Ch 1: The Nature of Theatre

Has origins in ritual.

Theatre as a form is at least 2500 years

old.

Its role or function in society has

fluctuated over time.

The value and respectability of theatre

has been a matter of debate over the
years.

Theatre as part of religious

festivals

Theatre as a dangerous
influence

Theatre as entertainment

Theatre today is created for

many different reasons:
Light entertainment
Deep intellectual stimulation
Promote awareness of social issues
Stimulate imagination

The Basic Elements of

Theatre

3 basic elements of theatre:

1) What is performed (a script)

2) The Performance itself

3) The Audience

The most basic definition of theatre is: someone

performing something for someone else.

Tells a story
The textook compares theatre with sports both rely on
conventions (rules or accepted practices)

Both have audiences

Both have spaces in which to

perform

Both have specialized

clothing

What different conventions can you find between sports and

theatre?

Theatre as a Fine Art

Fine arts: products of creativity that

cannot be reduced to rules or principles.

Examples of fine art disciplines:

Theatre,

music, dance, film =

performing arts

Painting,

sculpture, photography =
visual arts

Novels,

plays, poetry, short stories =

literary arts

*Art

is both an expression of society

and a response to it.*

Popular vs. Elitist Culture

Popular culture reflects tastes of the
general public.

Elitist culture reflects tastes of a

smaller group with more exacting
standards.

Elements of Theatre
Spectatorship

Willing suspension of disbelief:

Refers

to the fact that we know that

the events of the play are not real, but
we agree that during the experience of
the performance not to disbelieve the
events of the play.

For

example: when a character kills

another character onstage, we do not
rush to help, yet we may still feel an
emotional response to the action.

Willing Suspension of Disbelief allows

these two seemingly contradictory
elements to occur:

Aesthetic Distance

Being detached
enough from the
performance to
view it with some
objectivity.

Empathy

Feeling of
involvement with
the performers.

Special Qualities of Theatre

Lifelikeness: Theatre recreates everyday

experiences.

Objectivity: Theatre presents both outer and inner

experience

Complexity: Theatre combines varied elements

from all of the other arts.

Ephemerality: Theatre is fleeting, and becomes a

part of the past immediately after it occurs.

Immediacy: Theatre involves the simultaneous

presence of live actors and spectators in the same
room.