The Theater Experience w/CD-ROM & Theater Goers Guide

by Wilson, Edwin

• ISBN13: 9780072878363
• ISBN10: 0072878363
• Edition: 9th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-25
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

The ideal theater appreciation text for courses focusing on theater elements, The Theater Experience encourages students to be active theatergoers as they learn about the fundamentals of a production. By addressing the importance of the audience, Wilson brings the art of performance to life for students who may have little experience with the medium.

Table of Contents

Part 1 - THE AUDIENCE

Chapter 1 - The Audience: Its Role and Imagination

The Relationship Between Performer and Audience

The Special Nature of Theater: A Contrast with Film

The Chemistry of Performer-Audience Contact

Theater as a Group Experience

Psychology of Groups

How Audience Makeup Affects the Theater Experience

The Separate Roles of Performers and Spectators

How Should the Audience Be Involved?

Audience Participation through Direct Action

The Imagination of the Audience

Tools of the Imagination: Symbol and Metaphor

The "Reality" of the Imagination

The Imaginary Worlds of Theater

Realism and Nonrealism

Distinguishing Stage Reality from Fact

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 2 - Background and Expectations of the Audience

Background of Individual Spectators

Background of the Period

Theater and Society

Greek Theater and Culture

Elizabethan Theater and Culture

Modern Theater and Culture

Background Information on the Play or Playwright

Expectations: The Variety of Experiences in Modern Theater

Broadway and Touring Theater

Resident Professional Theaters

Alternative Theaters: Off-Broadway and Elsewhere

Children's Theater

College and University Theaters

Multiethnic, Multicultural, and Gender Theaters

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 3 - The Critic and the Audience

Theatrical Criticism

What Is Criticism?

Preparation for Criticism

Critical Criteria

Descriptive and Prescriptive Criticism

Fact and Opinion in Criticism

The Reviewer and the Critic

Getting Started in Theater—Mel Gussow, Critic

The Audience's Relationship to Criticism: Two Issues

The Audience's Independent Judgment

Analysis and Overanalysis

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 4 - Stage Spaces

Creating the Environment

Theater Spaces

Proscenium Stage

Arena Stage

Thrust Stage

Created and Found Spaces

All-Purpose Theater Spaces

Special Requirements of Theater Environments

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Play Synopsis: A Raisin in the Sun

Play Synopsis: Fefu and Her Friends

Play Synopsis: King Oedipus

Part 2 - THE PERFORMERS AND THE DIRECTOR

Chapter 5 - Acting: Offstage and in the Past

"Acting" in Everyday Life

Imitation

Role Playing

Acting in Life versus Acting Onstage

Photo Essay: Audra McDonald

Stage Acting: A Historical Perspective

Physical Demands of Classical Acting

Vocal Demands of Classical Acting

Performing in Classics Today

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 6 - Stage Acting Today

The Acting Experience

Challenges of Acting Today

The Development of Realistic Acting

Performers' Training Today

Synthesis and Integration

Judging Performances

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 7 - The Director and the Producer

The Theater Director

Evolution of the Director: A Historical Perspective

The Director and the Script

Getting Started in Theater—Zelda Fichandler, Director

The Director and the Production

The Director's Power and Responsibility

The Producer or Manager

The Commercial Producer

Noncommercial Theaters

Completing the Picture: Playwright, Director, and Producer

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Play Synopsis: Death of a Salesman

Play Synopsis: The Three Sisters

Part 3 - THE PLAY: TYPES OF THEATER

Chapter 8 - The Text: Subject, Purpose, and Perspective

Subject

Focus and Emphasis

Purpose

Viewpoint

What Is Point of View?

The Dramatist's Point of View

Society's Point of View

Viewpoint and Genre

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 9 - Tragedy and Other Serious Drama

Tragedy

Traditional Tragedy

Modern Tragedy

Heroic Drama

Bourgeois or Domestic Drama

Melodrama

Getting Started in Theater—Emily Mann, Playwright-Director

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 10 - Comedy and Tragicomedy

Comedy

Characteristics of Comedy

Techniques of Comedy

Forms of Comedy

Tragicomedy

What Is Tragicomedy?

Modern Tragicomedy

Theater of the Absurd

Absurdist Plots: Illogicality

Absurdist Language: Nonsense and Non Sequitur

Absurdist Characters: Existential Beings

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 11 - Musical Theater

Background

Drama and Music

The Appeal of Music and Dance

Types of Musical Theater

A Brief History of the American Musical

Antecedents

The 1920s and 1930s: Musical Comedies

The 1920s and 1930s: Advances in Musicals

Musical Theater of the 1940s and 1950s

Musicals from the 1960s through the 1990s

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 12 - Theater of Diversity

African American Theater

Background of African American Theater

African American Theater in the Middle and Late Twentieth Century

Getting Started in Theater—August Wilson, Playwright

Asian American Theater

Background of Asian Theater

Contemporary Asian American Theater

Hispanic Theater

Native American Theater

Feminist Theater

Gay and Lesbian Theater

Performance Art

Fringe Theater Festivals

Postmodernism and Culturally Diverse Theater

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Play Synopsis: M. Butterfly

Play Synopsis: The Way of the World

Play Synopsis: Fences

Part 4 - THE PLAYWRIGHT: DRAMATIC CHARACTERS AND DRAMATIC STRUCTURE

Chapter 13 - Dramatic Characters

Types of Characters

Extraordinary Characters

Representative or Quintessential Characters

Stock Characters

Characters with a Dominant Trait

Minor Characters

A Narrator or Chorus

Nonhuman Characters

Using Dramatic Characters Effectively: Juxtaposition and Interaction

Juxtaposition of Characters

Major and Minor Characters

Orchestration of Characters

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 14 - Conventions of Dramatic Structure

Essentials of Dramatic Structure

The Form of Drama: Plot versus Story

The Subject and Verb of Drama: People and Action

The Crucible of Drama: Conflict

Structural Conventions: The Rules of the Game

Limited Space

Limited Time

Strongly Opposed Forces

A Balance of Forces

Incentive and Motivation

Creating a Dramatic Structure

The Opening Scene

Obstacles and Complications

Crisis and Climax

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 15 - Dramatic Structure: Climactic, Episodic, and Other Forms

Climactic Structure

Characteristics of Climactic Structure

Significant Periods of Climactic Structure

Episodic Structure

Characteristics of Episodic Structure

Significant Periods of Episodic Structure

Combinations of Climactic and Episodic Form

Ritual and Pattern as Dramatic Structure

Rituals

Patterns

Serial Structure

Experimental and Avant-Garde Theater

Special Structures

Getting Started in Theater—Richard Foreman, Director, Playwright, and Designer

Segments and Tableaux as Structure

Structure in Musical Theater

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Play Synopsis: Waiting for Godot

Play Synopsis: Ghosts

Play Synopsis: A Streetcar Named Desire

Part 5 - The Designers: Environment, Visual Elements, and Sound

Chapter 16 - Scenery

A Brief History of Stage Design

"Stage Sets" in Everyday Life

Scenery for the Stage

Objectives of Scene Design

Aesthetic Aspects of Scene Design

The Scenic Environment

Mood and Style

Realistic and Nonrealistic Scenery

Locale and Period

The Design Concept

The Central Image or Metaphor

Coordination of the Whole

Scene Design and Popular Entertainment

Practical Aspects of Scene Design

The Physical Layout

Materials of Scene Design

Special Effects

Getting Started in Theater—Robin Wagner, Scene Designer

The Process of Scene Design

Elements of Design

Steps in the Design Process

Photo Essay: The Designer Prepares a Production

The Scene Designer's Collaborators

Designing a Total Environment

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 17 - Stage Costumes

Costumes in Everyday Life

Costumes for the Stage

Objectives of Costume Design

The Process of Costume Design

Getting Started in Theater—Jess Goldstein, Costume Designer

The Costume Designer at Work

Other Elements

Makeup

Hairstyles and Wigs

Masks

Coordination of the Whole

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 18 - Lighting and Sound

Stage Lighting

A Brief History of Stage Lighting

Objectives and Functions of Lighting Design

Achieving the Objectives: The Lighting Designer

Getting Started in Theater—Peggy Eisenhauer, Lighting Designer

Sound in the Theater

Sound Reproduction: Advantages and Disadvantages

The Sound Designer

Sound Reproduction and Sound Reinforcement

Sound Technology

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Play Synopsis: Mother Courage and Her Children

Epilogue: Integrating the Elements and Predicting the Future

The Audience: Integrating the Elements

Observation and Assimilation

Observing the Elements as Parts of a Whole

The Overall Effect: What Does Theater "Mean"?

The Modern Theater: Different Purposes, Different Experiences

The Future: What Lies Ahead?

Summary

Appendix A - Technical Terms

Appendix B - Major Theatrical Forms and Movements

Appendix C - Historical Outline

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index