What Is Community Engagement In Theatre

When people think of theatre they usually think of acting, directing, and maybe script writers. They would correct, all of those disciplines are part of theatre but there's more to theatre than just that; however, due to personal interests those specific disciplines will be exactly what this essay is about. What most people don't think of when they think of theatre is how much thought is put into it. The different type of methods, not just for acting but, for directing, and script writing as well. Everyone has a different method of running a show but this paper will discuss some of the legendary people that have influenced theatre the most.

The past four years, I have breathed, slept, eaten, thought and immersed myself in all thing pertaining to theatre. This is where I discovered to truly work in a team, where I could be without fear of being something I am not, and where I have found peace in the maddening swirl of day to day life, ironic in the fact that theatre is a hectic world. This world is where I have made my best friends and found people I know I can count on and that I insist can depend on me. If I have learned one thing from my experiences in theatre, it is to strive and achieve

Theater and theatrical performances are as old as time and thanks to Shakespeare, there are incredible pieces for performers and audiences alike to enjoy for the next several thousand years. The circular design of the theater created a bond between the actors on the stage and the audience. The Globe brought together people of all castes and unified them through theater. As long as someone had a penny to spare, they could see a show at The Globe, allowing everyone the unique theatrical experience The Globe provided. The Globe still offers performances and camps for youth to learn about theater in the place where Shakespeare entertained. This fact alone is a testament to the importance of The Globe and Shakespeare’s works. With the efforts of Shakespeare, his troupe, and other actors and writers of his time theater has grown into a unifying form of entertainment for all people (possibly even across The Globe). The Globe will forever serve as the home that raised theatrical performances into the extravagant, sometimes life changing, experiences they have become and will always continue to

Above all, I wouldn’t be where I am today without theatre. Without the chance to perform throughout my life, I would be disconnected from the wide array of communities and histories that’s been imbedded in my daily routine. Unfortunately, it’s speculated that the theatre is a dying art form, because of the expanding popularities of movies (“Is”), but I think that it’ll remain a well renowned part of expressing imagination and interpreting history as years pass; it only takes cooperation with school faculty and young students that go above and beyond to change their

Ever since I can remember I have loved theatre. It’s been a constant presence, and an important touchstone, in my life. However, for as long as I’ve loved theatre, I have also been ridiculed for my enjoyment of it. As a child, my interest was tolerated as something precious, something I was bound to grow out of. My parents and teachers would sit in the audience, clapping and cheering me on, all the while thinking to themselves “I bet she’ll make a great lawyer one day.” They thought, like most of society, theatre was an unnecessary luxury; a pastime for the rich and powerful, for those who didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table, or clothes on their children’s backs. Certainly not

For decades people found theatre one of the most enjoyable form of entertainment all across the world. With every play comes a cost. A value which somebody's story is told. Obviously it can be comic drama or despairing,. Each second of these plays are genuinely delightful and exceptional. Where the performing artists show a totally distinctive side of characters to the group of onlookers where they demonstrate to them something new and pleasurable. And behind the theatre and its plays is one person who keeps it all in check and that is the director. The director is like the heart of a person. You don’t see the heart but you know if it’s doing its job correctly

This past week, I had the opportunity to experience a magnificent play called Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin. This performance was the third of three plays I saw at the Arizona Repertory Theatre. The other two plays were Epic Proportions by Larry Coen and David Crane and Hands on a Hardbody by Doug Wright. These were the first plays I have been to, not only while attending the University of Arizona, but in my generation as a teenager. All together, these performances were amazing and have brought a newly improved insight to my perception of theatre. The hard work and dedication by the actors, directors, producers, cast members, and sound developers were absolutely incredible and I have tremendous respect for their efforts during the overall sequence of producing the plays. The most recent performance I saw, Born Yesterday, can be described and reflected on through various topics such as lighting, sound, directing and producing.

We then talked about the essence of how this grand type of story could be effectively performed in a small wooden theater. We talked about the bond between the author, actors, and audience that exists in the theater. We also talked about the text of the prologue in which the chorus simply asks the audience to use their imaginations by requesting that they suspend disbelief. In this the Chorus essentially pleads with the audience to view the representations presented to them as what they are intended more than what they are. For this to be effective the triple bond comes into play, the writing, acting and audience participation are all required to properly appreciate the story as it was intended.

At the theatre at which I do most of my work, previews are a little different than the classic type. The audiences at our previews are comprised of people who may otherwise not be able to see the show- the School for the Blind, foster families, teen moms, kids on the autism spectrum, and many other people lacking the privilege to attend live theatre at all. The audiences at those shows are always the most boisterous, sometimes the hardest to perform for, but always the most grateful. My mindset about theatre for a long time was that the reason I love it so much is because it gives me more joy than anything else I’ve ever experienced. It got me through my dad’s death in 2012, it helps me stay positive through depression, and is overall a therapeutic experience for me. The first preview I ever did made me realize that theatre isn’t for the actors at all, not once performances start- it’s for the audiences. Art is a medium that allows ideas to be brought to light that no one wants to talk about, or don’t know how to. Theatre is my most beloved method of art because of the way I’ve seen it so tangibly transform the lives of those around me. The fact that we, as theatre artists, have the opportunity to bring light to the lives of people who don’t see it much otherwise, is extraordinary. Deaf West’s Spring Awakening revival is a brilliant example of this- it makes such

Having knowledge and involvement in both the acting and the technical aspects of theater, I expected the production to deliver a qualitative performance that gave its audience the full experience. This experience is achieved by the elements of theater such as acting, lights, sounds, props, costume and set design

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

Before I had applied for the Summer MA program for theatre educators, I knew my teaching of dramaturgy was lacking. I had no systematic way of analyzing a script and being able to pull out the important aspects of the author’s intentions. Many aspects of theatre history and dramatic interpretation had been left out of my education. After classes my appetite had been wetted, I purchased a number of books to continue my education over the winter break, one of the books was “History of the Theatre 10th Edition” by Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy. Even though an overview of some much history it has lead me to want to teach so much deeper lessons to my students. After the eye-opening dramaturgy classes my mind has been washed with ideas on how to proceed, so much information had been given to us, I find it hard to concentrate on a single area. I truly look forward to teaching this year and these lessons.

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

On Friday October 20, I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to observe a group of my friends. I chose this group because I have known them for a number of years now, and I have never allowed myself the opportunity to truly observe them, and I felt this would be a perfectly fascinating opportunity to examine them from a pure sociological perspective. I have enjoyed their company, and who they all are, but I thought it would be interesting to see how our group functions and tends to interact with one another. Each and every one of these particular members of my friend group are rather intriguing. They are all very intelligent people with a decent sense of humor, and complex personalities all around. I expected to discover some interesting things about my friends, as I have observed them before, but never like this. I was hopeful, that I might discover some further insight that might explain how our groups tends to function. I felt encouraged to analyze certain aspects of their individual personalities, and to see how they interact with one another to form our group dynamic, utilizing the dramaturgical perspective. In addition, I specifically concentrated my efforts on looking at four elements of theater which are: costumes, actors, audience, and script.