Theatre Arts

1
Theatre Arts

• Beginning Notes

2
Rules for the Room (Norms)

• Take responsibility for your own learning and the
  steps necessary to accomplish it.
• Help each other to become more skilled
  artists/performers.
• Respect the room, the art form, and each other.
• Follow all given Policies and Procedures.
• Be an active participant in all activities.
• Take calculated and intelligent risks.
• Time is precious - dont waste yours or anyone
  elses.

3
Essential Questions

• Everything we do in the Orientation Unit will
  answer the following questions
• What is Theatre?
• What does it mean to be an ensemble?
• How is theatre an artistic expression?

4
Enduring Understandings

• Everything we do in the Orientation Unit will
  support the following statements
• Theatre is an art form.
• Collaboration is key in producing theatre.

5
Syllabus/PPH Review

• Find 2 other people you dont know well.
• One person will get a Syllabus/PPH packet for
  each person in the group.
• One person will get a highlighter for each person
  in the group.
• The last group member will get 3 sticky notes for
  each group member.
• Find a place in the space and read the section
  Forrest assigned you.
• Follow the directions Forrest gave.
• Put your copy of the Syllabus somewhere safe
  after the activity.

6
What is Theatre?

• Theatre is an art form
• Art is anything which is a product of expression
  and in which it can be interpreted
• Personal expression playwright, director,
  actors, and audience
• Visual expression technical (lights, set, sound,
  costume, make-up, props, etc)

7
3 Parts to Theatre

• The play or script
• The performers (actors, musicians, technicians)
  who show the expression
• The audience who interpret the expression

8
What is the script?

• The what (or focus) is shown (or physicalized)
  about people (or characters) that have problems
  (or conflicts) for some reason (or motivation) in
  some particular place (or setting).

9
An actors job .

• is to make the audience
• Understand the script
• Believe they are the character(s) they are cast
  as
• Respond to the other actors on the stage

10
An audiences job.

• is to
• Be Attentive to the performers
• Understand the story,script,and performers
• Respond or critique the performance (usually by
  applause)

11
Theatre and games/sports are the same!

• Why do we play games?
• To have fun
• To win
• To get better/improve our skills
• In THEATRE we
• Have FUN (are involved)
• WIN (communicate clearly)
• Improve our talents (thinking, speaking,
  movement, stage skills)

12
In what other ways are theatre and sports similar?

• Both establish rules
• Both require all members to work together
• Both must work towards a goal
• Both help develop a skill

13
The vocab is different but the meaning is the same

• Coach
• Players
• Spectators
• Team
• Field/Pool/Court
• Uniforms
• Equipment
• Practice
• Match

• Director
• Actor/Technician
• Audience
• Cast
• Stage
• Costumes
• Props
• Rehearsal
• Performance

14

• The GOAL OF ACTING is
• To solve a problem in a manner or way the
  audience can understand, accept, and become
  emotionally involved.
• The RULES OF ACTING ARE
• Be Aware (focus/concentrate)
• Think (be mentally involved)
• Do (be physically involved)
• Have ensembleness (team work)

15
What is ensembleness?

• Working together as a team to solve a problem.
• If you are not working together then you are
  working against one another.
• Ensemble work requires each performer to
• Listen
• Give and take
• Relinquish power
• Trust that partners will make workable choices

16
Ensemble Notes (cont.)

• Ensemble should foster self-confidence and allow
  you to feel free on stage.
• Ensemble should result in a safe, creative
  working environment. There is nothing quite so
  frightening as being onstage with performers you
  dont trust.

17
Ensemble Notes (cont)

• Skills strengthened through good ensembleness
• Better Eye Contact
• Better Awareness of Self on Stage (open
  positions, not upstaging)
• Better Give and Take (not pulling focus while on
  stage, yet knowing when to take focus in a scene
• Avoid pulling focus by
• Moving only on your own lines
• Staying, listening, reacting, and responding in
  character

18
Class Vocabulary

• Warning means to get ready for a performance
• Backstage the stage manager will tell actors and
  technicians ---- minutes until they get to 2
  minutes, places. This tells all the performers
  to go where they need to be at the beginning of
  the show.
• In the theater the lights dimmer or flicker or
  a bell is chimed so the audience knows the
  performance is about to begin and they need to
  get to their seats.
• In class the teacher or cadet will tell you
  --- minute warning. This is how many minutes
  you have left to work on the performance/assignmen
  t before your time is up.

19
Class Vocabulary

• Curtain the beginning and end of action
• In the theater a physical curtain opens or
  rises and falls or closes and the beginning and
  end of acts.
• In class a performer will say curtain at the
  beginning and ends of performances to let the
  audience know a performance has begun or is over.

20
Class Vocabulary

• Curtain Call to acknowledge or recognize a
  performance
• In a theater actors take a bow and acknowledge
  the talents of the cast/crew/orchestra or anyone
  else who worked on the production while the
  audience applauds.
• In class we applaud and then volunteer to
  verbally critique the performance.

21
Oral Critique Guidelines

• Give Positive Feedback remember everyone needs
  positive reinforcement. Praise 1-2 things that
  the performers did well.
• Be Selective in your Critique avoid
  overwhelming the performers by identifying
  everything you felt they did wrong. Pick 1-2
  things that you fell they need to be aware of.
  Listen to others who are critiquing as well
  there is no need to repeat what has already been
  said.
• Suggest Improvements mention what the performer
  could do to improve their next performance.
• Be Specific give details about the performance.
  I thought it was good is not helpful to a
  performer.