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Theater Styles (TOTAL THEATER (Purpose: to bring the mind, imagination and…
Theater Styles
TOTAL THEATER
Purpose: to bring the mind, imagination and emotions to life and made physical and into action. To make extreme moods and to give the audience an overwhelming experience
Acting: Very physical. Actors are used like dancers or athletes, to make images out of the text. There is a lot of exaggeration especially in facial expressions and body language but also everything else.
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Script: Every line must mean something, with much of the script being turned into actions and movement. There can be direct communication with the audience.
Costume/Makeup: Costumes and makeup were used a lot but they were realistic and tried to help show who or what the actor was
Practitioner: Stephen Berkoff - the main founder of Total Theatre, Jacques Le-Coq,
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EPIC THEATER
Practitioner: Bertolt Brecht , Erwin Piscator
Acting: song and dance and also comedy was used to get the point across . Actors were physically and emotionally separated from other actors and be almost robotic. In rehearsals they swapped roles a lot so the actors dont get too attached to their character. Often played different characters in the play.
Staging: all actors very spread out. The audience should always be aware that it is watching a play. Sets were often not used, or fragments of a set was used. Signs were also used to get information across to the audience. The plays were performed in traditional archways although Brecht often liked to either get rid of the curtain all together or just have half of one and call the audience "spectators"
Purpose: To educate the audience about social conditions and try to get them to act on them (developed from Expressionism.
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Costume/Makeup costume isn't stereotypical and often just uses small pieces (is fragmented) . It also helps to show the characters place in society. Makeup is used to portray themes and ideas also shows a characters social role in the play.
LFX/SFX open white light is used as any colour would give the audience an emotion to cling to or generate. All lighting instruments were on show to the audience and house lights were often left on, to make sure the audience knows they are watching a play.
Music is used to neutralise emotion instead of making it more apparent. It is also used to express underlying themes
POOR THEATER
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LFX/SFX No spotlights or coloured lighting is used, instead just a white wash over the stage is usually all the lighting involved.
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Acting: physical movement was a key factor of poor theater productions and plays. The skill of the actor and the skill of the actor was the main feature with actors being props as well and going through intense training before the production. The acting should be authentic and there was no room for egos .
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THEATER OF CRUELTY
Acting: characters were told and encouraged to use as much emotion as they could. There was no 'main character' or protagonist.
Staging: there is no barrier between stage/performance and audience. The actors often performs around the audience in the middle even on swivel chairs to allow them to follow the action easily.
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Script: Written text was reduced and spoken text was improvised a lot. Artaud referred to spoken text as 'written poetry.
Purpose: To make the audience unsettled and uncomfortable. Also to show dance, gesture and ritual through drama.To release emotions from the audience and to trap the audience inside the drama.
LFX/SFX: Sound is used but at high volume and should provide an all around sensory experience. Lights also used in the same extreme sort of way using a combination of pinpointed and flooding light. Artaud wanted to 'hypnotise' his audience.
Costume/makeup Modern costume was not used, Instead clothing from ancient ritual is used. Masks and also puppets and mannequins were used to create size contrast between the actors
THEATER OF THE ABSURD
Staging: staging was very minimalistic and had sets that were very vague and only contained some information. For example a swing.
Script: The text is usually illogical with a lot of repetition which highlights the pointlessness of human life.
Acting: There is repetition of words and actions until they seem senseless and silence and pauses are used as an effect. The actors are sometimes stereotypical and they often lack motivation which helps to portray their pointlessness
Costume/makeup: ranges from a naturalistic style to clownlike. The costumes try to represent what the play is about.
Practitioner: Samuel Beckett, Eugene Lonesco, Edward Albee
LFX/SFX: can range from very minimal lights with no colour to more naturalistic and authentic styles. The sounds used are often rather monotonous sounding, with the intention of make the audience as uncomfortable as possible.
Purpose: to show that life is meaningless and that the only thing that is already set in stone is the end of our existence. To make it meaningful we cling to the illusions of love and family
EXPRESSIONISM
Acting:
Protagonist is often a representative of other individuals suffering the same reality and so was classified as a role rather than a personal identity.
Classified as a role rather than personal identity
Main character, represents a kind of stereotype of all humans that are affected by the constraints of society and increasing mechanisation
Characters could represent states of mind, therefore could not be played realistically
LFX/SFX Light is one of the most important parts, not only to help smoothly transition from different episode but also to help show consciousness. It is very strange and the unrealistic and extreme colours and angles add to the "nightmare" of the style. Silence is used a lot to create the dreamlike effect
Staging: often made up of strange colours and shapes with very simplistic images. The setting that was portrayed is very symbolic.
Script:
Language was lyrical and poetic or reduced into a disjointed robotic style combined with emotion packed monologues
It often explored the subconscious mind so dreaming for example.
Costume/Makeup: costume and make up is used effectively to emphasize the character. Masks can be worn and makeup is used often very over the top to make characters look more unrealistic and almost cartoon like.
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Practitioner: Tim Burton, Strindberg, Capek Brothers, Arthur Miller, John Romeril