Plot
What item creates the central plot of A Rare Bird?
A Book.
The Birds of America: A Guide to Field Identification by John James Audubon.
Define color-conscious casting
Color-conscious casting is a practice in theatre and film where casting decisions intentionally consider the race and ethnicity of actors to address historical inequities, increase representation, or make purposeful artistic statements related to identity and diversity.
True or False: Elinor Fuchs asks you to consider how much tickets cost when visiting the small planet of a play.
False
What is the fourth wall?
A theatrical convention that there is an invisible, imaginary “wall” that separates actors from an audience.
What does "theatron" mean
The Seeing Place
Who says:
"Ain’t nobody in my family never let nobody pay ’em no money that was a way of telling us we wasn’t fit to walk the earth. We ain’t never been that poor."
Mama from A Raisin in the Sun
Name 4 of the 7 Production Elements in Baraba Clayton's Lecture.
Scenery, Acting, Spatial Relationships, Costumes, Sound, Lighting, Audience
What are some traditional elements in comedy?
- The Central character(s) fortunes uplift/raised,
- some form of unity at the end (disunion to union)
Example- Marriage
This term refers to the given situation of a play—the who, what, where, when, and why that define the world of the characters.
The Given Circumstances
A stage that rises in elevation from the front (downstage) to the back (upstage)
What is it?
Raked Stage
This man is the King of Thebes at the end of Oedipus the King
Creon
Name the five tips Jen has given you when it comes to How to Read a Play.
Title, Character Descriptions/Breakdown, Setting, Playwright, Opening and Closing Moments
What are some functions of the greek "Chorus"
represents the perspective of the community
reminds the audience of the background and context of the story
can address the audience directly
Define Catharsis
Catharsis is the emotional release or purification experienced by audiences, typically involving feelings of pity and fear, after witnessing dramatic events in tragedy or other intense performances.
What is an epigram?
Epigrams invert traditional platitudes through clever turns of phrase.
Ex: “Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.”
Name the character - "To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune - to lose both seems like carelessness."
Lady Bracknell from The Importance of Being Earnest
What is required for theatre to exist?
- Something to say
- Someone to say it
- Someone to say it to.
OR: ACTOR+IDEA+AUDIENCE
TIME
Imitates a specific work, person, or situation for comedic effect, often exaggerating certain characteristics.
Parody or Satire?
Parody
Define Spatial Relationship
The term "spatial relationships" (sometimes called "blocking") refers to the physical positioning of actors on the stage relative to other actors, scenic elements, the playing space, and the audience.
● Areas ● Rhythm and line
● Levels ● Change
● Distance ●Relationship to audience
meaning that is implied or even explicit that does not match (or complicates) the words being spoken.
What is it?
Subtext
What type of bird is Sarah turning into?
A Mature Sandhill Crane
Name Aristotle's Six Elements of Drama
Plot, Character, Thought, Language, Music, Spectacle
- actor presents the idea of a character
- actor/character knows the audience is present
- often challenges passivity of the audience
What style of performance is this?
Presentational Performances
What is a soliloquy?
A soliloquy is a long speech, often serious, made by a character in a play while alone on stage, revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings to the audience.
Unlike a regular monologue that might be addressed to other characters, a soliloquy is a private discourse to oneself, used in drama to give the audience direct insight into a character's state of mind, intentions, or inner turmoil.
What is a proscenuim?
A stage configuration where the audience is on one side of the stage.
A proscenium stage highlights the fourth wall and generally features a proscenium arch (or frame), which can be quite ornate.