A Theatre Experience Review

Studies have shown

that there is a specific process that must be followed in order to produce drama and content that is relevant and well-structured. When creating content, it’s crucial to take into account the different components that are needed. There are four essential factors to take into account: the screenplay, the process, the result, and the audience. These four components aid in making the various parts of the content generated work harmoniously together to flow and tell a story. A screenplay aids in defining and directing the entire crew regarding what is expected and how each act should be carried out. The second component, method, outlines how the group should put the written material or other content into action. It helps stitch the various sections to one by uniting and actualizing the various actions by each team member. The third element, product, is what the content developers desire to achieve in the end. After proper execution, the product is arrived at. The last element is the audience which represents people who are the main reason for creating the content. The audience always inspires a performance. These four elements go a long way in coming up with the story and plot. The story helps narrate occurrences of events at a particular time while a plot helps define the events and the purpose or meaning of each event. Through the two parts, plot and story, one is able to understand the content.

Question Two

In every performance, the plot is a key consideration. A plot helps to bring out the various events in a story, connect the various events and create meaning or purpose out of the various interconnected events. It is, therefore, a very important part as it enables the audience to gain an understanding of the purpose of occurrence of each event. There are four main types of plots namely, climatic, episodic, parallel and flash plots. On most occasions, the climatic and episodic plots are mainly utilized. In a climactic plot, various events lead to one big moment where the various scenes create a climax. It is normally characterized by a small location and few characters. The episodic plot is a series of interconnected and related events occurring in a particular order with each episode containing action. The main difference between episodic and climatic is mainly experience because, on the episodic plot, the action occurs gradually as it continues while in climatic it only occurs at the climax. Also, the number of characters in episodic is more than the number of characters in climatic plots due to the point of occurrence of an action. It is also noted that both the climatic and episodic indicate how the plot of a play or drama unfolds and is manifested.

Question Three

In the performance of literature, various events normally occur and form part of the story. These events happen for a particular reason which is considered important in developing the story. One of the events which occur is a tragedy. In literature, a tragedy is an event which is part of the drama where the characters experience or cause bad situations and circumstances. In this situation, they are expected to gather the confidence to overcome the circumstances. There are two types of tragedies namely modern and traditional tragedies. In the traditional tragedy, one character is highlighted. This character is the hero and due to the occurrence of the terrible circumstances, he falls from being mighty and noble to ashes. The story revolves around a single person considered the hero. In modern tragedy, the character shifts focus from one person to the whole community or society. The other distinction between the two is the fact that modern tragedy tries to become relevant to all people not highlighting one person as highlighted in classical but rather the whole community. It considers that a tragedy occurs and affects the whole community. The main similarity between the two is the occurrence of a terrible situation which causes harm, pain, and loss.

Question Four

According to research, a play or drama requires a combination of various ingredients for it to be presentable, appealing and successful. Each and every part has a role to play in making the performance a success. The various parts have to be in harmony for the performance be successful. One of the crucial parts is the scenery. The scenery refers to a specific space that has been set aside for the performance. It can be modified in terms of the arrangement, furniture, props and floor design to fit the various desired mood, setting, and story. One of the biggest roles of the scenery is that it provides a visual representation of what the designer or content developer wanted the audience to understand. It enables the audience to understand the performance and message more by making it relevant. The other important role that scenery plays is that it complements the performance by ensuring that space incorporates the various characters, movements, and message. This is because a different scene provides a different perspective which gives the audience a better understanding of the story. The third benefit that the scenery plays is it provides that ability to change mood and setting as the story continues. This makes the performance more real through use of lighting techniques and sound.

Question Five

In every activity, there are various fundamental elements and principles that must be considered. These elements form the basic guideline which helps in the development of an activity. It helps align the idea with the various factors in place to achieve a successful performance. Therefore the developers need to critically consider the various elements when developing the drama or performance. There are six main elements namely Line, Mass & Composition, Texture, Color, Rhythm, and Movement. Lines are important mainly because they help guide the audience’s attention to a particular area through the use of shapes, outlines or direction. The composition is the way in which the various pieces are combined and arranged together in a particular order to tell a story. This is because the layout and design of the various components bring about different visual interpretation which may bring different meanings. The texture is the manner in which the surface is designed to feel. Different textures have differing levels of attraction which makes it a vital piece that must be considered. Color is considered as one of the methods by which the performance maintains consistency through the use of balanced and matching colors which is in line with the storyline or concept. Rhythm and movement define the way in which changes in physical location of subjects occur in a particular pattern which forms a part of narration of the story.

Question Six

The role that costume design plays is very important in the execution theater performances. Firstly costume design helps the audience understand time and place. Since the play is designed to show a particular time and location, the costume can be designed to match the past or future or a particular location. The second objective of costume design is that it indicates social status of the characters in the play through alteration of costumes from good quality costumes to poor costumes which will yield better performance. Thirdly it plays a huge role in highlighting relationships among the various characters. Using costumes, the characters can be differentiated whether they are young or old or show their gender. Fourthly costumes go a long way in ensuring that the performers are able to execute their roles comfortably. Costumes could be designed for specific performances which bring out the performance accurately. Fifthly costume design is the main factor which ensures consistency in the whole performance. Using a costume ensures that the concept is maintained throughout the whole story. The sixth objective that costume design plays is in setting the tone and style. The tone and style are critical in ensuring that focus and attention are maintained on the performance to avoid distractions. Lastly, it helps show the personality of the characters. This is important because it makes the story more realistic and relevant to the audience.

Question Seven

Lighting design is also incorporated into the performance as it helps bring out the story in a better and clearer way. The first objective of lighting is it plays a role in determining time and place of performances. Since lighting can be adjusted, it could be adjusted to illustrate different times as per the story and dates. The second role is its ability to set the mood and tone. Lighting can significantly enhance the mood of your audience. Different lighting setups bring out different moods which could greatly impact the moods and tones of the audience and help create emotion. The third role of lighting is to complement and support the idea, concept, and style of the story by emphasizing the various sections of the performance. The fourth role that lighting plays is that it brings out and directs the focus of the audience to certain components which are considered vital. The fifth objective it plays is it helps form the composition of the play so that the audience is able to get their attention and reduce distractions. The sixth role it plays is that it helps make the stage to be visible to the audience. This is considered as the most important role as the audience should be in a position to see and understand the action. Lastly, lighting is used to define the various shapes, sizes, and lines which make the performance more interesting.