Theater Essays Examples

Theater of the Opressed History of Theatre

Theater of the Opressed

History of Theatre of the Oppressed: Critique of the Community Theatre as a Means of Empowerment in Social Work: A Case Study of Women's Community Theatre

Similar to institutional and professional theatre, community theatre uses a combination of mime, ritual dance, song and drama as a means of communicating messages, knowledge and ideology to the audience (Mulenga, 1993). Nonetheless, community theatre does not purport traditional theatrical components and professional stage production. Rather, this kind of theatre reportedly takes inspiration from the community's life story (Erven, 2001; Mda, 1993; Miller, 1979). In this way, common communal issues are brought to the forefront bringing those who participate as actors or audience members into the "socio-political arena" (Boehm & Boehm, 2003).

Critique

In Boehm and Boehm's 1993 article, "Community Theatre as a Means of Empowerment in Social Work: A Case Study of Women's Community Theatre," the authors posit the general acceptance of empowerment as a social work construct (Guitierrez, 1994; Jackson & Morris, 1999; Rappaport, 1987; Rose, 2000; Solomon, 1976). Although many themes have been posited as to what empowerment entails, a widely accepted construct is the raising of consciousness and the development of critical thinking skills (Lee, 2001).…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Theater Dimly Lit Prison Kitchen It Is

Theater

Dimly lit prison kitchen. It is after hours, and only a skeleton crew is on hand: RAY and ANGELA. They are inside the kitchen, but the spotlight is on TOM and GARY, who sit across from each other in the dining room just outside.

Characters

TOM: Inmate at Phoenix Prison Complex, serving a life sentence for murder.

GARY: Inmate at Phoenix Prison Complex, serving 15 years for assault and battery.

ANGELA: Kitchen worker, 30-year-old female

RAY: Corrections officer, 28-year-old male

Scene 1: Pizza Night

TOM: Tonight's the night.

GARY: Tonight?

TOM: Tonight. You remember what we talked about, right?

GARY: Right.

TOM: What do you mean, "right"? Well? What did I tell you?

GARY: We wait until 2AM.

TOM: Well what time is it, genius?

GARY (looking at a watch that doesn't exist, as his wrists are bare): I don't know.

TOM (exasperated): What time do you get off work?

GARY: What time did I get off work? Uh, today's Friday, right?

TOM: No, it's Saturday. (shouting) WHO CARES WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT IS?

GARY: Because sometimes I work until midnight and sometimes until

TOM: Gary, Gary, Gary, are you nervous? Are you going to fuck this…… [Read More]

Theater History What Better Way

William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Moliere, brought us so many masterpieces not only valuable as works of art, but also as very important sources of understanding the society in the Renaissance. More important, when reading or wathching these plays, we can understand today the universality of Man.

We are not allowed to forget the Asian theater which bears the stamp of the philosophical and religious ideas and beliefs of the times when it was created.

Up to the 20th century, theater continued to play an important role in every society around the world.

Stages and performers and costumes have constantly changed in theater during the ages, but its role in educating people hasn't. It is one of the best ways be make children understand the "surroundings" worldwide, the best way to entertain them, but also the best way to make the very young start asking questions about civilizations and cultures and history. Once started they will never stop wanting to find out more about the world they live in and about its roots.

That is why theater from the ancient Greeks to our days has and is palying a keyrole in education, everywhere in the world.

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia -…… [Read More]

Resources:

Theater in the Elizabethan Age

Elizabethan Theater

Theater in the Elizabethan Age

The Elizabethan period in England was dominated by intrigue at court (which was a constant) and the willpower of Elizabeth herself, but the various people formed a strata that looked more similar to today than most would guess. Throughout recent history, going back a thousand years or so, society is simplistically divided into three groups: wealthy, merchants/artisans, poor. These three can be further delineated, but for these purposes it is not necessary. During Elizabethan times, leisure became more common for the two lower classes and there was more for everybody to do that was meant for pleasure rather than work. Researchers into the period agree that the theater was a major source of entertainment for all of the different groups, but they do not agree how that was structured. This paper will look at the different classes of Elizabethan theater goers and try to determine how they were influenced both as a group and separately.

The theater crowd was greatly restricted in one way. Theaters were an oddity in small towns and villages; it just did not pay for troupes to travel to a small hamlet, or even a group of them, because…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

Theater Order Variety Fortunate Today Because Shakespeare

theater order variety fortunate today. Because Shakespeare the Globe Theater great

It was quite an experience to watch Shakespeare's Globe Theater Production of Othello in 2007. There are quite a few elements of Shakespeare, and of dramatic works in general, that take on different connotations when they are acted out and presented to the public vs. simply being read. These connotations had both positive and negative effects for both of the media in which a play may be absorbed, either by watching it in person or by reading it. As such, they certainly contributed to a unique viewing of Othello.

One of the several aspects of a dramatic work that is enhanced by watching a play is humor. The laughter of the audience, indeed, the audience's very participation in the Globe Theater's 2007 production of Othello, helped to heighten the viewing experience. Whereas in reading a play one merely laughs at the humor in the monologues and dialogues presented within the work, in proper theater there is situation comedy in which there are no words spoken and plenty of opportunities for the audience to laugh. In such a manner was the audience in the Globe Theater's production of Othello an…… [Read More]

Theater Performance

Phantom of the Opera" -- Recent theater performance

What is all the fuss about? For many years, ever since this reviewer was a child, stories have been spun about the wonders of this tale, of Erik, the lonely and murderous phantom of the Paris Opera tunnels, who falls in love with a lovely orphaned ballet dancer and soprano, named Christine. He mentors her in her music through the mirror of her dressing room until she falls in love with a man named Raul. Erik, the phantom, tries to steal her away forever, but only after Christine takes the starring role in the opera he has been writing for the stage for many years. At the end of the play, he allows Christine to live her own life and leaves the theater.

Since this play has been running for so long, much of the cast's chorus is seasoned, and all of the current performers are replacements for the originals. Many of them appear to be singers by training rather than actors, as they tend to sing to the audience, rather than emotionally interact with one another. The only exception is the woman who plays Christine's rival,…… [Read More]

Theater Review of Clybourne Park

Clybourne Park

Most theatergoers are familiar with the poem by African-American writer Langston Hughes, which asks "What happens to a dream deferred?" One of the possibilities offered in Hughes's poem is "Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?" This gives the title to Lorraine Hansberry's legendary 1959 drama A Raisin in the Sun, about the attempts of an African-American family to purchase a house in a largely-white suburb. Bruce Norris's 2011 Pulitzer Prize winning play Clybourne Park is, in many ways, a contemporary rewrite of Hansberry's play -- but it seems to explore the possibility that Langston Hughes hinted at in the last line of his poem: "What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it explode?" Certainly Grant Mudge's production of Clybourne Park, now running at Notre Dame University, is an explosive event -- the fireworks fly onstage in the lively impassioned performances by the ensemble cast, and they continue in discussions held by audience members afterward.

Norris' play is, inescapably, about Obama's America, and more specifically about the widespread but contentious claim that America is now a "post-racial" society. He uses the premise of Lorraine Hansberry's original play to show events taking place before…… [Read More]

Roman Theater

Theatre in Antiquity:

The Romans and the Greeks in a Quest for Entertainment

Entertainment in antiquity was often found at a theater, in the form of a play. Due to the efforts of the Romans and the Greeks in this particular area, we have a rich dramatic culture today. However, as mentioned in the paper, there are basic differences between Roman and Greek theaters. Though both provided forms of entertainment, they did so in different ways. The Roman Theater was often used to prove prowess and authority. Though it included some dramatic plays, this theater, which was in the form of a structure such as the Coliseum, with arches and seating for thousands of people, was often utilized for non-entertainment purposes, such as punishments, combat and executions. This was, again, due to the fact that the Roman society was very hierarchical, and Romans utilized a lot of propaganda to keep this kind of mentality intact.…… [Read More]

Elizabethan Theater

Elizabethan Theater

Elizabethan theatre is a general concept embodying the plays written and performed openly in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1603. The term can be applied more generally to also incorporate theatre of Elizabeth's immediate successors, James I and Charles I, till the end of public theatres in 1642 on the inception of Civil War. (Elizabethan theatre: Wikipedia) During the end of 16th century and inception of 17th century William Shakespeare dominated the theatrical environment, and at that time witnessing a play during afternoon was considered a great entertainment for many members of London society and acclaimed similar popular form of entertainment as that of going to movies and plays presently. A thorough look at the theatre of Shakespeare's time however, will entail many distinctions between the Elizabethan theatre and the movies and plays of today. (Welcome to the world of the Elizabethan theatre!)

During the later part of 15th century, plays were being staged in two kinds of theatre buildings: the private theatre and the public theatre. During 1576, the first public theatre in London was constructed and during the period Shakespeare was bringing out his plays and highest number of play…… [Read More]

Sources:

Philadelphia Dance Theater it Is

(Philadelphia Theater Company)

This year, the magic and the splendor of the Holiday Season would be welcomed by the Philadelphia Dance Theater, which would perform with a hundred artistes, the ever popular holiday season play, the 'Nutcracker'. It must be noted that the very first Nutcracker Ballet performance was given in the year 1892, and it is the story of a young and lonely orphaned German girl named Laura, who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince. This particular production by the Philadelphia Dance Theater Company was choreographed by the 'Artistic Director', Joy Delaney-Capponi, and a very important feature of the play is the profusion of lavish Victorian hand made costumes that the actors on stage wear during their renditions. (100 dancers to welcome the Holiday Season November 12 when The Nutcracker comes to Horsham stage)

One costume in particular is certainly eye catching, and this is the eight feet by ten feet wide skirt that Mother ginger wears during the play, with the purpose of hiding eight children under her skirt during the play. Some of the other dazzling features of the production by the Philadelphia Dance Theater are the 'growing tree', which literally expands from a mere eight feet to…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

Twentieth Century Theater the Group

The theater of the 1930s often saw strategies that wanted to expose the tragedy of American life at the time, but did not want to keep the audience in a state of depression, because after all, that was their everyday experience. As such, many theater productions began implementing multi-faceted strategies which included the combination of several genres in order to provide a flexibility that would both sadden and humor. Here, the research suggests that these plays prompt "us at one moment to objectivity and laughter and at the next moment to empathy and profound sad feeling; or in which the clauses are written to multiply, on top of one another and having an equal or near-equal weight, producing that suspenseful, odd, grotesque response of neither happy-nor-sad, a twist, a painful wringing" (Fearnow 52). The productions of the Mercury Theater definitely embodied that style, as Orson Welles often included in his more melodramatic productions a strange and satirical comedic sense.

Overall, the Mercury Group in many ways embodies the spirit of theater in the 1930s here in the United States. Its productions represented a move into a more modern existence, while still echoing the painful experiences of the Great Depression in…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Movie Theater as a Popular

Perhaps there is something deeper to Twilight than anyone is willing to admit. So, then, we must ask ourselves: What are these films about? Is there not something revealing even about the reflections seen in popular culture? Cannot pop culture, therefore, be considered part of high culture? Must it be discarded simply because it is popular? I don't think that it must. And yet there is something distinctly different about the Tree of Life that Twilight simply does not have. One might call it vision or purpose. Perhaps this is the difference between high culture and popular culture. Needless to say, however, at a cinema one may often choose either/or.

Still, Umberto Eco states that "according to traditional standards in aesthetics, Casablanca is not a work of art, if such an expression still has meaning" (Eco 197). This is an interesting observation by Eco for a number of reasons. First, it points out that one of the most celebrated movies of all time is not what traditionalists or high culture purists would classify as part of high culture: it is a pop culture phenomenon. Secondly, however, Eco qualifies his statement with the curious phrase "if such an expression still has…… [Read More]

References:

Live Theater's Financial Struggles Live Theater Is

Live Theater's Financial Struggles

Live theater is one of the most enduring art forms. In older times, traveling troops performed at different locations, providing one of the more consistent forms of entertainment through much of history. Eventually, cities and larger towns began building buildings that were devoted to players, and theater became a common form of entertainment. However, as movies became popular, the theater began to lose its common appeal. This decline has continued as electronic entertainment has grown more popular. However, in addition to facing competition from other forms of entertainment, the theater is very vulnerable to changes in the economy. As a result, many live theaters seem to perpetually struggle with their finances. This has even led to speculation that, outside of the Broadway context, live theater is destined to fail. While that hopefully is not true, it is certain that live theaters are struggling.

In September 2010, in Bristol, Tennessee, the Theatre Bristol was an example of one such struggling theater. Many local theaters rely not only on ticket sales, but also financial donations, to make ends meet. However, all organizations that relay upon charitable donations struggle in an economic recession and theaters are not immune from…… [Read More]

Sources:

Globe Theater

Globe Theater is the place where most of William Shakespeare's major works including his famous four tragedies were first staged. This fact alone makes it a fascinating subject for students of literature and history to explore. Although the original building was destroyed in the mid-seventeenth century, a new "Globe Theater" has been built near the site of the old theater in London. The building replicates many of the original features of Shakespeare's Globe Theater and still stages some of the bard's plays to give the modern theater going audience the original 'flavor' of the bard's masterpieces. This paper traces the history of the Globe Theater, describes the original building's main features, and covers the recent re-building of the new Globe in the vicinity of the old theater.

Origins

Cuthberg Burbage, an associate of Shakespeare and brother of the most famous Shakespearean actor of the time, Richard Burbage had inherited a London theater called simply 'The Theater.' (Pressley, para No. 3) When the lease on the land on which it was built expired, Cuthberg and his associates including several actors, decided to take the matters in their own hands. They dismantled 'The Theater', transported its material across a frozen River Thames…… [Read More]

Global Theater History as Education

In the Hollywood Pictures Backlot one can take part in an "I want to be in pictures" moment. The Disney Animation attraction provides an insider's view exhibiting the number of Disney's animated movies and characters were created. The Hyperion theatre hosts Aladdin -A Musical Spectacular that is a 45-minute live performance with brilliant visual effects for which one has to wait for nearly an hour. The latest attraction of the park is the Tower of Terror after a 1930s hotel which was shown in The Twillight Zone. The most frightening part of this attraction is the service elevator ride which transports one from the basement of the Hollywood Tower Hotel to the 13th Floor and returns back once again at speeds where people scream loudly. (Sights and Activities: Disney's California Adventure)

Bug's Land, which comes inspired from the film A Bug's Life shows an insect's point-of-view. At the Princess Dot Puzzle one has the choice of cooling off or getting soaked by a huge garden hose pipe and can also ride in pill-bug shaped bumper cars. The short show it's tough to be a Bug gives one a 3-D look at the life of an insect. The Golden State celebrates…… [Read More]

Resources:

Program Evaluation of a University Theater Program

Program Evaluation of a University Theater Program

The purpose of the graduate level theater program at Metropolitan University in Manhattan, New York, is to prepare students to make meaningful contributions to the theater industry. This program incorporates a multi-faceted approach to achieve this objective. It has very specific areas of concentration to assist in improving the quality of performances and shows to galvanize the general public to become interested in the theater as it once was prior to the advent of television and other technological advancements. Its areas of concentration in playwriting, dramaturgy, directing and acting all are designed to fulfill this objective. The program also aims to improve marketing strategies and general sponsorship opportunities/skills so that the theatrical movement becomes revitalized -- areas of concentration in production and theater management are created to address these pressing needs. The program is also attempting to garner student interest in University wide performances, and offers cross-disciplinary studies and interaction to achieve this objection.

In addition to addressing the pragmatic concepts of finance, management, marketing and promotion that are necessary to for both this particular theater and for the theater industry in general to thrive, there are certain aesthetic principles that are at…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Overview of Japanese Kabuki Theater

Japanese Kabuki Theater

Japan's classical theater comprises four major forms i.e. noh, kyogen, bunraku puppet theater, and Kabuki. Japanese Kabuki Theater emerged during the Edo period, which was a period of more than 250 years of peace i.e. between 1600 and 1868. The theater is a reflection of the merchant culture that characterized the Edo period as reflected in its magnificent costumes and scenery. Moreover, the influence of this era on Kabuki is reflected in its plays that comprise larger-than-life heroes and common people attempting to reconcile their individual desires with social obligations. As compared to the other forms of Japanese classical theaters, Kabuki continues to be very popular in the modern Japanese society. Consequently, Kabuki regularly plays to enthusiastic audiences in different theaters such as Osaka's Shochikuza, Kyoto's Minamiza, and Tokyo's Kabukiza. Therefore, this form of Japanese classical theater is regarded as a vibrant and exciting traditional theater in the nation's drama or art industry.

Elements of Kabuki Theater

As one of the four forms of Japanese classical theater, Kabuki is a renowned traditional form of theater whose roots can be traced back to the Edo period. Given its historical and modern significance in Japan's art industry, this conventional…… [Read More]

Measurement and Marketing the Boston Ale Theater

Measurement and Marketing

The Boston Ale Theater

In this scenario regarding marketing questionnaires at the Boston Ale Theater, marketing director Betty Lucas has shown poor judgment in the authorship of her questionnaire, the choice of venue of the marketing questionnaire, and methodology of her information-gathering strategy. All of these factors in combination are sure to result in improperly measured and skewed statistical results.

While the intern in question may be quite competent, this is no guarantee that this individual has a sense of what type of questions will give clues as to the audience the Boston Ale Theater desires and is likely to attract. The intern might simply ask generic questions about age and gender, rather than include other, equally important questions that are more pertinent to the focus of what the public wishes to see.

More importantly, the gender and age break down for the single show being surveyed may not provide a representative measurement sampling for the theater as a whole, but only for that particular night. A Friday as opposed to a Saturday night may attract a different, but still loyal audience. For example, Friday night might be a popular 'date night,' and thus might be more…… [Read More]

Exhibition of Polish Theater Poster

modern art through concepts normally associated with media is a relatively new one. Yet, the dimensions of the context associated with the birds eye view of a culture as viewed through the advertisement for fine art exhibition is a substantially modern and fascinating message. The current exhibition at the IVC gallery of Polish theater posters is demonstrative of a successful representation of the rebirth of an artistic expression. Even in the case that the work itself, the theatrical production, may or may not have been successful the advertisement for it can be seen as an independent work of its own.

The success of Polish poster art had strong artistic foundations and was not only due to the advantageous social conditions. The graphic artists who established the Polish poster school were first and foremost excellent artists. (IVC Gallery Website)

The demonstrative work associated with Polish Poster art created a social movement that funded and established a permanent museum dedicated solely to poster art from the genre.

Two works of particular interest are the poster for Madame Sans Gene, and a poster advertising a production written by the Polish writer Iwan Turgieniew. Both works are a simple female figure in a central…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

Demand and Supply of Home Theater Furniture

Demand and Supply of Home Theater Furniture

Demand and supply are the core concepts of economics and these are what determine the price of any given item. When demand of a certain item increases, it is usually followed by a corresponding increase in supply. And thus the price is affected. However there are times when demand increases more sharply than supply and this causes price to move up. In any case, price is directly dependent on supply and demand trends of a commodity. In this paper, we shall focus on demand of home theater furniture which has sharply gone up in last few years, thanks to home theater systems that promise to provide quality cinema experience at home. William L. Hamilton, 'Coming to a Living Room near You' (2003) focuses on the rising demand for home theater furniture: "The $23-billion-a-year furniture industry is in a state of high excitement over an item of furniture that, in the average living room, looks like a huge Danish. Your local bakery would call it a bear claw. The furniture industry calls it home theater seating. The furniture industry, like many of its domestic brethren, has been having a tough economic time lately. In…… [Read More]

References:

Theatre Today

Theatre Today & Theatre for Me

Theatre, as a genre of creative expression, is still very much valid in the 21st century. It originated thousands of years ago, and still draws crowds in the 21st century around the world. Many of the classic plays of many cultures are still performed, as well as adaptations of other forms (such as films, songs, etc.) are transformed into plays that interest and captivate audiences. Of the plays we read in the course this term, I was able to find value in all of them, but I did not personally enjoy all of the plays.

Theatre today is sometimes based on historical events and figures, as well as new takes on old ideas in modern forms. Many plays are period pieces, and in many cities, such as New York City and London, there is a proliferation of one-person plays (one man show, or a one woman show). Theatre today connects audiences across cultures and time, and this is one aspect of theatre that appeals to me. I appreciate theatre that is stylized and inventive. Though I am interested in classic plays, many young people and young adults do not have the same tastes or…… [Read More]

Theatre - An Art and

Most of Fugard's plays stand as a proof of reality reflected in theatre as an art of real life. Athol Fugard's play My Children! My Africa reflects a cruel reality of his times: South Africa's dehumanizing system of apartheid laws that denied freedom to blacks. Worried that his country would never live in peace, Fugard wrote the play in hopes that the polarization between blacks and whites would end and world will know peace, freedom and understanding between each other. The play is based on a true incident and gives good insights into the situation in South Africa.

My Children, My Africa" is inspired by real events and describes a teacher's attempt (Mr. M) to bring understanding between two of his students: one is a middle class white girl - Isabel - and the other one is a brilliant black boy - Thami - who grew up in Coketown ghetto. The path toward understanding each other is marked by pain, but in the end brings respect and acceptance between the two of them.

This humane and dedicated teacher who believes in the power of ideas, not stones, inspires the minds of the enthusiastic white schoolgirl and black schoolboy and changes…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

Theater of Dionysus

Theatre of Dionysus: Athens, Greece

General history about the theater itself and the history of theater in Greece

The evolution of theater in Greece, and therefore, theater's evolution as an art form over the course of early Western history, may be directly linked to the festivals of Dionysus of the land. Dionysus was the Grecian god of wine and misrule. Over the course of performances of tragedy and comedy written and designed to honor this God, all of Athens essentially shut down to observe the literary performed works of its greatest dramatists and judge them in competition, as well as the ribald satyr plays designed for the populace's enjoyment. Much of the history of the earliest period of Greek drama has been lost. But the earliest theater probably took place in the Athenian marketplace or agora. Eventually this became fixated as a site on the southeast slope of the Acropolis. This site was eventually was chosen for a theater dedicated to Dionysus. (Theater of Dionysus, CUNY, 2004)

The first Greek dramas were largely choral in nature. They then took on the form of alternating a chorus speaking as a collective with the individual voice of a singular actor, the first…… [Read More]

Theatre Women in Sitcoms the

Towards the end of the play, after Argan finds out about the intentions of his wife and those of his daughter, he agrees for Angelique to marry Cleante, the man she really loves, as long as he agrees to become a doctor. Argan's brother has an even better idea by proposing that Argan be made a doctor himself. To this end, he calls some gypies that perform dances and rituals that make Argan a doctor. According to some versions of the play, during these manifestations, the patient suffers from a heart attack and dies.

"The imaginary invalid" is a highly intriguing play, of recurrent notoriety and secular popularity due to the multitude of themes approached. Some of the more popular of these themes include the greed of the principal character, the rivalry between the daughters and the step mother or the pursuit of financial gains.

Greed is one important element that influences the relationships between people. As it has been mentioned before, Argan is a rich man, who affords the services of doctors and apothecaries, but who still pays his bills only in half and complains that he is being robbed. Despite the fact that he disposes of the financial…… [Read More]

References:

Theatre English-Speaking Versions of Hamlet vs European

Theatre:

English-speaking versions of Hamlet vs. European versions

The many contemporary interpretations of Shakespeare enacted on the modern stage underline the fact that Shakespeare was a playwright for the ages, not simply a man of his own time. However, in the ways in which Shakespeare has been adapted to modernity, it becomes apparent that modern directors are just as intent upon revealing their own personal preoccupations as well as revealing the nuances of Shakespeare's plays. This can be seen when comparing British interpretations with European and other non-English language stagings of Hamlet. Although the most obvious difference between these two categories is that British interpretations are in the original language of Shakespeare while European stagings are enacted in translation, the difference runs far deeper. English productions tend to emphasize the psychological, internal conflict of Hamlet and view the play in terms of its psychological drama. In contrast, European interpretations of Hamlet have stressed the social dimensions of living in a Denmark that is ruled by a murderous king with a secret, a place which Hamlet calls a prison. Shifting attitudes towards 'truth' can be seen in the representation of 'truth' and theatricality in Hamlet in all nations' productions, but the…… [Read More]

Sources:

Theatre Art

Shape of Things:

Theatrical Convention from Class: Suspension of Disbelief -- the audience is made to believe that a man or any person for that matter could become so obsessed with a single person that they are willing to completely change themselves, including having plastic surgery and destroying their interpersonal relationships for a person whose only appeal to them is a sexual one.

Potential Convention: Given the subject matter of the play and the heightened emotions the ending portrays at least on the part of one character that I would try to have the actors deliver their dialogue and their attitudes as realistically as possible.

In the Blood:

Theatrical Convention from Class: Pathos -- the audience is meant to feel sympathy for the main character of this play and to understand her sense of desperation and her inability to find a way to preserve herself and her sense of dignity and also support her children.

Potential Convention: Due to the highly tense nature of the play, it might benefit best by containing the setting as much as possible to a single setting, such as directly inside our outside the home of the impoverished family.

Wit:

Theatrical Convention from Class: The…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Theatre Art

Blood by Suzan-Lori Sparks expands on the main theme of society's unfair disregard for its people of low condition in general, for women, and for adulterers. Hester La Negrita, the protagonist, is an African-American woman who struggles to survive in poverty along with her five base-born children. The family's outcast status is portrayed as a direct inducer and accelerator of emotional suffering, poverty, lack of education, and sexual exploitation.

(A) From a structural perspective, In the Blood is constructed in two acts and nine scenes, employing a linear plotline (Rush, 2005). In this sense, the play debuts with the equilibrium of Hester striving to provide for her children in meager conditions, the inciting incident represented by the suggestion to seek help from the available former lovers and fathers of her children, the major dramatic question of whether or not she will attain it, the developing action as Hester approaches Reverend D. And Chilli with this intention and is openly rejected by both, the climax when she violently murders her oldest son, and finally the resolution and renewed state of equilibrium as the tragic hero is imprisoned and can no longer provide for her children.

(A) The literary connection to Nathaniel…… [Read More]

Resources:

Roman Theatre History Theatre Has

Their plays were similar to the Greeks and many of them were just translated versions. Theatre was an instrument used by the administration to keep the public from devoting much time to the political affairs. Thus any mentioning on stage regarding the political situation or activities would have serious consequences for the author for writing it and the actor for agreeing to perform it. In addition it also served as a purpose to get away from everyday life and worries. It was a part of their life and civilization. As time passed by the theatre evolved but women were not allowed to take part in it for a very long time. With the establishment of churches and the influence of popes, women faced yet another problem in getting accepted as being part of the society. Roman theatre was a major influence on the later European theatre and they learnt much from the Romans. It has played an important part in the beginning and evolution of the European theatre. Thus it is necessary for everyone especially children to know about the Roman theatre so that they would be exposed to more ideas and their mind and thoughts would be more open.…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

English French Theatre Similarities and

The machines were used to create vertical and horizontal movements which had not been done before. In other words, a god could be pictured using the machine as floating down onto the stage, or boats moving across it. Night or dawn could appear, or ghosts (Lawrenson 92). Most of these machine-plays were produced at the Theatre du Marais. There is a difference here, too. The French machine plays reached the public, whereas the English masques of the early century were performed mainly for royalty. Certainly the stage sets for court ballets and opera were more elaborate and special than the public designs since they were subsidized by the royal coffers.

Both English and French theatre took over the new Italian techniques for changing scenery. The French theatre abandoned triangular prisms used in conjunction with painted backdrops. At the beginning, these were painted simultaneously and dropped over or pulled back to reveal another scene (Lawrenson 85). The scenes or the built stage had all kinds of buildings: castles, fortresses, temples, palaces, mountains, prisons, gardens, terraces, tombs, forests, grottoes, town squares, landscapes, and street scenes were included. Lighting effects were used to indicate day and night, whereas in the English theatre lighting…… [Read More]

Musical Theatre Is Almost as

" Bob Fosse reached his peak with such shows as "Chicago" and "Dancin." The 1980s saw a decline of musicals, reviving in the 1990s with shows by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Walt Disney and a revival of musical comedies (Musical101.com).

For over two centuries, musical theatre has entertained Americans nationwide in urban areas as well as smaller communities. Many professionals now worry about the death of the musical. Others call it evolving rather than dying. With music and storytelling being so much a part of the heritage of this country, it is much easier to agree with those who see a continuing evolution.

Allen, Robert C. Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture. Chapel Hill, NC:

University of North Carolina Press, 1991.

The Daily Tribune. New York: 12 March 1847.

Henderson, Mary C. Theater in America. New York: Times Mirror, 1986.

McNamara, Brooks. The Shuberts of Broadway. New York: Oxford Press, 1990.

Musical101.com "The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film. 25 January 2005. http://www.musicals101.com/future.htm

Snyder, Robert. In The Encyclopedia of New York City Kenneth T. Jackson (Ed.) New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1995, 1226.

Sobel, Bernard. Pictorial History of Vaudeville. New York: Citadel Press, 1961.

Traub, James. The…… [Read More]

References:

Musical Theatre From Musical to Film it

Musical Theatre

From Musical to Film

It is rare to find a quality musical that is beautifully adapted from the stage onto the screen. In fact, throughout the years, American cinema has ping-ponged between deaths and revivals where musical film adaptations are involved. Flops such as Rent (2005) and The Phantom of the Opera (2004) have shown the world the disappointing result of adaptation. Yet in essence, a successful adaptation is possible; this is evident in the likes of such musicals as Chicago (2002) and Mamma Mia! (2008), all three of which brought back the reason why people view musicals in the first place: for the glitz, the glamour, and the flair of character, song, and dance number. Yet with all of these adaptations, there is no denying the fact that each musical has carried over the same core elements that allow for the production of a movie of the same name. These elements include the musical integrity of the songs, the canonical setting of the production, and the character personalities as shown on stage.

Firstly, in all musical adaptations, it is important to follow through with the musical integrity that had been popular in the stage productions. After all,…… [Read More]

Works Cited:

Influence of Stanislavsky Outside Theatre

Stanislavsky

Constantin Stanislavsky is the father of modern acting theory. His theories which he extols in his four books, My Life in Art (1924), An Actor Prepares (1936), Building a Character (1941), and Creating a Role (1961) have had an unparalleled effect on actors and acting instructors throughout the world. Acting theorists such as Vsevelod Meyerhold, Uta Hagen, and Bertold Brecht have all taken his theories into account while developing their own. Indeed, entire movements in world drama have been in part inspired by the work of Stanislavsky.

But what of his influence on Russia? During Stanislavsky's life and his career Russia went through many changes. Two major events in Russian history would determine the fate of theatre and as a result Stanislavsky. The first was the failed revolution in 1905. "The great rehearsal," Lenin called it and that's exactly what it was. The second major event was the 1917 revolution which in part turned Russia into the heart of the Soviet Union.

Konstantin Stanislavsky developed the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898. The creation of this particular theatre was important in that it differed from many of the other theatres of the time. It was a fully professional theatre organization…… [Read More]

Subscriber Importance to a Live Theatre Venue

Subscriber Importance to a Live Theatre Venue

The Importance of Subscribers to a Live Theater Venue

Live theater is far different from movies and other types of venues. Unfortunately, people often do not realize that, and they take live venues for granted. When they do not see the differences or realize how live theater productions work, they do not realize the value of supporting these kinds of venues through subscriptions or sustaining memberships (Vogel, 1998). Becoming a sustaining member of a live theater venue is one of the best ways in which people who love the theater and want to support performing arts can do so, and has been for some time (American, 1966). The same is true of subscriptions, whereby people get newsletters, tickets, and other information - often in advance and at a discount compared to non-subscribers. While it may not seem significant, these types of helping hands can add up to significant money over the life of the specific play or production, and also over the life of the entire venue.

Live theater works in two ways. It can be a traveling kind of theater where the group moves from place to place with a particular production,…… [Read More]

Sources:

Are Theatre Nurses Equipped With the Skills Required to Perform Pre-Operative Visits

Theatre Nurses Equipped With the Skills Required to Perform Pre-Operative Visits

To Perform Pre-Operative Visits?

Are Theatre Nurses Equipped With the Skills Required

To Perform Pre-Operative Visits?

Dissemination

Are Theatre Nurses Equipped With the Skills Required

To Perform Pre-Operative Visits?

Pre-operative assessment is part of the ER process that many medical professionals believe can be accomplished on the part of nurses in the unit.. The objective listed for pre-operative assessment is that special requirements for the surgery as well as the peri-operative stay should include identification and coordination of all essential resources, should inform the patients and prepare them to proceed and to ensure the patient's fitness for the procedure(s) scheduled. . The nursing team clinically examines as well as assessing all emergency patients before surgery to ensure the fitness of patients to the greatest possible extent. Strategies include, "redistributing cases from emergency to elective theatre schedules, day case emergency surgery, and booking parts of the emergency care process." Stated is that, "these strategies have resulted in significant operational clinical improvements in the care delivery for emergency and surgical patients." (NSH, 2005) Care delivery, autonomy, culture management, information managements, leadership, psychologic management and relationship management processes are all listed as…… [Read More]

Bibliography:

Readers' Theatre

Theater

Over the last several years, there has been a continuing emphasis on finding ways to improve the total amounts of learning comprehension in reading. Part of the reason for this, is because the achievement scores in these areas have been consistently declining. A good example of this can be seen with a study that was conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts. They found that the total number of Americans who are reading on daily basis has declined by 14% in over 20 years. ("National Endowment for the Arts," 2007) The reason why, is because the advancements in technology and availability of different products (i.e. video games and other forms of entertainment) have created a change the kinds of activities they are involved in. Over the course of time, this has caused most children to read less.

To address these issues and help to improve these numbers, a new program was introduced to help motivate students to read more called Reader's Theater. This is when students will read out loud different scripts (from grade level books) with the intention of helping to: improve their reading skills and self-confidence. If this approach is utilized throughout the school year, it…… [Read More]

Resources:

Senator Theater Dating Back to

There is also a beautiful large chandelier in the lobby of the theater.

Another significant aspect of the theater is the tower, which was removed in the 1990s because it was leaning to one side. However, it was restored and has been replaced on the theater. Architect Timothy Pflueger, a renowned architect in the San Francisco Bay Area who designed many other impressive theaters, including the Castro Theater in San Francisco, the Paramount Theater in Oakland, and the Alameda Theater in Alameda, designed the original building. He also designed several significant downtown San Francisco buildings, including the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange, and the Pacific Bell Building (now at&T). He also consulted on the Oakland-Bay Bridge Project. Because he is such a significant architect, his work should be renovated and remembered, just as it is with…… [Read More]

AMC Theaters' Wheel Chair Accessibility

" Highlights of the checklist include:

minimum of one percent of seating must constitute wheelchair seating locations.

Individuals in wheelchairs cannot be isolated from other people. Seating accessible for wheelchairs has to be integrated into business' seating plan.

Every wheelchair seating location must have a companion seat located next to it.

Specialty areas, including sky boxes, must also provide wheelchair seating locations.

To help insure facility does not lose revenue, folding or removable seats can be utilized by individuals not confined to wheelchairs.

More than one wheelchair accessible seating location must be provided when more than 300 seats are provided in a facility.

Admission prices for wheelchair seating (also views) must be comparable general public's admission prices and views.

Locations allocated for wheelchair seating must be on an accessible route providing access and connecting from public parking and transportation areas.

Lines of sight and view for wheelchair seating locations must be comparable to those of other spectators. Seating must present a line of sight over standing spectators in areas where spectators can be expected to stand. (Accessibility)

Capacity of Seating in Assembly Area

Number of Required Wheelchair Locations to 25

26 to 50

51 to 300

301 to 500 over…… [Read More]

Sources:

Hamlet A Theatre Review in

Dane Johnston gave a stunning performance in the title role of the play. In fitting with the modern interpretation of the classic, Johnston's rendering of Hamlet is akin to the "emo" youth subculture - just as Ophelia is meant to conform to the "gothic" subculture. At the same time, Johnston delivered Hamlet's numerous long monologues with sophistication and ease, proving to the audience that you do not have to fake a British accent in order to accurately capture the Shakespearean essence of the role.

Hamlet's best friends, Horatio (Kit Fugard) and Marcella (Vanessa Downs), were also portrayed as "scene kids," but obviously of an artistic and intelligent nature. Angela Donor's interpretation of Ophelia tended to be a bit melodramatic at some points during the play; at the same time, it can be said that such over-acting may be necessary, as it is part of Ophelia's true nature.

Overall, the technical side of the show was executed quite well. The lighting was soft and sensitive throughout, never overbearing. Longstreet's score was performed on electric and acoustic guitars, with a looping machine and an octave pedal. He also used such exotic instruments as the sitar, djeme, and flute. While it might have…… [Read More]

Creative Theatre Writing Dramatic Dialogue

How long has this been going on?

Johnny: Now Vena, nothing's going on. Rochelle just happened to be with me when I went in to Safeway's.

Vena: (voice rising) "Happened" to be with you? It hasn't even been a full year, and already you've moved on to my family members. Is this what you meant by when you said you wanted to see other people? My family? Who's next, my mom!

Johnny: Please, Vena, don't start again. Remember, this is the whole reason why we broke up in the first place. I was going to be graduating, we wouldn't be able to spend as much time together, and you knew you would get jealous.

Vena: But with my cousin? And in my hometown? Didn't you care about me at all; didn't I mean anything to you?

Johnny: (soothingly): Really, I think you're jumping to conclusions. Rochelle wasn't hanging all over me, we were just holding hands

Vena: Goodness!

Johnny: & #8230;and it was just our first date & #8230;

Vena: First?, there's going to be more?

Johnny: & #8230;and furthermore, she told me she's still seeing Roger, okay? There, doesn't that all make perfect sense?

Vena: Johnny Metucci, you are…… [Read More]

Resources:

Olympia Theater -- or El

It has also been very popular both with musical performers and their audiences throughout its history; artists as diverse as Elvis Presley and Luciano Pavarotti have performed on the Olympia's stage, and MTV continues to host events and concerts there on occasion.

Despite its popularity, however, the Olympia has faced some difficult times. In 1975, the theatre was scheduled for demolition, but was purchased by businessman Maurice Gusman and donated to the city along with the historic Olympia Office Building next to it. The entire complex was renamed in Gusman's honor, and earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The theatre is still not entirely safe from the clutches of time, however, and careful restoration work on the aging building is a constant and painstaking process -- but well worth the effort to preserve…… [Read More]

Movies at Home and Theaters

Home Movies Beat Theater Ones

It is quite a different experience to view a movie at home versus viewing it in a movie theater. Furthermore, there are positives and negatives associated with each of these viewing experiences. Nonetheless, an analysis of the benefits and drawbacks associated with each of these experiences, reveals that the more enjoyable experience lies in watching a movie at home.

Virtually the only advantage that watching a movie in a theater has over doing so at home pertains to the special effects. Theaters are equipped with a host of state of the art audio visual experiences to provide enhanced viewing experiences that are difficult to match in domestic settings. When one considers the 3D capabilities of movie theaters that can "provide an experience never before experienced in a theater" (Their, 2012) it is clear that these special effects are optimized for viewing in a theater, and are much less spectacular when viewing them at home.

Still, one of the more noticeable points of comparison between watching a movie at home and watching a movie on television is the audience. The crux of the matter is that one typically has no control over the audience when viewing…… [Read More]

Compare and Contrast Traditional Theatre Grecian to Modern Theatre

Classical and Modern Greek Theater

There are clear connections between the classical and modern theater in Greece - just as there are clear connections between the theater of classical Greece and the modern theater of the West in general. Much of what we believe to be proper theater-making comes from classical works: We still use many of the same ideas about character, about motif, about plot. But even as many of the internal structures have remained the same, the culture in which the plays of ancient and modern Greece are written and produced has changed dramatically, thus changing the content and understanding of the plays themselves. We can see how theater has changed (and how it has not) by examining one particular aspect of that runs through so many Greek plays, the concept of free will.

The works of the ancient Greek playwrights are difficult for us to read within the context of the 21st century because most people today believe in the validity of the idea of free will. This inclination towards believing in the importance of free will is especially important for Americans, since we have all been (more or less) raised by the national philosophy that dictates…… [Read More]

How Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Mirrored the Society in the Unity of Order

William Shakespeare was born into a world of words that took him from cold, stone castles in Scotland to the bustling cities of Italy and the high seas of colonial change. An emblem of the Renaissance, the Bard of Avon was not only the conqueror of his own mind and pen, but also of the language of his own social, political, and religious reality. His theatre, the epic Globe, mirrors the stories of the early, bustling London and ever-morphing England in the duration of its own life, from plank and dirt to flame and fame.

By 1598, Richard Burbage was the practicing don of the London theatre world, extending his fingertips for production all over the lively center of British commerce and governance. His players, a collection of all-male actors, were widely recognized throughout the theatre world, one of the only sources of popular entertainment.

Burbage produced the works of a variety of writers, including William Shakespeare, in his own space called "The Theatre." That year, however, Burbage ordered his company to pull down The Theatre and remove its timber to Bankside.

London was ripe with theaters, including the Hope, Theatre Royal at Whitehall, The Fortune, and The Blackfriars, among…… [Read More]

Jealous Woman in Asian Literature and Theater

Jealous Woman in Asian Literature and Theater

Muromachi Noh Theater and Aoi no Ue

Steven T. Brown's Theatricalities of Power: The Cultural Politics of Noh adopts a 'new historicist' approach to the study of Noh Theater. In contrast to the dominant tendencies of western scholars, Brown is not interested in "reducing Noh to its theatrical conventions nor abstracting its style and poetics from its performance materiality" (1). Rather he concentrates on Noh as an example of a "micropolitics of culture" (3), which, according to him, is a type of politics grounded in "power relations and effects associated with figurations of authority, gender, subjectivity, naming and patronage" (3).

Brown's primary intention in the Theatricalities of Power is to trace the historical process whereby Noh became institutionalized as the official art form of Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867). Although Brown narrates the history of this institutionalization by highlighting specific historical events and practices in medieval and early modern Japan, he is also anxious to disclose the dynamic relationship between history and performance. To this end, he is concerned to investigate the "history in Noh" as much as the "history of Noh" (1). This statement is crucial: it highlights the productive power…… [Read More]

She Loves Me Theatre Essay

Roundabout's She Loves Me stars Jane Krakowski and Laura Benanti. Other key performers are Zachary Levi and Gavin Creel. Music is by The Jerry Bock and features classical tunes like "Will He Like Me," "Tonight at Eight," and "A Trip to the Library." In the scene the introduces the song "Will He Like Me," the character played by Laura is dressed in a white trench coat and hat with a sing song kind of melody and dress style reminiscent of the 1920's or 40's. Her dark brown hair looks as if it was pin curled and her makeup is faint with a light lip very indicative of classic movies like Casa Blanca.

Jane Krakowski sings "A Trip to the Library and while the set seems a bit a simple throughout the show, especially this number, (the bedroom scene with the number "Vanilla Ice Cream" seemed lazy in its preparation especially the small little Chinese food takeout that was supposed to be the 'ice cream) the manner of dress keeps in harmony with the rest of the scenes and keeps that 'Old Hollywood' feel. A good example of that is the "M" on Jane's white blouse that was often worn during…… [Read More]

Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theater Performance of South Pacific

miami./theatrearts/ring.html performance "south pacific" write a concise 500-word critical response

Students of the University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theater Alvin Sherman family stage put on a very credible performance of "South Pacific," which is running through the month of April. This work of drama is, of course, a musical. Therefore, it was highly significant that some of the most important actions that the audience witnessed during the performance were related to the singing, dancing, and music involved in this production.

It certainly helps that, since this musical was a Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner in 1950, many of the songs performed within the musical are classics, very famous, and were carried out in a polished manner. The two best numbers of the evening included "I'm Going to Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "Some Enchanted Evening." Andrew Leonard was involved in the latter, whereas the former utilized the talents of Becca Ortiz and a female chorus. The choreographed numbers were performed very well, and helped to add to the sense of drama and intensity (and even comedy) that many of the songs gave the play. The choreographer was Christine Kellog, who should be commended for designing steps…… [Read More]

Computers Think First Coming to Theaters in

computers think?

First coming to theaters in 1984, The Terminator was a movie that captured audiences and enveloped them in a world of unknown- robots, intelligence, destruction and the future. The cyborg assassin in the movie fostered society's greatest fear- technology that developed so rapidly that people would not be able to control it. But to what end could this scientific fantasy movie become a reality? Could the laptops that people use everyday suddenly be able to think, act and even cause the destruction similar to that in the blockbuster movie? As technology develops at a rapid pace in modern day society, it solicits the all important question, can computers think?

Foremost, an understanding to the term and concept of thinking must be established as a foundational framework to move forward with the dilemma of computers being able to think. There are two different components to the concept of thinking: the mechanical part as well as the emotional part. First, the mechanical part seems to be set by "the doctrines first set down in the 1950s" by Carnegie-Mellon University Professor's Allen Newell and Herbert Simon, who asserted that "thinking is information processing" and that "information processing is computation, which is…… [Read More]

Resources:

Ibsen and Brecht the Live Theater Has

Ibsen and Brecht

The live theater has a way of bringing the audience into the play like no other medium. Watching the actors on stage, the audience members all become voyeurs, who witness the secrets of lives behind closed doors. This is a wonderful thing when telling mysteries or comedies where the audience is asked to become part of the story. In dramas however, the playwright needs the audience to relate to the characters but to do so in a way that the message of the story has more merit than the characters themselves. To accomplish this, the playwright has to use certain techniques that will ensure the audience does not get so involved in the minutiae of the story that they lose the message of the larger picture. Playwrights Bertolt Brecht in "The Good Woman of Szechwan" and Henrik Ibsen in "Hedda Gabbler" use different techniques to achieve the same ends. In Brecht's work, he utilized distancing the audience from the smaller elements of the story and the individual characters in order to send the message of the given social issue expressed to the viewer of the play. Ibsen, antithetically, believed that by drawing the audience into the world…… [Read More]

References:

Theatre Art

Dee:

The Shape of Things, a play by Neil LaBute, (A) expands on the central themes of society's distortional emphasis on appearances, and art as a potentially limitless and human-sculpting instrument. Linearly structured in three acts, the plot closely follows the problematic evolution of a student couple from a Midwest university. Starting as a discrepant match, Evelyn and Adam develop an oddly unequal relationship, as the former increasingly impacts major changes in the apparel and psychological onset of her partner, who complies with every single suggestion out of innocent devotion.

The public clarification scene from the third act has a great potential for theatricality due to the fact that it comes across as a bitter surprise and a ruthlessly planned humiliation, yet admittedly it challenges the cultural and ethical boundaries concerning art and the human being as object for art. The reason why a large part of the audience exhibits revulsion at every stage of the presentation is that they perceive a major disregard of personhood in Evelyn's stealth and methodic sculpturing of another individual. Specifically, Adam had not been aware that he was being manipulated as case study, and harbored genuine feelings for his girlfriend which caused him to…… [Read More]

Sources:

Arts Music Film Literature and Theatre

1939, John Steinbeck published his novel The Grapes of Wrath, and that same year the film version of the story was released. The film was directed by John Ford and was very popular, and the book and the film together reached millions of people. In writing this novel, Steinbeck reflected many of the social, economic, and political currents of the time. The story is set in the Great Depression era, and the Depression was still have its effect in 1939. What would bring about the end of the Great Depression was already starting in Europe, meaning World War II, which does not impinge directly on the story of the Joad family but which we can see from our standpoint today was about to bring about massive changes in American society. The very nature of the story of the Joads, however, links that story to the Depression and its effect on the fortunes of farmers and others in the 1930s.

John Steinbeck shows that common people like the Joads are affected by economic changes which are not of their own making. At the same time, this family is still responsible for many of its own problems. It is evident that Steinbeck…… [Read More]