WHAT IS THEATRE? Or Theater if you will
The Greeks have a word for it
• Theatre comes from the Greek word theatronor “seeing place”
• The term drama comes from the Greek “dran”,to do.
• Drama is something done, an action.
• Theatre:something is seen; something is done;an action is witnessed.
The Work of Theatre
• Producing
• Directing
• Acting
• Designing
• Building
• Crewing
• Stage managing
• Playwriting
Denis Diderot
• The Paradox of the actor
• We believe in the character
• We applaud the actor
• Willing suspension of disbelief
Representational performance
• The audience watches behavior that seems to be staged as if no audience were present.
Live Performance
• Performers and audience interact.
• Each is fully aware of the others presence.
• Rapport between actors and audience
• Actors performance is effected by audience reaction.
• The audience reacts to each other.
• Immediacy-happening now. Not on film.