Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The importance of theatre and its role in society
Theatre has changed society
Drama analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The importance of theatre and its role in society
A production dramaturg’s work starts before the production team members’. The dramaturg reads the play like everyone else does, however, they, the dramaturg, needs to become intellectually available to the director, provide insights and background material to the designers, and take the lead in preparing the production book, an onsite repository of vital information; this book starts off smaller at the beginning but, the dramaturg will continue to mold it and shape it as the production continues (Irelan, Fletcher, and Dubiner 3-4, 17). Some of the central components to this book include but are not limited to: a glossary of terms and concepts, notes on the play’s production history, a compilation of pertinent socio-cultural information, playwright information, history/historiography, dramatic criticism/commentary, a scene break-down, notes on genre, pertinent notes on characters (like their specific functions throughout the play), and other references like images of art, architecture, and geography (4). …show more content…
Do you want to be a production
Sometimes, cuts in a play obey to reasons regarding the stage capacity, or your budget. In the essay, we will choose our cuts based on the play only, as we consider it an interesting exercise that will surely help us understanding the play. We decided to read the play a couple of times, highlighting the elements we could cut, and after thinking carefully, these are the parts we would cut. We intended to keep it short, as not to alter the meaning of the play, or hinder any part of the plot, we focused on trimming parts that would not necessarily add up to the plot, but instead, are there to show the human parts of the play, these parts are important in their own right, of course, but in our cut, we focused on the plot, excuse us beforehand if we are too severe, and cut some parts we should have
It is imperative to understand the significance of the profound effects these elements have on the audience’s response to the play. Without effective and accurate embodiments of the central themes, seeing a play becomes an aimless experience and the meaning of the message is lost. Forgiveness and redemption stand as the central themes of the message in The Spitfire Grill. Actors communicate character development through both nonverbal and verbal cues; their costumes serve as a visual representation of this development by reflecting the personal transformation of each character. In the case of The Spitfire Grill, set design is cut back to allow for the audience’s primary focus to be on the actors and their story. Different from set design, the use of sound and lights in The Spitfire Grill, establishes the mood for the play. In other words, every theatrical element in a play has a purpose; when befittingly manipulated, these elements become the director’s strongest means of expressing central themes, and therefore a means of achieving set objectives. Here again, The Spitfire Grill is no exception. With the support of these theatrical elements, the play’s themes of forgiveness and redemption shine as bright as the moon on
Firstly I would set this play in the 21st century so that a modern audience could relate to it. Algernon, one of the main characters in the play, would live in a luxury apartment in the centre of London, over looking the River Thames. His apartment would have a minimalist theme to it and would be influenced by aesthetic; for example he would have a piece of abstract art on the wall for no reason other than that he thinks it looks nice.
Through the centuries, the conventions of drama have been altered in many different ways. These conventions are the setting, plot, characters and staging. The main factor which has been a dominant force during the changes of conventions has been the society. The society present during the time in which a play was written had a direct influence on the plot and characters. This is because drama is defined as a representation of life.
These two plays show dramatically the struggle for authoritative power over the characters lives, families, and societies pressures. The overall tragedy that befalls them as they are swept up in these conflicts distinctly portrays the thematic plot of their common misconception for power and control over their lives.
The players and their play serves to underline the analysis of theatre and its power in ‘Hamlet’, and as functions to make objective comparisons to the ‘real’ characters in the play as well as provoke their actions and thoughts in their reflections of what is past and what is to come in the murders of the old King Hamlet and the inevitable murder of Claudius.
As a Shakespearean tragedy represents a conflict which terminates in a catastrophe, any such tragedy may roughly be divided into three parts. The first of these sets forth or expounds the situation, or state of affairs, out of which the conflict arises; and it may, therefore, be called the Exposition. The second deals with the definite beginning, the growth and the vicissitudes of the conflict. It forms accordingly the bulk of the play, comprising the Second, Third and Fourth Acts, and usually a part of the First and a part of the Fifth. The final section of the tragedy shows the issue of the conflict in a catastrophe. (52)
Snyder, Susan. "Beyond the Comedy: Othello" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987.
This scene is important in context to the entire play because it provides a crucial change of mood.This scene, in one respect, is the climax of the dark, tragic half of the play. The sombre undertones of jealousy, betrayal, anger, regret, grief and sorrow are relieved by the light hearted, slightly comic scene which follows. How the scene is a climax, the events which make the scene tragic, will both be exploredin this essay.
...e power of the written text, the playwright utilizes the characters of the childish yet ready to mature Nora and the protective and appearance-conscious Torvald along with the different aspects of theatre such as the well-decorated drawing room set indicating the importance of money and wealth in the play and movements of the character such as the light and easy way Nora prances about and the fashion Torvald watches and follows Nora like a hawk carefully watches his eyas to ascertain that no danger comes to his young ones. In doing so, a masterfully written play and an even more artistically glamorous performance on the stage remain intriguing to readers and theatre-goers even after the curtains are drawn.
Shakespeare’s tragedies were extremely popular in Elizabethan times and today. A tragedy is described as “a sad, serious story or play, usually ending with the death of the hero. A disastrous, fatal or dreadful event.” By comparing the three plays, Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello it is possible to see how he has used techniques appropriate to tragedy and how he applied them to his plays. The opening of the play is significant because it sets the scene and the preceding atmosphere. When looking at the start of many of Shakespeare’s plays the audience generally discovers the protagonist by other characters. The audience also become aware of where the play is performed, together with important events contained in the play’s plot. In order to compose the openings of the plays it is necessary to examine the way in which Shakespeare uses setting, imagery, language, theme and structure. In doing this it will be possible to understand Shakespeare engages the audience attention in his opening scenes.
Shakespeare uses an allegorical narrative to write about the art of theatre. He uses the characters to represent different aspects of the theatre, while also using language and scenes to remind the audience that they are watching a play. This play demonstrates the blurring and sharpening of the border between art and reality. Shakespeare uses his art to reflect reality through various lenses, while reflecting his art as well. This self-reflexive play was the ideal outlet for Shakespeare to bid farewell to play writing and the theatre.
Margaret Jane Kidnie states “an area significantly impacted by William Shakespeare, Renaissance Theater developed into an influential period of drama deviating upon various elements of perception in each performance” (456-473). Many scholars wrote responses about renaissance drama and staging. There was a diversity of focus portrayed throughout each presentation, therefore resulting in differentiation between performances. Jealousy, gender, and spectatorship were some of the many topics that were represented in theater throughout the Renaissance Era, influenced greatly by William Shakespeare. Having written numerous plays performed during the Renaissance era, “Shakespeare’s influence on drama and staging can be shown through the language of performance criticism,” (Masten 341). interpretation of the drama, different focal points, and the way these plays were performed in relation to the text.
The following work will call your attention to the way in which a playwright and a novelist deploy key stylistic and dramatic effects and will be complete by means of examining a passage taken from each work. To follow a comparison and contrast of the techniques used within the two works will be observed.
And of all the literary forms, drama is the one in which the author/dramatist hardly speaks directly to the audience/reader. Similarly, few dramatists create characters as medium for their thoughts or values. For the most part, dramatists convey ideas through their characters and the plot, rather than in a direct personification of themselves in the way novelists do with narrators and poets do with personas. Writing dramas is an art and it requires hard work and skills to create epic dramas. Like the contributions of William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde are immense to the western world, Girish Karnad’s playwrights are as important to the Indian literature- both vernacular and English.