pantomime, role-play, and characterization.
Use in Education:
Creative drama can be used to integrate arts education into core curriculum
Creative drama can be used to bring curriculum to life
Creative drama can stimulate active involvement in the development of conceptual understandings
Role-playing
-is the act of pretending to be someone else and behaving accordingly. It can be used in many situations, including games,
training, and conversations.
Uses of role-playing
Games: Role-playing games (RPGs) can be tabletop, live-action, or electronic. In video games, players can choose how
their character interacts with the world.
Training: Role-playing can help people prepare for difficult situations, improve communication, and see problems from
different perspectives.
Language learning: Role-playing can help people learn new languages.
Psychotherapy: Role-playing can be used in therapy.
Brainstorming: Role-playing can help spark brainstorming sessions.
Service design: Role-playing can help express the value of an idea.
How to role-play:
1. Identify the situation
2. Add details
3. Assign roles
4. Act out the scenario
5. Discuss what you have learned
Improvisation is the act of creating something on the spot, while pantomime is a dramatic performance that uses
movement and facial expressions to tell a story without words.
Improvisation Creating something on the spot, acting without a script, and Creating dialogue and action as you go.
Pantomime
A dramatic performance that uses movement and facial expressions to tell a story without words .
A skill of creating invisible objects in space.
Using tension in your muscles to make it look like an object is hard to pull.
Activities:
Pantomiming Tales: A game where partners face each other and mimic the leader's movement
Ball Toss: A game where students form a circle and toss around an imaginary ball, adapting their movement according
to the size and weight of the ball
Hangman Charades: A fun game for middle school and up
Concept Charades: A challenging game of improvisation and creativity for advanced middle school and up
Scripted performances are pre-planned and delivered orally, while non-scripted performances are spontaneous and not
pre-planned.
Scripted Performances
Are written down and then delivered
Are carefully crafted by writers and directors
Offer a controlled experience with every line of dialogue and scene planned out
Non-scripted Performances
Are spontaneous and not pre-planned
Can include content that is loosely structured but guided by a broad overview of topics
Can include dialogue that is spontaneous and of the moment
Examples of Scripted and Non-Scripted Performances:
TV
Scripted TV formats are carefully crafted with writers and directors controlling every line and scene.
Role-play
Scripted role-play is often used to improve student speaking proficiency. Non-scripted role-play can be complicated and
may create a stressful atmosphere for students.
Related Terms:
Unscripted: Means not scripted or lacking a script.
Unscripted idea: An idea that has not been planned for or anticipated.
Mask or Puppet can take on which ever character or personality that is impressed onto them. The individual can create
something which can be highly personal to them either as a character or be representative of them or their situation.
In theatre, we often use the term "multicultural" to describe authors who are non-white or who have non-European
heritage. But "Multicultural Theatre" includes playwrights writing from many different traditions and cultures.
WEEK 11-12
The theatrical process
- is the collaborative process of turning a script into a performance. It involves many factors, including the creative team, the
space, and the audience.
Creative team
Playwrights: Create the script
Directors: Oversee the creative team and stage appearance
Actors: Memorize lines, portray characters, and engage with the audience
Production
Lighting: Create the lighting for the performance
Stage props: Create the props for the performance
Costume design: Create the costumes for the performance
Music: Create the music for the performance
Backstage support: Provide support backstage
Space
Theater space: The physical space of the theater can affect creativity
Audience
Audience members: Receive the performance and contribute to the experience
The Process
Directors and performers prepare the script
The creative team coordinates to bring the script to life
The artists' work is brought together to create a performance
The theatrical process is a transformation of one art form (text) into another (performance).
In summary, while film critics provide informed analysis and critique based on expertise, the film audience engages with
films on a more personal and emotional level, leading to different types of feedback and evaluation.
The element of Space in Drama means: The performance and audience area. Space involves the way the performance
area is used to communicate meaning, define settings, represent status and create actor and audience relationships. -
SA Department of Education Drama resources, 2021.
Playwriting
-is the act of writing a play's script.
Involves creating a storyline, writing dialogue, and describing actions
Involves injecting drama and emotion into the script
Dramaturgy
-is the process of adapting a story for the stage. Playwrights and dramaturgs work together to bring a playwright's vision to
life on stage.
Involves studying dramatic composition and how to represent drama on stage
Involves adapting a story to make it suitable for performance
Involves manipulating a narrative to reflect current issues
Involves considering the audience, place, and moment of the performance
Playwriting and dramaturgy programs:
Some universities offer programs that combine playwriting and dramaturgy.
These programs can help students develop writing skills, learn about dramatic structure, and work on production
processes.
Graduates of these programs may become playwrights, dramaturges, theater critics, or academics.
Scene design
-also known as scenic design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions, film, and television. It's a collaborative art
form that involves the design of sets, costumes, props, and lighting.
Purpose
Scene design creates a sense of place and helps tell the story
It helps sweep the audience into a different world onstage
Process
Analyze the script
Develop ideas with thumbnails and rough models
Collaborate and revise
Draw and render
Theater Acting
-Is a performance style where actors portray characters on stage in front of a live audience. It's one of the first acting styles
actors learn, but it can be difficult to master.
What's involved?
Interpreting scripts: Actors interpret a writer's script to entertain or inform the audience.
Using body language: Actors use facial expressions and body language to convey emotions and tell stories.
Connecting with the audience: Actors must connect with the audience in real-time.
Delivering the same performance: Actors must deliver the same performance with new energy each time they
perform.
Tips for becoming a theater actor:
Participate in school activities
Take acting classes
Participate in local productions
Get headshots taken
Create a resume and portfolio
Create a demo reel
Audition for bigger productions
Other acting media:
Acting can also take place in film, TV shows, commercials, radio, podcasts, and new media.
Draft, plan, and make white models
Create a full-color, scale model or rendering
Principles:
Some principles of design in theater include:
unity, variety, balance, proportion, emphasis, and rhythm.
Other names:
Scene design is also known as stage design, set design, production design, and scenography.
Applications
Scene Design
-is used in theater, opera, ballet, film, and television.
Directing a Stage Play
-involves guiding actors to bring a script to life through creative interpretation and performance choices, while producing a
stage play focuses on the logistical and financial aspects of mounting the production, including securing funding, finding a
venue, casting actors, and managing the overall budget and schedule.
Key Responsibilities of a Stage Play Director:
Script Analysis:
Thoroughly studying the script to understand the plot, characters, themes, and author's intent.
Concept Development:
Creating a clear artistic vision for the play, including the overall mood, style, and interpretation.
Casting:
Auditioning actors and selecting the best fit for each role.
Rehearsal Process:
Leading actors through rehearsals, guiding their character development, blocking (stage movement), and line delivery.
Collaboration with Design Teams:
Working closely with set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, and sound designers to create a cohesive
visual and aural experience.
Performance Refinement:
Polishing the play through technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals, ensuring a polished final product.
Key Responsibilities of a Stage Play Producer:
Fundraising:
Securing necessary funding for the production through grants, sponsorships, ticket sales, or personal investment.
Venue Selection:
Finding a suitable theater space that aligns with the production needs and budget.
Budget Management:
Creating and adhering to a detailed budget, allocating funds for all aspects of the production.
Crew Hiring:
Assembling a production team including stage managers, technical crew, lighting technicians, sound engineers, and
costume crew.
Marketing and Promotion:
Developing marketing strategies to attract audience members, including advertising, social media promotion, and press
outreach.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance:
Ensuring adherence to all necessary permits, licenses, and safety regulations.
The Production Process:
1. Script Selection:
Choosing a play that aligns with the company's artistic goals and audience expectations.
2. Pre-Production:
.
Casting actors
Design meetings with set, costume, lighting, and sound designers
Budget planning
Rehearsal space securing
3. Rehearsals:
.
Initial read-throughs
Character development exercises
Blocking and stage movement
Technical rehearsals with set and lighting integration
.
4. Production Week:
.
Dress rehearsals
Final technical checks
Opening night performance
Important Considerations:
Artistic Vision:
A clear and unified artistic vision is crucial for a successful production, ensuring all elements of the play work together
harmoniously.
Collaboration:
Effective communication and collaboration between the director, producer, designers, actors, and crew are essential.
Audience Engagement:
Understanding the target audience and tailoring the production to resonate with them.
WEEK 13-17
In a classroom setting, linguistic activity often focuses on structured language learning through activities like drills, grammar
exercises, and controlled conversations, while in society, linguistic activity is more spontaneous and diverse, including casual
conversation, slang usage, adapting language to different social situations, and negotiating meaning in real-time
interactions.
Classroom Linguistic Activities:
Formal presentations:
Students deliver prepared speeches, practicing proper pronunciation and grammar in a controlled environment.
Debates:
Students argue for or against a topic, practicing persuasive language and critical thinking skills.
Role-playing:
Students take on different roles to practice specific dialogue scenarios, like a doctor-patient interaction.
Vocabulary building exercises:
Matching words with definitions, filling in blanks, or using flashcards to learn new terms.
Grammar drills:
Repeated practice of grammatical structures through exercises or sentence correction.
Reading comprehension questions:
Analyzing written text to answer questions about the content, focusing on understanding vocabulary and main ideas.
Societal Linguistic Activities:
Casual conversation:
Informal, spontaneous exchanges with friends and family, using slang and colloquialisms.
Negotiating meaning:
Adapting language to different contexts, clarifying misunderstandings in real-time interactions.
Storytelling:
Sharing personal anecdotes or experiences with others, often using descriptive language and gestures.
Jargon use:
Employing specialized vocabulary within specific professional or social groups.
Code-switching:
Fluently switching between different languages or dialects depending on the situation
Social media communication:
Engaging in online conversations through text, emojis, and memes, often with informal language
Key Differences:
Structure:
Classroom activities are often structured and teacher-led, while societal interactions are more spontaneous and
flexible.
Focus on accuracy:
In the classroom, emphasis is often placed on correct grammar and pronunciation, whereas in society, communication
effectiveness is prioritized even if minor errors occur.
Social context:
Classroom interactions usually occur within a controlled environment with limited social context, while societal
language use is influenced by cultural norms and social dynamics.