Theatre as Visual Rhetoric

It was in middle school where I lost my identity; it was crushed and altered by strangers full of judgments and opinions. I was a stain on a white shirt, my flaws easily visible. Transitioning from middle school terrified me. The thought of new strangers teasing filled me with fear. Theater arts, in a span of four years, transformed me into the confident woman I am now. The discovery of art was like entering a world specifically created for me. Confidence and self-actualization embody me like a suit of armor giving me powers that made all the negativity disappear.

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.

Theories and objectives that I have embedded into my performance include the transformation of spectator into the actor, image theatre, forum theatre and importance of proper speculation. It all begins with my cultural artifact, my stuffed animal bear. My stuffed bear may not have a dramatic history like many other objects out there in the world, but it does hold an important value for many if not all. We all grew up having that one toy we deeply loved and were emotionally connected with and for me, it was my bear. I first came into contact with it starting at a very young age and, therefore, I am unable to put a date on it. Regardless, it is a priceless possession that I own and it 's unknown value only appreciates with time. Stuffed animals are objects that are most commonly given to children as gift and presents. What people do not realize is that it is more than just a sentimental gift but rather a tool, a friend, and a companion to those receiving it. It is a tool because it aids young kids to embrace their emotional side which they are often told to withhold especially if they are boys. More than that, it is a friend and a lifelong companion, stuffed animals are typically given to children before they are actually capable of making friends and, therefore, it is usually considered their first attempt or first contact (Miller, 1999). According to Smith (2011), people in modern day society overlook the importance of stuffed animals and its contribution cultivating our

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.

A discourse community is a group of people with similar ideologies, goals, life experiences and ways of communicating. A lot of us have been in a discourse community without even knowing it. They are so easy to be a part of, you are practically born into one, for your family has a culture and background, which fits the definition of a discourse community. I am actually a part of a few communities myself, and you probably are too. Some examples of mine are my family, being a UTA student, Italian, a woman and a part of UTA’s musical theater program. Which brings me to the most important community I have been a part of, so far in my life, Colleyville Heritage High schools theater department, I am no longer a part of it, but in the short four years I was, my life has changed for the better. In my paper, I will talk to you about my time at Colleyville Heritage High School theater department, and how the community gave me a sense of belonging, taught me how to persevere, by means of loving art and preforming. This will be backed by ethos, logos and pathos, for I have experienced all the emotions of joining a new group, along with the four years of taking acting, and singing lessons and doing shows, paired with real life events to prove everything in this paper is one hundred percent real.

Thinking and acting rhetorically to me means to think before you act. Do some research before you voice your opinion on any topic, whether that be a controversial topic like the 2016 elections or which coffee shop has the coffee. Since second grade I remember my teacher telling me and a group of friends to always think before you say anything. It is necessary to think things thoroughly and analyze them before you decide to say something. In any kind of situation you must always think things through before you speak, whether you’re at a family gathering or in a lecture class. People will judge you based on what you say, therefore you must do some research before speaking. Thinking rhetorically is doing your research. You need to know both sides

Ever thought about how different our world would be if everyone accepted everyone for who they are or who they choose to be? Many people in today’s society are labeling or are being labeled by others. People think that by targeting others with their own opinion, they will be able to make a change. There is so much controversy on whether or not being a transgender or homosexual is okay.

In the theater, the role of a performer is to convince the audience they are something or someone they are not. In much the same way actors pretend to fool the audience, politicians likewise use acting to conceal their true political goals from potential opponents. This strong association between the theater and politics is readily apparent in Julius Caesar. The conspirators led by Cassius and Brutus use acting to conceal their politically motivated goal to assassinate Caesar. Marc Antony likewise uses acting to not only conceal his hatred for the conspirators, but to also turn public opinion against them. This relationship between politics and the theater is reinforced by having various characters directly reference the theater when discussing political goals. However, in the end, Antony manages to emerge victorious. This is largely due to Brutus’s decision to not only spare him but to allow him to speak at Caesars funeral. This decision marks a key turning point in the play and highlights a disconnect between Brutus and the theater. This disconnect results in the failure to anticipate not only Antony’s true intentions, but also in the power of rhetoric to sway the populace. Equally important is Antony’s own complete immersion in the theater to allow him to deceive the conspirators and recognize how best to use his words to influence the people. These two factors build off each other and are critical in determining the eventual conclusion

Typically used to create scenes of horror, or fear, the lighting of a scene alone, can create emotions in the audience. A famous example of this is in Edward Scissorhands, when Peggy, a curious housewife, walks into a dark, gloomy mansion. The lighting is complemented with other ominous cliches, like stripped trees and heavy clouds. Another example of how lighting is used to create powerful moods in movies, is in the Big Fish, the first time Bloom is in Spectre. The lights and colors perfectly embody the overall life of the town and it’s people, vivid, bright, happy. An example of the use of lighting in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, could be when in the beginning, the bland shades of grey and white and brown are all the decorate the small house Charlie lives in. the house in lifeless and old, rundown and small. The colors and lighting convey a life of no excitement or adventure. This displays the power of lighting if Burton’s

I would remind the concept ‘Visual rhetoric’, which is defined as “study and the production of the visual representation of space, environment, ecology, and nature in photographs, paintings, television, film, video games, computer media, and other forms of image-based media to construct or challenge “seeing” of nature or what constitutes an environmental problem” (Cox & Pezzullo, p. 74). Laurie Allmann’s Anticipating Rhythm video talks about how the art and popular culture do use in environmental issues, how they are interpreted as visual rhetoric to the public. I was sympathized that tell the small story first and then expand on state and globe with telling authentic and true story be accompanied with visual arts or sounds as complementary truth, because telling general environmental issues cannot make attentions and interests regardless of people who are interested in the nature.

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 above example illustrates not only how the theatrical performance affects the audience, but also how the audience influences its dynamics, development and the characters within it. The actors feel a certain level of acceptance from the viewer, who demands a certain way of depicting the character. Theatre is not just entertainment, itís something much more than that ñ itís education. Theatre should always represent things, rather than

The quote “Art is a lie that brings us closer to the truth,” is significant in the arts as an Area of Knowledge. In this essay, I concentrate on Theater as a specific art form. The assertion by Pablo Picasso is just as true as it is also ironically false. Picasso’s words imply two seemingly contradictory postulates: Everything in theater is a lie, and it serves as a mechanism to bring us closer to the truth. But what exactly are the truth and the lie in this context? This question is important in order to understand both concepts in the context of theater and substantiate my claims for targeting this quote as both empirical and spurious! So to start off for my evaluation, I am going to define the “Lies in Theater” as well as the “Truths in

ostmodernism was a movement that began in the 1960s that affected all forms of art and literature of that time period. Postmodernism followed modernism and it sought to challenge the ideas and values of modernistic theatre, modernism was formed to shake up theatre, introducing new theories of science and technology to explain the world, whereas postmodern theatre raises more questions than supplying the answers for the audience. Modernism created a ‘grand-narrative’ whereby there was only one meaning which would be told to the audience. Postmodernism broke down the ‘grand-narrative’ when Jean-François Lyotard wrote La Condition postmoderne: Rapport sur le savoir (The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge) (1979), he came up with

Academic and artistic interest in something is usually a sure sign that matters are unclear, conceptual boundaries are blurred and that old certainties are anything but that. There is also little doubt that the major challenges we face: the media revolution, globalization and migration, climate change, the erosion of public finances and services (to name just a few) – have all in some way a bearing on the public sphere, the realm where issues are debated and where citizens are free to enter and engage in discourse. As the public sphere is primarily a discursive arena located outside and between state bureaucracies on the one hand and economics and business on the other, it occupies a crucial role in the functioning of so-called free societies. The question to be explored here is what role theatre and performance in practice play in this realm and how performance and theatre theory can contribute to the debates.” (Balme