The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre

by Arnold, Stephanie

• ISBN13: 9780073514147
• ISBN10: 0073514144
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-02-06
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

This introductory text places the students at the center of theatrical creation and provides coverage of the broad range of contemporary theatre. The Creative Spirit includes complete scripts of five plays: August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Wakako Yamauchi's And the Soul Shall Dance, Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Milcha Sanchez Scott's Dog Lady, and Sam Shepard's Buried Child. The text emphasizes the collaborative and creative processes that go into productions, and includes interviews with theatre artists.

Author Biography

Stephanie Arnold received her B.A. degree in English from Stanford University and then continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin where she received an M.F.A. degree in directing and a Ph.D. in dramatic literature and theory. Before joining the Lewis & Clark College faculty in 1986, she taught at Mills College and the University of California, Riverside.

Stephanie Arnold teaches acting, directing, and dramatic literature including a special topics course in Latino Theatre. The productions she has directed include works by classical and contemporary playwrights as well as musicals and opera. She is currently at work on the fifth edition of her textbook, The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre, which is published by McGraw-Hill and in use at colleges and universities around the country. She has recently returned from leading the Lewis & Clark College off campus study program to New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xxi
The Nature of Theatre	p. 1
The Impulse to Perform	p. 3
Personal Performance	p. 5
Community Performance	p. 5
Ritual Performance among the Hopi	p. 8
Kachina Performances	p. 8
The Hopi Performer	p. 8
Performance as Community Obligation	p. 10
Professional Performance: Four Stories	p. 10
Bill Irwin: Physical Humor	p. 10
Anna Deavere Smith: The Power of Words	p. 12
Neil Marcus: Storyteller and Dancer	p. 13
Frances McDormand: Creation of Character	p. 15
Why They Perform	p. 17
Summary	p. 20
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 20
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 20
Theatre and Society	p. 23
The Power of the Theatre	p. 24
Society and Aesthetic Expression	p. 25
The Collective and Public Nature of Theatre	p. 26
Theatre as a Social Force	p. 26
Theatre and Religious Festivals	p. 27
The Greek Theatre: Athens, Fifth Century B.C.E.	p. 28
The Origin of Greek Theatre in the Worship of Dionysus	p. 28
Medea	p. 30
Staging Conventions	p. 31
The Medieval Mystery Cycle	p. 35
Staging and Production: A Community Endeavor	p. 36
Aesthetic Expression: A Shared, Sacred Language	p. 36
The Role of the Mystery Cycles in Medieval Society	p. 37
The Professional Theatre	p. 38
The Elizabethan Theatre	p. 39
The Theatre in Society	p. 39
The Nature of Elizabethan Drama	p. 40
William Shakespeare	p. 41
Elizabethan Staging	p. 43
Acting in Elizabethan Dramas	p. 45
The Beijing Opera of China	p. 45
A Formal Society	p. 46
Playwrights and Plays	p. 46
A Language of Gesture	p. 47
Acting and Staging	p. 48
The Beijing Opera and the Communist Revolution	p. 50
Theatre as a Mirror of Society	p. 51
Theatre and Social Change	p. 52
The Sustaining Power of the Theatre: Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo	p. 55
Summary	p. 57
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 58
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 58
The Nature of Performance: The Theatre Practitioners	p. 61
The Playwright's Vision	p. 63
Looking at Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Exploring the Text of Joe Turner's Come and Gone	p. 66
Plot and Characters: A Meeting of Two Worlds	p. 67
Historical and Cultural Contexts of the Play	p. 68
Theatre as History	p. 69
The Aftermath of Slavery: Peonage and Sharecropping	p. 69
Migration to the North	p. 69
The Metaphor of the Road	p. 70
The Oral Tradition	p. 71
The Playwright's Sources	p. 71
Bessie Smith and Romare Bearden	p. 71
Mill Hand's Lunch Bucket	p. 73
Folk Sources and W. C. Handy	p. 73
The Complete Text of Joe Turner's Come and Gone	p. 76
Producing Joe Turner's Come and Gone	p. 115
The Construction of Meaning Through Collaboration	p. 115
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival	p. 115
The Actors at Work	p. 116
Understanding the Play	p. 116
The Rehearsal Process	p. 117
Physical Characterization	p. 119
Staging the Juba	p. 120
Drumming and Dancing	p. 120
Text and Verbal Improvisation	p. 121
The Meaning of the Juba	p. 122
Expanding the Stage Image: The Work of the Designers	p. 123
The Set Design	p. 124
The Costume Design	p. 125
The Lighting Design	p. 126
Conclusion: History and Meaning in Joe Turner's Come and Gone	p. 127
The Quest for Self	p. 127
Family and Inheritance: The Way from the Past to the Future	p. 128
Summary	p. 129
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 129
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 130
The Art of the Actor	p. 133
The Presence of the Actor	p. 134
The Actor's Craft	p. 136
The Work of the Actor	p. 138
Competing for Roles: The Audition	p. 138
Preparing for the Role	p. 140
The Rehearsal Process	p. 141
Approaches to Acting	p. 146
The Internal Approach	p. 146
The External Approach	p. 147
Acting Cordelia in King Lear	p. 148
Gestural Acting	p. 150
The Performance	p. 153
Theatre and Film	p. 154
Becoming an Actor	p. 155
Summary	p. 156
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 157
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 157
The Director	p. 159
The History of the Director	p. 160
The Director and the Development of Realism	p. 160
The Director and the Determination of Style	p. 163
The Visionary Director: Jerzy Grotowski	p. 164
Ping Chong	p. 166
Approaches to Directing	p. 170
The Director at Work	p. 171
Choosing the Play	p. 171
The Director's Initial Response to the Play	p. 173
Creating Metaphors	p. 173
Working With the Actors	p. 175
Casting	p. 175
Nontraditional Casting	p. 176
The Work Environment	p. 176
Improvisation	p. 177
Staging the Play	p. 178
Focus	p. 178
Spatial Composition and Character Development	p. 180
Rhythm and Pacing	p. 180
Preparing the Play for Performance	p. 181
The Director's Training	p. 182
Summary	p. 183
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 184
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 184
The Designers	p. 187
StageCraft and the Theatre	p. 189
The Theatrical Space	p. 190
The Proscenium Theatre	p. 191
Thrust, Arena, and Black Box Stages	p. 191
The Implications of Theatre Architecture for Designers	p. 191
Three-Dimensional Space	p. 194
Meetings and Interactions	p. 195
The History of Scene Design	p. 198
Scene Design Today	p. 200
Designing The Grapes of Wrath	p. 200
Costume Design	p. 203
Stylistic Unity	p. 204
The Psychology of Character	p. 205
The Costume Designer and the Actor	p. 207
Lighting Design	p. 208
The History of Light in the Theatre	p. 209
The Lighting Designer's Materials	p. 209
Conceptualizing with Light	p. 210
The Light Plot and Light Cues	p. 211
Visibility	p. 211
Focus	p. 212
Mood and Atmosphere	p. 212
The Rhythm of Light	p. 212
The Growing Prominence of Sound Design	p. 213
The Integration of Sound into the Production Process	p. 213
The Sound Designer's Materials	p. 213
Environmental Sound and Sound Reinforcement	p. 215
Summary	p. 215
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 216
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 217
The Musical Theatre	p. 219
Origins of Musical Theatre in America	p. 220
The Broadway Theatre	p. 221
Oklahoma!	p. 221
West Side Story	p. 223
My Fair Lady	p. 224
Cabaret	p. 226
Stephen Sondheim	p. 228
A Chorus Line	p. 230
New Directions for the Musical Theatre	p. 232
Savion Glover and Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk	p. 232
Jonathan Larson and Rent	p. 234
Julie Taymor and The Lion King	p. 235
Susan Stroman and Contact	p. 238
Summary	p. 240
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 241
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 241
The Nature of Style: Realism and Theatricalism	p. 243
Understanding Style: Realism	p. 245
Introduction to Realism	p. 246
"Realistic Elements in Joe Turner's Come and Gone	p. 246
Realism in Film	p. 247
Origins of Realism	p. 248
The Social Background of Realism	p. 249
European Realism	p. 250
Henrik Ibsen	p. 250
August Strindberg	p. 251
Anton Chekhov	p. 251
American Realism	p. 253
Lillian Hellman	p. 253
Poetic Realism: Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams	p. 254
Konstantin Stanislavsky and Realistic Acting	p. 256
Summary	p. 257
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 260
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 261
Expressing a Worldview Through Realism	p. 263
Looking at And the Soul Shall Dance
Exploring the Text of and the Soul Shall Dance	p. 264
Plot and Characters	p. 265
Personal, Cultural, and Historical Contexts of the Play	p. 265
The Play as Memory	p. 265
Personal History	p. 268
Prejudice, Discrimination, and Internment	p. 268
The Play as Social Document	p. 269
Evoking a World Through Detail	p. 270
The Complete Text of and the Soul Shall Dance	p. 272
Producing and the Soul Shall Dance	p. 303
Introduction to East West Players	p. 303
History of East West Players	p. 303
Location and Physical Space	p. 303
Staging the Play	p. 305
The Director's Prologue	p. 305
The Influence of Asian Theatre	p. 306
Staging a Period Play: The Work of the Director and the Actors	p. 306
Building Character Relationships	p. 310
Contrasting Productions: East West Players and Northwest Asian American Theatre	p. 313
Scene Design and the Physical Space	p. 313
Interpreting Family Relationships	p. 313
Sexuality and Gender	p. 315
Summary	p. 316
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 317
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 317
Understanding Style: Theatricalism	p. 319
Exposing the Mechanics of the Theatre	p. 321
Expressionism	p. 321
German Expressionism	p. 322
American Expressionism: Eugene O'Neill	p. 323
Epic Theatre: Bertolt Brecht	p. 325
Brecht's Concept of Alienation	p. 326
Brecht's Approach to Acting	p. 327
Theatre of the Absurd	p. 328
A Revolution in Movement: Martha Graham	p. 329
A New Dance Vocabulary	p. 329
Costume and Set as Partners in Dance	p. 331
Total Theatre: Robert Wilson	p. 331
Wilson's Experience	p. 332
The Interior Landscape	p. 332
A New Meeting of East and West; Shen Wei	p. 333
From Opera to Modern Dance	p. 333
Choreographer and Designer	p. 335
Summary	p. 336
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 336
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 337
Expressing a Worldview through Theatricalism	p. 339
Looking at Angels in America: Millennium Approaches
Exploring the Text of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches	p. 341
Plot and Characters: A World in Spiritual Collapse	p. 341
The Role of Roy Cohn	p. 342
The Shifting Point of View	p. 342
Influences on Kushner as Playwright: Bertolt Brecht and Caryl Churchill	p. 342
The Historical Framework of Angels in America	p. 344
The Character Roy Cohn as a Historical Figure	p. 345
Roy Cohn and the Plot of Angels in America	p. 347
Roy Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg	p. 348
The Complete Text of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches	p. 350
Producing Angels in America	p. 398
The Eureka Theatre and the Playwright	p. 398
The Role of the Dramaturg	p. 398
The Developmental Process	p. 400
Expanding Opportunities for the Development of New Plays	p. 404
Summary	p. 405
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 405
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 406
The Nature of Drama: Structure and Genre	p. 407
The Elements of Drama and Dramatic Structure	p. 409
Fundamental Elements of Structure	p. 410
Character	p. 410
Plot	p. 411
Language	p. 412
Music	p. 417
Spectacle	p. 417
The Organization of the Drama in Space and Time	p. 419
The Duration of the Performance	p. 419
Building the Drama: The Internal Rhythm	p. 420
Conflict, Rising Tension, and Resolution	p. 420
Summary	p. 422
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 423
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 423
Genre	p. 425
Introduction to Genre	p. 426
Tragedy and Comedy	p. 427
Origins in Greek Drama	p. 428
Aristotle on Tragedy and Comedy	p. 428
Tragedy: Catharsis and Awareness	p. 429
Plot Summaries of Selected Tragedies	p. 429
Common Themes of Tragedy	p. 431
Can Tragedy Exist Today?	p. 432
Melodrama	p. 434
Tragicomedy	p. 436
Farce	p. 439
Writing About the Theatre	p. 440
The Dramaturg	p. 441
The Critic	p. 443
Two Reviews of Medea	p. 445
Summary	p. 450
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 450
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 451
Choosing a Genre: Comedy	p. 453
Looking at Dog Lady
Exploring the Text of Dog Lady	p. 454
Plot and Characters	p. 454
The Playwright's Sources: An Intersection of Cultures	p. 455
Characteristics of the Play	p. 456
Blended Language	p. 456
Magical Realism	p. 457
Reinterpreting Catholic Imagery: The Virgin of Guadalupe	p. 458
A Latina Identity	p. 460
The Complete Text of Dog Lady	p. 461
Producing Dog Lady	p. 473
Intar	p. 473
Set Design and Ming Cho Lee	p. 473
Pop Art and Forced Perspective	p. 473
Breaking the Illusion	p. 474
Staging and Acting	p. 474
Sight Gags	p. 476
Vocal Style	p. 477
Using Comedy to Shift the Worldview	p. 478
Summary	p. 479
Topics for Discussion and Writing	p. 480
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 480
The Project	p. 483
Looking at Buried Child
Preparing a Production	p. 484
Buried Child and Alternative Play Choices	p. 484
Introduction to Sam Shepard	p. 485
Alternative Plays	p. 487
Working on the Project	p. 487
Sequence of Work	p. 487
Topics for Group Discussion (Group Meeting 1)	p. 488
Group Decisions (Group Meeting 2)	p. 488
Project Assignments	p. 488
The Director	p. 488
Character Analysis	p. 489
Scene Design	p. 489
Costume Design	p. 490
Music	p. 491
Program Note	p. 492
Poster	p. 492
Conclusion	p. 492
The Complete Text of Buried Child	p. 493
Suggestion for Further Reading	p. 532
Guided Writing Assignments	p. 533
Notes	p. 539
Glossary	p. 545
Credits	p. 551
Index	p. 555
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