When I was thirteen my step-mom introduced me to theatre first-hand for the first time, when we saw the movie R.E.N.T. It wasn’t until I took Theatre Appreciation, however, that I learned to just what extent theatre can be used as an art to convey a message. I also learned how theatre can turn even the most mundane subjects, such as financing and loan bartering into a suspenseful and emotional story. Throughout the semester Theatre Appreciation introduced me to themes I would not ordinarily find interesting or think to be connected to theatre. At the same time, the class also introduced me to shows that appear stereotypical, but show that not everything is as it seems. Theatre Appreciation made me realize that in theatre even the simplest aspects …show more content…
When I was in high school I had friends that would volunteer to help build sets for the annual school plays, and they would be working on the sets for weeks after school before they were done. Often they would be working around the clock to get it all done, often working from the beginning of the year to the week or so before the show’s premiere. However, it wasn’t until I took Theatre Appreciation that I saw just how much work goes into making a production look good and flow smoothly. The videos that were shown to the class that detailed the stages of set construction were some of the first I have ever seen about building sets and making sure everything connected perfectly, and were the first that showed just how complex the development of sets can be. For example, a tree in one of the videos was built to be able to withstand the weight of the actors, and was designed with an inner structure similar to an actual tree. I had not stopped before then to think about how props would be able endure the wear and tear they are put through, so it was fascinating being able to see how they constructed an artificial tree that acted like the real …show more content…
A few of the costumes we focused on were Scar, Sarabi, and Nala’s props and costumes from The Lion King musical, which were stunning to see in person. However, it wasn’t until I saw them in action at the live performance that I was able to understand just how the costumes looked and performed alone. The costumes were almost another entity the actor collaborated with to play their character, and imbued a grace in them that I don’t think they’d be able to accomplish on their own. For example, Sarabi’s costume carried a sense of regality, and the actress was able to channel that vision through her actions and garb. Without the lioness props the actress would have been able to play the character without a doubt through her actions and costume, but the prop was able to turn the feeling of royalty into something that could be physically seen. Scar’s costume played a similar part, though his costume expressed his personality through his costume nearly as much as the prop, via sharp shoulder plates and claws. His prop was also able to move, and his fierceness was reflected by his prop mask covering the actor’s real face, allowing it to dominate the scene. Another aspect, which was not featured at the museum, was the African garbs the characters wore, which I believe were crucial to reflecting the culture to show
In this area of theatre i have learned more about brainstorming, character position, the effectiveness of music, the effectiveness of light and at what darkness and more about character goals and character formation both physical and vocal.
The costumes, who were designed by Emilio Sosa, were relative to the time period the play was set in, (1938-1983). They started out very simple and I did notice the outfits starting to evolve as the years went on to more sparkly and extravagant looks. The men’s costumes were warm, earthy colors with the exception of a few red, gold, and blue suits while the women’s costumes were colder and brightly colored in shades of pink, gold, and red. I remember one specific costume that the Supremes wore early in the musical. They were knee length, body hugging, and solid gold dresses. They really shined in the lights, making them memorable. To me, these dresses signified the Supremes evolving in their fame. The sound, designed by Peter Hylenski, was really impressive. The music was played by a live orchestra. They played loud enough so that even people in the back, like me, could hear them clearly. The actors’ vocals were live as well and was amplified with small lapel microphones. The sound was well designed and constantly thriving. There never once were any awkward moments during the musical because the sound kept it all
In the beginning, the semi-transparent screen of the title made it seem as if we were going to watch a movie on the big screen. There were very little glitches. The lighting was on point; there was not once where the light shined on a spot that it was not supposed to shine on. If it did, it was not very obvious. The set was moved and taken apart fairly quickly. They made everything a show. For instance, when they transformed the nutcracker into an actual person and enlarged the set, it actually looked like the stage and everything else was becoming bigger. The tree kept expanding with the actor’s movements. Overall, the set directions and props were very
The costumes that Colbert wore fit her heiress life style. She was dressed in the finest silk in the beginning and end of the movie. While she was traveling she was more dressed down, which included her stripped sweater and her below the knee cut skirt. As for Gable, his costumes were very well put together. His traveling ensemble in the movie was a trench coat, jacket, and v-neck sweater over a button-down shirt. There were many different looks in this film, and the audience always feels as if they are looking at something new.
Lazarus, Joan. "On the Verge of Change: New Directions in Secondary Theatre Education." Applied Theatre Research 3.2 (July 2015): 149-161. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/atr.3.2.149_1.
“Theatre is like a gym for the empathy. It’s where we can go to build up the muscles of compassion, to practice listening and understanding and engaging with people that are not just like ourselves. We practice sitting down, paying attention and learning from other people’s actions. We practice caring.” (Bill English of the SF Playhouse). This quote accurately summarises the purpose of Children’s Theatre, to help the growth and understanding of children whilst also keeping them entertained through theatrical techniques. The National Theatre’s Cat in the Hat, along with our performance pieces of Cranky Bear and Possum Magic all showcased these techniques in a number of ways, whilst also subconsciously coinciding with the child development theories
“The theatre was created to tell people the truth about life and the social situation,” says Stella Adler. Theater is unique and intriguing because it blends literary and visual arts to tell a story. Before Theater 10, I viewed theater on the surface level: cheesy plot lines with dramatic scenarios for entertainment purposes. Throughout the course, I have learned what it means to appreciate theater, such as understanding Brechtian and Chinese theatre; however, I believe understanding theater’s ability to convey crucial historical and social messages, such as in the production of RENT, is more relevant and important for theater appreciation.
People remember music and walk out of the theater singing the songs they just heard on stage. They buy cast recordings, memorize the songs, and some, if lucky enough, will play coveted parts in community and regional theaters nationwide.” Overall, even though plays are interesting they don’t always relate or gravitate towards today’s
Applied Theatre work includes Theatre-in-Education, Community and Team-building, Conflict Resolution, and Political theatre, to name just a few of its uses. However, Christopher Balme states that “Grotowski define acting as a communicative process with spectators and not just as a production problem of the actor” (Balme, 2008: 25). Applied Theatre practices may adopt the following “theatrical transactions that involve participants in different participative relationships” such as Theatre for a community, Theatre with a community and Theatre by a community Prentki & Preston (2009: 10). Whereas, applied theatre one of its most major powers is that it gives voice to the voiceless and it is a theatre for, by, and with the people. However, Applied Theatre practitioners are devising educational and entertaining performances bringing personal stories to life and build
Before I started Introduction to Theatre class, I had been only to a couple of plays in my life. Just in this semester I’ve been to about ten plays and have learned so much about the art of theatre. The information I retained from class will help out a lot in the future, but the most important part of this class was the shadowing experience of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With being able to get an inside look at this play during rehearsal and then going to see the performance was an incredible experience. By going to the rehearsal and then seeing the show, I was able to learn and understand more on how the theatre works. From there, I could understand the long process the actors and directors have to go through before the opening show happens.
In the seventies, we could do anything. It was the rainbow coalition, anti-Vietnam, all of those elements. And then we morphed over to where it became extremely straight-laced and non-risk taking. I think we are beginning to take risks again but within those societal norms.” Theatre only goes so far as society will allow it, as showcased by the Conservatory and it being influenced by the culture surrounding it. The mirror that is theatre reflects a culture and what it may want or not want to know, depending on how far it is allowed to
The survival of theatre lies in the very nature of humankind: its inner voyeuristic drive. The desire to watch other people dealing with their conflicts and fates challenges as well as reinforces values and the morality of society. The theatre provides an exciting opportunity to watch stories and situations as if they were real life, showing us the truth of our nature.
For thousands of years, people have been arguing that theatre is a dying art form. Many people think theatre is all just cheesy singing and dancing or just boring old Shakespeare, but there is much more to theatre than those two extremes. Theatre is important to our society because it teaches us more about real life than recorded media. Theatre has been around for thousands of years and began as a religious ceremony that evolved into an art form that teaches about the true essence of life. Theatre can incorporate profound, and provocative, observations of the human condition that can transcend time; lessons found in Greek plays can still be relevant to the modern world. People argue that the very essence of theatre is being snuffed out by modern
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...
Laver, James. Costume and Fashion: A Concise History. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1985. Print