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There's much to see here. So, take your time, look around, and learn all there is to know about the ELEMENTS OF THEATER.
Literary Elements
- Characters- the people or animals who are acting out the emotions and storyline of the play or musical
- Plot- the storyline that propels the characters to act a certain way based on a sequenced set of circumstances
- Setting- the time and place in which the plot takes place
- Theme- the overall feeling/emotion and topic that the plot is about
- Dialogue- how the characters interact and speak with one another throughout the play
- Conflict/Resolution- the problems associated with the characters and how they resolve the situation in the end
- Monologue- when one actor faces the audience and tells their story (it's like hearing what the character is thinking)
Production and Direction
- Costume Designer- the person or team of people who decides what the characters are going to wear based on plot and setting of play
- Stage Designer- the person or team of people who decide what the stage is going to look like for any given scene or act within the play based on the plot and setting
- Director- the person in charge of giving the actors and direction on stage in movement, emotion, and voice style again based on the plot and setting
- Playwright- the person responsible for writing the dialogue and basic directions
- Lighting and Sound Designer- depending on the technical specifications this person can use simple lighting and music/sound effects or in the case of a musical a much more detailed arrangement of lighting and music takes place.
Stage Directions
- Downstage- means up front near the audience, many years ago stages used to be slanted downward towards the audience so the audience could see clearly.
- Upstage- near the back part of the stage (where the stage used to be higher up)
- Stage Left- from the actors point of view facing the audience; the actor would use their left (it would look like the right side from the audience perspective)
- Stage Right- the right side of the stage (from the actors perspective) the left side from the audience
- Proscenium Line (arch)- the point in which the curtain closes
- Apron- the section of the stage that is in front of the curtain line (in musicals and operas the orchestra pit is located in the Apron)
Genres of Theater
- Comedy- plays that have some element of comedy or lighthearted plot
- Tragedy- plays that have a tragic element in the plot; usually someone dies tragically with a gut wrenching bitter end
- Drama- serious play with a serious subject that usually focuses on political or a "lesson learned" plot
- Musical, Operetta, Opera- play that is set to music; sometimes the musical has dialog in between songs but sometimes it focuses just on telling the plot through music alone
- Movie- plays that are acted out in movies; in this genre many retakes of the scene can be made in order to get the acting and dialogue correct
Structure of a Play/Musical
- Acts- large sections of plot
- Scenes- parts of Acts that tell the specific plot development introducing conflicts between characters and dialogue
- Intermission- breaks between the Acts to allow for a larger scene change or just a break in the plot
In Musicals/Operas/Operettas
- Aria- song for solo voice, usually elaborates on the conflict the character is facing
- Duet- song for 2 singers, usually the two lovers; or it could also be the antagonist and protagonist 'fighting it out'
- Recitative- spoken words in a song-like manner using pitch on repeated notes and rhythmic
- Chorus- large group of singers sing summary of plot at certain points in show (usually before the end of the larger sections (The Acts)