Chapter 1

Monday, December 26, 2011 1:38 PM

Chapter 1: Acting Articulation: the clear and precise pronunciation of words Articulators: the parts of the body that create consonant sounds Gesture: an expressive movement of the body or limbs Improvise: to speak or to act without a script Inflection: variety in speech Pantomime: to act without words through facial expression and gesture Project: to make your voice fill the performance space Resonance: a quality caused by vibration that enriches vocal tone Resonators: the parts of the body that create vowel sounds Script: the text of a play Storytelling: telling stories with dramatic movements, precursor to theater

You should stretch out and move while acting, breathe from diaphragm to get most air
The Storytelling Tradition The basis of all literary and dramatic tradition, comes before print Dies out with widespread literacy Griot- west african storyteller- rafiki- family storytelling, enthralling all listeners Ex. Sundiata of Mali

Semester 1 Page 1

Chapter 2
Monday, December 26, 2011 2:09 PM

Chapter 2: Directing & Producing Apron: acting area of a stage that extends beyond the proscenium Arena stage: performance sspace in which the audience sits all around the stage, aka in the round Downstage: stage area towards audience House: auditorium, where audience sits Production concept: how the play should look and feel Proscenium stage: performance space in which the audience views the action as if through a picture frame Scenery: onstage decoration to help establish the time and place of a play Stage manager: the director's technical liaison backstage during rehearsals and performances Thrust stage: a combination of the proscenium and the arena stages with the audience sitting on two or three sides of the acting areas Upstage: the stage area away from the audience Staging: coordinating everything that happens on stage People of the Theater Director: in charge of all staging Producer: handles business end of a production- helps pick the play, thinks about how best to make profit Assistant director: keeps rehearsal process organized, setting up rehearsals, helping actors with lines, etc. sometimes combined with stage manager Stage manager: gives directions live backstage, manages the crew to move things on and off smoothly Prompter: feeds lines to actors when they forget during rehearsals Business manager: in charge of fundraising, publicity, programs, ticket sales, and paying bills Artistic director: hires director, cast, and designers Production team: director staff and producer staff and design team togetehr Design team: design and coordinate production's set, props, lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup Areas of the Theater Box office: where to buy tickets Orchestra: down front area, under balcony Orchestra pit: for musicians Mezzanine: lower balcony Light/sound booth: to control lights and sound effects, sometimes backstage, sometimes in the very back Stage house: Fly space- above the stage, where lights and scenery may be flown Proscenium arch- picture frame Curtains Fire curtain- made of metal or fireproof fabric to stop fire from spreading Act curtain- between scenes, light fabric, decorated for the particular show Grand drape- front curtain, thick and luxurious Back wall- seperates stage from backstage, has doors to carry stuff in Backstage Wings- to either side (may include stage manager's booth Prop table- holds all items to be carried onstage Call board- important notices Dressing rooms- actors dress and put on makeup Makeup room- for makeup artists
Semester 1 Page 2

 Makeup room- for makeup artists Green room- lounge area actors wait to go onstage, or may greet audience members there after performance Stage door- private door for actors and theater personnel Scene shop- where scenery is built Paint shop- where scenery is painted Costume shop- where costumes can be made, maintained, and stored Prop shop- were props are constructed or stored Upstage/Dowstage/Center/Left/Right Raked- stage on an incline toward the back on the stage

Sophocles 496-406 BC, lived in athens, wrote plays for theater competitions for Dionysus Actor and playwright, gave up performing because he lost his voice Wrote 123 plays, 24 won first prize, the rest 2nd Significant contributions Three actors onstage at same time Increased number of actors in chorus Started trilogies of plays Theater space Large amphitheater, 15K spectators Orchestra- stage, round with an altar Skene- building in the back, a backdrop for all plays Proskenion- in front of skene, framework around wide, shallow stage Greek Tradition All male actors Large character masks worked like megaphones, billowy togas Ex. Sophocles' antigone

Semester 1 Page 3

Chapter 3
Monday, December 26, 2011 2:27 PM

Technical Theater Batten: wood or metal pipe from which stage lights, drops, and scenery are hung Cue: a signal for something to happen Backdrop/drop: large canvas or muslin curtain that hangs at the back of the stage setting Flat: set piece consisting of a light weight frame covered with canvas, muslin, or wood Platform: set piece with solid top and braced legs to support weight of actors, furniture, and props Prop- short for property- anything an actor handles onstage, including furniture Set- the onstage physical space and its structures in which the actors perform Stage crew- the group of people working on set construction, props, lighting ,sound, costumes, and makeup Throw- the distance light can be cast from a lighting instrument Stage crew Set Construction crew Set designer- thinks of what to do with set Carried out by crew who later become shifting crew Prop crew Build props Led by prop master Lighting crew Controls all illumination of set and actors Led by lighting designer Sound crew Controls all music and sound effects, collects and runs them Led by sound designer Also manage mikes Costume Crew Makes, buys, or rents all costumes Also in charge of repairing them Led by costume designer Makeup crew In charge of all cosmetics and hair Generally do specialized things that actors cannot do themselves Led by makeup designer There are a lot of joints and a lot of tape splicing things we don't have to know Lighting basics Throw- the distance that the light can be cast Light has 4parts Lamp- source Reflector- like a mirror Lens-shapes light Housing- holds the system Sound Basics Mixer- signals blended Equalizers- even out the tones
Semester 1 Page 4

Equalizers- even out the tones Amplifiers- boost sound and send to speakers Makeup Basics Foundation- base color Straight makeup- average makeup, not to reshape the features Character makeup- used to create a specific character Good to keep a stage makeup kit

Semester 1 Page 5

Chapter 4
Monday, December 26, 2011 3:40 PM

Acting Beat: small section of a scene, divided where a shift in emotion or topic occurs Cold reading: auditioning with a script that you have not had the opportunity to rad before the audition Cross: to move from one place onstage to another Focus: the intended point of interest onstage Master gesture: a characteristic gesture Open: to keep your face and the front of your body visible to audience as much as possible Shared position: a position onstage in which one actor mirrors another actor's body position Subtext: information that is implied but not stated by a character, not the same meaning as their words Upstage: to stand upstage of another actor on a proscenium stage, forcing the downstage actor to turn away rom the audience to communicate, steading the focus of a scene Characterization Process Observation- use all senses, absorb what you encounter, watch people Experience- do things you wouldn't normally, sense things new, read lot emotional memory, action generated emotions to bring forth ideas Imagination: imagine the whole area as if you are actually the character Figure out Motivation- clear reason to do or say anything Objectives- the goals you are trying to obtain Strategy- how to obtain these goals Obstacles- what keeps you from reaching your goals Outcome- result of actions taken by characters to overcome obstacles and reach objectives Stakes- consequences of outcome Status quo- present circumstances of character before play starts Background- past events in character's life Character movement- how they move Master gesture Leading center- part of body they lead with, reflects character Character voice- inflection, accent, speech problems, vocabulary, etc. Subtext of character's lines Auditions Role- part in a play Cast- chosen for a role Audition- shows what you are capable of in order to be cast Auditors- ones who conduct auditions, sometimes the director and musical director. Monologue- performance by one actor, needs smooth transitions Sometimes it's a cold read Callback- a second audition so they can see you again Shakespeare Born in Stratford on Avon in 1564 1582 married Anne Hathaway, had 3 children 1594 Established in acting troop Lord Chamberlain's Men 1599 Built the Globe theater Did some acting, but mainly wrote plays Died in 1616 Plays not usually printed at the time, but after his death, 36 of his plays brought together and published in1623
Semester 1 Page 6

in1623 Rediscovered in 1800s Theatre Space 2 globe theaters, one burned down. Second torn down when Puritans closed all theaters Open area called pit, standing room for groundlings Boxes elsewhere Tiring House was background for all scenes Study used for indoor scenes Tarras- balcony for other scenes Reconstruction opened on the spot in 1997 Styles of Costumes Wore contemporary costumes, often with doublets and ruffs, hair short Acting Styles Good acoustics, some of the acting very exaggerated

Semester 1 Page 7

Chapter 5
Monday, December 26, 2011 5:25 PM

Directing and Producing Blocking: coordination of actor's movements onstage Denouement- final resolution of the conflict in a plot Exposition- the beginning part of a plot that provides important background information Farce- comedy with exaggerated characterizations, abundant physical or visual humor, and often an improbably plot Ground plan- a top view drawing of the floor plan of a set Genre- type of story Inciting incident- the even that sets into motion the action of a plot Level- height of an acto's head onstage Plane- depth of an actor's position onstage Royalty- a fee paid to produce a play Stage- to bring to life on stage Plot- structure of a play Exposition- part of a story that gives important background information Choosing a Play Something that is within your budget, feasible, able to communicate to the audience, reasonably popular Genre Comedy Farce Tragedy Drama Parts of Play Inciting incident- catalyst for the play's action Rising action- complications and discoveries which create conflict Climax turning point in the plot, emotional crest Falling action- resolving the conflict after the conflict Protagonist, antagonist, secondary characters Symbolism- duh Dramaturg- special consultant who gives in depth research to director, reading and evaluating plays, and giving feedback from a literary standpoint, giving historical information Style Realism vs. surrealism Arrangements for Emphasis Direct emphasis- focus on one actor Duoemphasis- two different but equal focuses Secondary emphasis- one primary focus, one less stressed Diversified- results in scenes where there is a frequent change of focus amongst five or more equally important characters Planes Diagonal- tension because they are not on same level Triangle- legs may vary in length, for three actors Promptbook- script with notes for everything Royalty- a fee to produce the play given to the copyright holder Promotion- needs to be advertised Moliere
Semester 1 Page 8

Moliere France's greatest playwright, born in 1622, chose that as a pen name Toured country with acting troupe for 12 years Satirical comedies, court loved them, middle class was ridiculed Late unhappy marriage Wrote and performed in over 30 plays Died during a play in 1673 while playing a hypochondriac Theatre Space Most theatres were converted ballrooms or tennis courts, long and narrow- bad view except for cheap standing room Costumes very ornate, not good for movement, did more posing than anything

Semester 1 Page 9

Chapter 6
Monday, December 26, 2011 6:03 PM

Technical Theatre Brace- to anchor scenery to the stage so it doesn't wobble Dress- to add decorative props to a set Dutchman- a stip of fabric covering the crack between two flats to enhance the illusion that a series of joined flats that comprise a wall Front elevation- a scale drawing showing the front view of the set as if it were flattened out onto a single plane Jack- an anchoring option using triangular frame units attached to the flat and weighted Pull- to use an item from stock Rails- the two shorter, horizontal top and bottom pieces of a flat frame Sight lines- lines indicating visibility of onstage and backstage areas from various points in the house Stiles- the long vertical side pieces of a flat frame Toggles- the horizontal center pieces of a flat frame Types of design Informative- communicates time and place of the play Expressive- evokes a joy and a mood Appropriate- suitable for play's action Usable- flexible, workable, dramatically dynamic Sketches Thumbnails- very small Rendering- with color, to scale Ground plan- sketch of where everything is from above Front elevation- front view of set as though it were flattened out and drawn to scale Sectionals- vertical and horizontal slices of the set Production model- complete three dimensional scale model of the set with all its pieces Deck and joists for a platform Fly space needs counterweight system to fly things in an out Scrims- transparent when lighted from the back Stiffening batten to support the back Jacks- triangular frames hinged to back to used to stabilized the flats Painting techniques scumbling- wet blending of several hues Stenciling Spattering Stippling- using a sponge to dapple Marbling- combination of spattering and scumbling Dry brush- good for wood grain Prop Design and Construction Set props- furniture etc that establish the play's era and financial status of the characters Decorative props- curtains, pictures, knicknacks- give an idea of lifestyle Dressing the set- adding decorative props Hand props- props used by the characters during a performance Prop plot- list of props needed for each scene Lighting Design Acting areas- spaces onstage defined by blocking patterns of actors in a scene
Semester 1 Page 10

Acting areas- spaces onstage defined by blocking patterns of actors in a scene Lighting areas- light beams, 8 to 12 feet when they hit the floor Key light- brightest of two lights Fill light- fills in shadows created by keuy light Lighting key-simple diagram for each lighting area Lighting plot- shows you where you intend to place various lights Instument schedule- all this info into a chart- must have Instrument number Focus area Gel color Wattage Circuit number Dimmer

Sound Design Recorded sounds- bought from someone else Created sounds- ones you created Found sounds- heard in certain places Costume Design and Production Swatches of fabric for those that build costumes Costume plot- a chart of what costume is needed for each character Costume list- tells of what can be pulled, rented, bought, or borrowed, as well as what size Fittings- where actors try them on and make necessary adjustments Makeup Design Makeup plan- sketch of desired makeup, list of what is needed

Semester 1 Page 11

Chapter 7
Monday, December 26, 2011 6:57 PM

Acting Cue line- final line that signals an actor to begin the next speech Fourth wall- an imaginary wall between the audience and the actors in a representational play Off book- rehearsing without a script after lines are memorized, as opposed to on book Presentational style- theatrical style in which the actors acknowledge the presence of the audience Read-through- complete reading of a play aloud by the assemple cast, usually at the first rehearsal Representational style- theatrical style in which the actors do not acknowledge the presence of the audience, but try to duplicate life Scenario- a standard plot outline Spike- to mark the floor of a rehearsal space with tape that indicates significant parts of a ground plan Stage business- movements employing props, costumes, and makeup, used to strengthen the personality of a character

Acting Styles Farce- commedia dell-arte from Italy 1500s, stock characters and scenarios, use standard masks, elderly husbands and young wives, gullible masters and tricky servants, young lovers and overprotective fathers, etc. Comedy of Manners- satire and flatter, vices and follies of upper class- social competition of witty characters whose depth comes from intelligence, not emotion- gestures are important, and complex language of fans Shakespearean Tragedy- a lot of grace and majesty, act deliberately, treat seriously real life issues Realistic Drama- reaction to romanticism which was often melodramatic- this was like real life, trying to look real
Rehearsals Blocking- work out physical movement Working- to develop motivation and increase insight into character Polishing- getting everything down properly Dress- with all costume and makeup to make sure it's all right Performance- make yourself a checklist, warm up beforehand, don't get too relaxed or too nervoussmile and enjoy curtain call Kabuki Noh- serious and abstract with masks Bunraku- puppet theater, 3 operators to control each Kabuki- popular, includes music, oftentimes funny Started around 1600 when Okuni combined traditional Buddhist dances with more modern ideas Men took all the roles Theatre Space Raised wooden platform with hanamichi( flower path0 raised passageway that extends from downstage right where actors enter Chorus sits on an angled platformat right of stage Musicians play samisen, drums, and flute Costumes- kimonos, elaborate unrealistic makeup heavy- enormous wihgs Acting Styles- very stylized, actors specialize in certain types of roles, speeches very rhythmic

Semester 1 Page 12

Chapter 8
Monday, December 26, 2011 7:15 PM

Directing and Producing Cast by type- cast a show by choosing actors who fit a particular character type Color-blind casting- casting without regard to race or ethnicity of characters or actors Dinner theater- presented to an audience that is dining at tables around the performance space; usually dinner is included in the price of the theatre ticket Director's notes- comments by the director on the performance of each actor and on the production in general, usually given before or afer rehearsals Nontraditional casting- casting that ignores the general conventions of casting by type Pacing- the tempo of a performance as it progresses Preblocking- blocking on paper a director does before blocking rehearsals begin Strike- to take down the set Understudy- someone who learns a role for the purpose of performing in the absence of the actor cast in that role That long long thing about the fake director's notes if there's anything important about that on the final, someone else find it Chekhov Father of modern Russian drama Wrote realistic plays that were meant to be comedies but were sort of sad Used box set- 2 or three walls with real props that can be handled Stanislavski method- emphasized that acting should be based on an inner artistic truth

Semester 1 Page 13

Chapter 9
Monday, December 26, 2011 7:21 PM

Technical Theatre Boom(erang)- aluminum tripod with a cross bar at top on which lights are hung, aka lighting tree Call- to notify cast and crew of cues, rehearsal times, and the rise and fall of the curtain Cyclorama- background drop or curtain, in the back and sometimes around the sides, masks the backstage area Dry tech- technical rehearsal without actors present Fly- to be raised or lowered on lines in the fly space Gobo- a thin metal template with a pattern punched out, attached to a lighting instrument to create a patterned or textured lighting effects Grip- member of the stage crew who shifts scenery Paper tech- meeting of stage crew and stage manager to run through cues on paper and create the master cue sheet Rigging- the way in which mobile scenery and lights are mounted and controlled Wagon- a flat or platform rigged with wheels aka trucks- if a whole set is on it, it is a jackknife set Grid(iron)- steel framework above the stage Flat dock- a special place to keep flats like books on a shelf Float a flat- lift it basically by tipping it Drop end- end where cables will drop to the floor and run to the circuits Safety cord- two foot length of wire rope with a loop at one end and a snap clip at the other. Gel- a simple colored piece of plastic Dead zone- only one bright light Hot spot- 3 or more bright lights in view- too much light Hood/top hat- reduces spill of light from an instrument Barn doors- on top of top hat, shines light in a particular direction Patch bay/panel- possible to group lights together by lighting area Commercial patterns- to sew costumes for actors, often can be adjusted for your needs Union dyes- commercially available good for natural fibers in a light to medium shade Unified aniline dye- most fabrics Disperse dye- synthetic fabrics Decorate with lace and trim Texturize with spray paints Age- distress elbows, knees, collars, cuffs, and hems with sandpaper Dressing list- for each character tells what they need Overdraw features with makeup to make them look bigger Call- to notify the cast of their cues Tech runs- have a few scheduled the week of opening night Master cue sheet- all light and soundcrues as well as scenery shifts, prop info, and costume changes Dress parade- actors appear in full costume and makeup under the lights to see how they look Run of the show- duh Front of house staff- determine when house will open, give actors and crew a warning

Semester 1 Page 14

Chapter 10
Monday, December 26, 2011 7:51 PM

Acting Choreographer- artist who designs dances for the stage Mime- art form based on pantomime using conventionalized gestures to express ideas rather than represent actions- often use whiteface makeup Multimedia- theatrical performances incorporating a variety of artistic and technological media Musical theater- awesomesauce Principal- actor that has a major role in a musical show Production number- large-scale performance within a musical show, usually combining both song and dance Reader's Theare- performance created by reading a script based on a literary work Screenplay- the script for a film Stage combat- physical conflict onstage, both armed and unarmed- work with a fight director to make it look realistic and have the audience on the edge of their seat without having the actors being in any real danger Dialect- language features particular to a region Accent- sound qualities of the speech of a region Half masks- cover top half of face Full masks- cover whole face- both can help to develop a characterscene- continuous action that can be recorded in one place with one camera set up frame- rectangular area in the shot Close up- duh Medium shot- includes part of your body Two shot- medium shot with two people Long shot- whole body and a lot of foreground or background Continuity- one scene ends, the other continues where the first left off

Beckett Wrote Waiting for Godot in 1953- written in French by and Irishman Born in Dublin in 1906, Absurdist movement- life has no meaning, we got around not knowing what we're doing but too afraid to end it all- clowning and fooling, maddness, elements of fantasy, etc.

Semester 1 Page 15

Chapter 11
Monday, December 26, 2011 8:18 PM

Directing and Producing Book- script for a musical Final cut- the finished film or videotape Fine cut- the second draft of a film or videotape Footage- a length of exposed film Location- a real setting where a production may be filmed or videotaped, rather than on a soundstage or backlot off the studio lot Lot- the site of a film or TV studio Lyricist- the person who writes the words for the music in a musical Music director- shapes the musical character of a show Option- the offer of an opportunity to buy the rights to produce a show during a particular time frame Rough cut- the first draft of a film or videotape Rushes/dailies- unedited film or videotaped footage Soundstage- the area of a studio building in which a film or TV program is shot Storyboard- series of individual sketches showing a sequence of possible shots for scenes in a script Teleplay- a TV script Theatrical agents- promote and sell the work of playwrights and actors Broadway- the best place on earth Credits- list of all the people involved in the production at the very end of the film Cinematographer- designs the way each shot should be lit and filmed Sit coms- 30 minutes, same cast of well to do characters encountering problems in their lives

August Wilson One of the premiers of African American theater About the lives of blacks throughout history, used the vernacular Won the Pulitzer prize in 1987 Universal stories

Semester 1 Page 16

Chapter 12
Monday, December 26, 2011 8:33 PM

Technical theatre Ambient light- existing surrounding light that may interfere with a projected image Hot spot- an intense circle of light created when a projector lens is seen through the screen Keystoning- the distortion that occurs when and image is projected at an angle onto a screen or other projection surface Life mask- a mask made by taking an impression of a person's face Profile- a scenic element cut from a large sheet of plywood and attached to a flat using keystones Swag- a hanging curve of fabric between two points Synthesizer- an electronic device used to create artificial sounds Three-dimensional scenery- stock units such as platforms and stair units, as well as objects such as buildings, trees, rocks, and other sculptural forms Track- a path along which information is recorded electronically Voice over- recording of a voice that plays over other sounds Paper mache- ripped paper dipped in glue to cover forms and be painted later- a good option for cheap setbuilding Edible stage food- anything the actors actually have to eat- doesn't have to be what it looks like Inedible stage food- made with paper mache or real food prayed with polyeurethane Smoke from smoke machines Fire using a blower and orange fabric with orange lights Paintings- either cheap prints or pictures with thinned paint over them Projection- image or patterned light cast onto a screen or a surface Optical train- holds the lap and the slide itself Front and rear screen projections need different types of screens Synthesizer- electronic device that artificially creates sounds All of the other things are highly specialized and I don't think that she'll ask us about them

Semester 1 Page 17