Edward Gordon Craig Uber Marionettes

The set used for Vernon God Little was highly symbolic and simplistic; when we walked into the theatre we could visually see that there were flowers, cards and memorable items attached on the audiences seats above our heads, which already created a sombre atmosphere around the theatre.

Theatre is a collaboration of various forms of fine art which utilizes live performances presenting before the audience on a stage at a specific place within a scheduled time (Dugdale 10). The message is communicated through a combination of various channels like songs, speech gestures or dances. Stagecraft skills are combined with elements of art to make the performance more physical and near to real life experience. Theatre is categorized broadly into drama, musical theatre, comedy, tragedy and improvisation. Any form of these accepts integration of various production modes and collective reception to influence the artwork being presented. As a result of this cooperation of items in the theatre

Jacques LeCoq and Augusto Boal had fairly similar philosophies but had extremely different ideas for theatre. Boal believed that “An actor’s instrument is their body, which needs to be completely ‘free’ in order to express true emotions”. Where as LeCoq believed that “Everything moves” and that as we ‘free’ the body, we begin

In the intro to The Dramatic Imagination, John Mason Brown wrote that Robert Jones’ theatre was “an extension of life, not a duplication, a heightening rather than a reproduction” (Jones 1). Of course, we know that plays are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. However, Jones poses the question of what can designers do to heighten the “extraordinary circumstances” to the audience without interfering the message of the show? The Dramatic Imagination focused on most aspects of artistry in the theatre, including actors and designers. As someone who does not consider myself a designer, but is an actor with a liberal arts education, this was more helpful than only focusing on scenic design. Furthermore, it supported the need for intense collaboration between all theatre artists when working on a show, a highly valued characteristic of mine.

How Brecht achieves producing this state of consciousness is more subtle and elegant than the previous technique of having actors walk out with blatant placards to remind the audience that they are watching a play. One of the marks of Brecht’s epic theater is his alienation effect, or “a representation which allows [the audience] to recognize its subject, but at the same time makes it seem unfamiliar” (Brecht 1948, 8).

Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavski are regarded as two of the most influential practitioners of the twentieth century, both with strong opinions and ideas about the function of the theatre and the actors within it. Both theories are considered useful and are used throughout the world as a means to achieve a good piece of theatre. The fact that both are so well respected is probably the only obvious similarity as their work is almost of complete opposites.

Warm up your vocal cords because you’re going to want to sing along to this youth theatre company’s musical revue. The performance showcases a wide range of music – from energetic group numbers to stirring ballads that will have you weeping in your hanky. Whether you enjoy new smash hits like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen or classics like A Chorus Line and Hairspray, there’s something sure to please everyone.

Bertolt Brecht and Constantin Stanislavski are regarded as two of the most influential practitioners of the twentieth century, both with strong opinions and ideas about the function of the theatre and the actors within it. Both theories are considered useful and are used throughout the world as a means to achieve a good piece of theatre. The fact that both are so well respected is probably the only obvious similarity as their work is almost of complete opposites.

“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”

In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.

The name of the Bread and Puppet Theatre hails from the custom of sharing freshly baked bread with the theatre visitors to symbolise that art should be an everyday ritual for everyone just like eating bread.` We give you a piece of bread with the puppet show because our bread and theatre belong together. For a long time the theatre arts have been separated from the stomach. Theatre was entertainment.` (Peter Schumann, Bread & Puppet official website). The foremost goal of this theatre is to raise feelings of sensitivity in the viewer and to outline what the terms 'good' and 'evil' mean, especially in political spheres. This reflects the use of the audience as being used to create this form of

When utilized correctly, theater can weapon, not one that destroys, but rather one that teaches the spectators to adhere to one ideology. The group or ideology that speaks and has the power of this microphone has changed over time and as a result culture has followed it. At first, we observe that the aristocrats held theater but soon after the power fell to the individual man. Once the bourgeoisie, as Boal calls them, took control, the common man followed two laws, according to Machiavelli: the virtù and the praxis. The virtù allows the lower man to trample the obstacles set by the higher powers. Although man has become more individualized, art today still indoctrinates the lower man that he must obey

“DV8's work is characterised by the desire to communicate ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously, often with a focus on socio-political issues.”(Wikipedia. 2016. DV8 Physical Theatre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DV8_Physical_Theatre. [Accessed 21 May 2016].) DV8's work innately addresses the conventional style and structures which swarm both advanced and established move, and endeavors to push past the qualities they reflect to empower discourse of more extensive and more intricate issues.

Amira Baraka’s essay “The Revolutionary Theater” emerges from a time in history when the Civil Rights movement was at is largest. It was written in 1965 and was originally supposed to be published by New York Times but, it was rejected because the editor could not understand the language that was used. It was eventually published in Black Dialogue. While in some instances it is difficult to understand, Baraka’s words remain as an overwhelming powerful reminder and example of how African American’s felt about the condition that their everyday lives were in, and how it was now their time to live a free life without hate, violence, and discrimination.

This idea is relevant because on the stage, the Restoration actress, is nothing but an ornament in the male gaze. This attitude is apparent as Thomas Shadwell links the new phenomenon of female performers with painted theatrical scenes, both innovative commodities for audience consumption: