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Theatre Exam 2
Theatre Exam Morrice
46
Fine Art
Undergraduate 1
04/05/2012

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Term
Linear plot
Definition
the most traditional form of plotting, begining with exposition and building through a series of minor crises to a major crisis and climax. Linear plots are usually based on causality, that is, one event "causes" another to happen.
Term
Climactic Plot
Definition
A plot leading up to a climax moment.
Term
Casual Plot
Definition
A story in which each incident leads to the next
Term
Episodic Plot
Definition
A story in which events are loosely connected and not cause and effect.
Term
Falling Action (denouement)
Definition
The events of a dramatic or narrative plot following the climax
Term
Satire
Definition
species of comic drama that holds human follies and institutions up to ridicule and scorn; the use of wit, irony, or sarcasm to expose vice and folly. The Importance of Being Earnest is a satire
Term
Verse vs. Prose
Definition
Structure with rhythmic structure vs. natural flow of speech in no rhythmic structure
Term
Realism
Definition
an attempt to re-create actual life onstage in a manner that employs the details and routines of daily dress, speech, environment, and situations. Ibsen's social dramas typify realism
Term
Naturalism
Definition
a particular form of realism that emphasizes environment; naturalism was also a philosophical movement that saw humans as products of their heredity and environment
Term
Tragedy
Definition
one of the principal dramatic genres, in which a central character is in conflict with an external, as well as internal, force; the conflict ends disastrously for the character and provokes pity and fear in the audience.
Term
Farce
Definition
comic genre that depends on an elaborately contrived, usually improbable plot, broadly drawn stock characters, and physical humor. Most farces are amoral and exist to entertain
Term
Dark Comedy
Definition
A comedy having gloomy or disturbing elements, especially one in which a character suffers an irreparable loss
Term
Slapstick
Definition
a form of comedy that depends exclusively on physical humor such as beatings, chases, and pratfalls. The term is derived from a prop devised by actors in the commedia dell'arte that was used to administer beatings. The films of the Three Stooges epitomize slapstick comedy.
Term
Improvisation
Definition
form of theatre in which the improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously. Improvisers typically use audience suggestions to guide the performance as they create dialogue, setting, and plot extemporaneously. Improvisational theatre performances tend to be comedic, although some forms, including Playback Theatre and Theatre of the Oppressed, are not necessarily intended to be comedic.
Term
Tragicomedy
Definition
one of the principal dramatic genres, which blends serious and comic elements; frequently the serious is treated comically, while the comic is given a more somber treatment. The plays of Anton Chekhov and Samuel Beckett typify tragicomedy
Term
Dramaturg
Definition
is a professional position within a theatre company that deals mainly with research and development of plays.
Term
Callback
Definition
a follow-up after an audition or a casting, in which directors can further audition candidates for a position or part.
Term
George 2, Duke of Saxe Meiningen
Definition
He is particularly known for developing the Meiningen Ensemble using his court theatre. Using his knowledge of art history and his drawing skills, he designed highly detailed, historically accurate scenery, costumes, and properties. In addition, he choreographed large crowd scenes that stunned audiences across Europe. He and his ensemble toured Europe extensively, and had a profound effect on theatre production across the continent.
Term
Denis Diderot
Definition
a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie.
Term
Stage Manager
Definition
one who has overall responsibility for stage management and the smooth execution of a production.
Term
Blocking/Staging
Definition
the movement and positioning of actors on the stage/the process of selecting, designing, adapting to, or modifying the performance space for a play or film
Term
Burlesque
Definition
a comic parody of a serious work; 2. a theatrical entertainment comprising broadly humorous skits and short turns ("blackouts"), songs, dances, and frequently striptease acts.
Term
Convention
Definition
an established technique or device which the audience agrees to accept as "real" in a performance; the "ground rules" under which a particular play will be performed. Examples include asides, soliloquies, the use of mime, and shifting scenery in view of the audience. Conventions change from age to age, from production to production.
Term
Cold Reading
Definition
a reading aloud from a script or other text without any rehearsal, practice or study in advance. It is also sometimes referred to as sight-reading
Term
Point of attack
Definition
that moment nearest the beginning of the play in which the major conflict to be resolved occurs; sometimes called the inciting moment.
Term
Exposition
Definition
essential information that an audience needs to know about a character or events (particularly those that happen prior to the first scene). Usually exposition is found in the first act or scene, but distributed exposition may be found throughout the play
Term
Climax
Definition
the resolution of the protagonist's principal conflict; the climax usually grows out of the crisis and brings about a play's denouement, or falling action
Term
Stage Directions
Definition
the playwright's instructions to the actors, designers, and directors concerning setting, motivations, and characterization
Term
Dialogue
Definition
the exchange of speeches by two or more characters in a play. Also, a generic term referring to the words in a script.
Term
Monologue
Definition
a lengthy speech spoken by a single character, usually to other characters
Term
Narrator
Definition
within any story who tells the story to the audience
Term
Comedy
Definition
a primary dramatic genre that usually ends happily and treats its subject matter lightly
Term
Chorus
Definition
a group (usually 12-15) of singer-dancers in Greek drama participating in or commenting on the action of the play; in other ages (e.g. the Elizabethan theater) the chorus was a single figure who speaks the prologue and epilogue and comments on the action
Term
Francois Delsarte
Definition
was a French musician and teacher. Though he achieved some success as a composer, he is chiefly known as a teacher in singing and declamation. He went on to develop an acting style that attempted to connect the inner emotional experience of the actor with a systematized set of gestures and movements based upon his own observations of human interaction
Term
Actor-manager
Definition
an actor formed a theatre company, chose the plays he wanted to produce, played the leading roles in them, and managed the company's business arrangements
Term
Commedia Dell Arte
Definition
popular improvised comedy performed by street entertainers during the Italian Renaissance; it featured such characters as Harlequin and Pantalone, and relied on physical or "slapstick" comedy (beatings, pratfalls, etc.).
Term
Lazzi
Definition
Italian term for comic stage business (e.g., a beating, a pratfall).
Term
Projection and articulation
Definition
the acoustic phenomenon that gives sound a penetrating quality/The elaboration of articulate, sharp, clear speech or literary composition
Term
Audition
Definition
A trial performance, as by an actor, dancer, or musician, to demonstrate suitability or skill
Term
Konstantin Stanislavsky
Definition
Russian actor and theater director who trained his actors to emphasize the psychological motivation of their roles
Term
Allusion
Definition
Indirect reference
Term
Affective Memory/Emotional Recall
Definition
an element of Stanislavski's ‘system’ and of Method Acting, two related approaches to acting. Affective memory requires actors to call on personal memories of situations similar (or more recently a situation with similar emotional import) to those of their characters/a tool used to help performers achieve a sense of emotional truth onstage through recollection of past memories in sync with those demanded by the script.
Term
Sense Memory
Definition
use of the actors personal observation to recall actually sensory experiences on stage
Term
Open Audition/ Cattle Call Audition
Definition
Auditions opened to anyone/mass audition where actors don't usually get to perform.
Term
Didaskolos
Definition
in the Greek theater, the "teacher" of the chorus; the forerunner of the modern choreographer and choral director.
Term
Business
Definition
actions performed by actors, such as drinking, smoking, comic beatings, and the like
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