9780072878363

The ideal theater appreciation text for courses focusing on theater elements, The Theater Experience encourages students to be active theatergoers as they learn about the fundamentals of a production. By addressing the importance of the audience, Wilson brings the art of performance to life for students who may have little experience with the medium.

Part 1 - THE AUDIENCE
Chapter 1 - The Audience: Its Role and Imagination
The Relationship Between Performer and Audience
The Special Nature of Theater: A Contrast with Film
The Chemistry of Performer-Audience Contact
Theater as a Group Experience
Psychology of Groups
How Audience Makeup Affects the Theater Experience
The Separate Roles of Performers and Spectators
How Should the Audience Be Involved?
Audience Participation through Direct Action
The Imagination of the Audience
Tools of the Imagination: Symbol and Metaphor
The "Reality" of the Imagination
The Imaginary Worlds of Theater
Realism and Nonrealism
Distinguishing Stage Reality from Fact
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 2 - Background and Expectations of the Audience
Background of Individual Spectators
Background of the Period
Theater and Society
Greek Theater and Culture
Elizabethan Theater and Culture
Modern Theater and Culture
Background Information on the Play or Playwright
Expectations: The Variety of Experiences in Modern Theater
Broadway and Touring Theater
Resident Professional Theaters
Alternative Theaters: Off-Broadway and Elsewhere
Children's Theater
College and University Theaters
Multiethnic, Multicultural, and Gender Theaters
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 3 - The Critic and the Audience
Theatrical Criticism
What Is Criticism?
Preparation for Criticism
Critical Criteria
Descriptive and Prescriptive Criticism
Fact and Opinion in Criticism
The Reviewer and the Critic
Getting Started in Theater—Mel Gussow, Critic
The Audience's Relationship to Criticism: Two Issues
The Audience's Independent Judgment
Analysis and Overanalysis
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 4 - Stage Spaces
Creating the Environment
Theater Spaces
Proscenium Stage
Arena Stage
Thrust Stage
Created and Found Spaces
All-Purpose Theater Spaces
Special Requirements of Theater Environments
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Play Synopsis: A Raisin in the Sun
Play Synopsis: Fefu and Her Friends
Play Synopsis: King Oedipus
Part 2 - THE PERFORMERS AND THE DIRECTOR
Chapter 5 - Acting: Offstage and in the Past
"Acting" in Everyday Life
Imitation
Role Playing
Acting in Life versus Acting Onstage
Photo Essay: Audra McDonald
Stage Acting: A Historical Perspective
Physical Demands of Classical Acting
Vocal Demands of Classical Acting
Performing in Classics Today
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 6 - Stage Acting Today
The Acting Experience
Challenges of Acting Today
The Development of Realistic Acting
Performers' Training Today
Synthesis and Integration
Judging Performances
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 7 - The Director and the Producer
The Theater Director
Evolution of the Director: A Historical Perspective
The Director and the Script
Getting Started in Theater—Zelda Fichandler, Director
The Director and the Production
The Director's Power and Responsibility
The Producer or Manager
The Commercial Producer
Noncommercial Theaters
Completing the Picture: Playwright, Director, and Producer
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Play Synopsis: Death of a Salesman
Play Synopsis: The Three Sisters
Part 3 - THE PLAY: TYPES OF THEATER
Chapter 8 - The Text: Subject, Purpose, and Perspective
Subject
Focus and Emphasis
Purpose
Viewpoint
What Is Point of View?
The Dramatist's Point of View
Society's Point of View
Viewpoint and Genre
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 9 - Tragedy and Other Serious Drama
Tragedy
Traditional Tragedy
Modern Tragedy
Heroic Drama
Bourgeois or Domestic Drama
Melodrama
Getting Started in Theater—Emily Mann, Playwright-Director
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 10 - Comedy and Tragicomedy
Comedy
Characteristics of Comedy
Techniques of Comedy
Forms of Comedy
Tragicomedy
What Is Tragicomedy?
Modern Tragicomedy
Theater of the Absurd
Absurdist Plots: Illogicality
Absurdist Language: Nonsense and Non Sequitur
Absurdist Characters: Existential Beings
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 11 - Musical Theater
Background
Drama and Music
The Appeal of Music and Dance
Types of Musical Theater
A Brief History of the American Musical
Antecedents
The 1920s and 1930s: Musical Comedies
The 1920s and 1930s: Advances in Musicals
Musical Theater of the 1940s and 1950s
Musicals from the 1960s through the 1990s
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 12 - Theater of Diversity
African American Theater
Background of African American Theater
African American Theater in the Middle and Late Twentieth Century
Getting Started in Theater—August Wilson, Playwright
Asian American Theater
Background of Asian Theater
Contemporary Asian American Theater
Hispanic Theater
Native American Theater
Feminist Theater
Gay and Lesbian Theater
Performance Art
Fringe Theater Festivals
Postmodernism and Culturally Diverse Theater
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Play Synopsis: M. Butterfly
Play Synopsis: The Way of the World
Play Synopsis: Fences
Part 4 - THE PLAYWRIGHT: DRAMATIC CHARACTERS AND DRAMATIC STRUCTURE
Chapter 13 - Dramatic Characters
Types of Characters
Extraordinary Characters
Representative or Quintessential Characters
Stock Characters
Characters with a Dominant Trait
Minor Characters
A Narrator or Chorus
Nonhuman Characters
Using Dramatic Characters Effectively: Juxtaposition and Interaction
Juxtaposition of Characters
Major and Minor Characters
Orchestration of Characters
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 14 - Conventions of Dramatic Structure
Essentials of Dramatic Structure
The Form of Drama: Plot versus Story
The Subject and Verb of Drama: People and Action
The Crucible of Drama: Conflict
Structural Conventions: The Rules of the Game
Limited Space
Limited Time
Strongly Opposed Forces
A Balance of Forces
Incentive and Motivation
Creating a Dramatic Structure
The Opening Scene
Obstacles and Complications
Crisis and Climax
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 15 - Dramatic Structure: Climactic, Episodic, and Other Forms
Climactic Structure
Characteristics of Climactic Structure
Significant Periods of Climactic Structure
Episodic Structure
Characteristics of Episodic Structure
Significant Periods of Episodic Structure
Combinations of Climactic and Episodic Form
Ritual and Pattern as Dramatic Structure
Rituals
Patterns
Serial Structure
Experimental and Avant-Garde Theater
Special Structures
Getting Started in Theater—Richard Foreman, Director, Playwright, and Designer
Segments and Tableaux as Structure
Structure in Musical Theater
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Play Synopsis: Waiting for Godot
Play Synopsis: Ghosts
Play Synopsis: A Streetcar Named Desire
Part 5 - The Designers: Environment, Visual Elements, and Sound
Chapter 16 - Scenery
A Brief History of Stage Design
"Stage Sets" in Everyday Life
Scenery for the Stage
Objectives of Scene Design
Aesthetic Aspects of Scene Design
The Scenic Environment
Mood and Style
Realistic and Nonrealistic Scenery
Locale and Period
The Design Concept
The Central Image or Metaphor
Coordination of the Whole
Scene Design and Popular Entertainment
Practical Aspects of Scene Design
The Physical Layout
Materials of Scene Design
Special Effects
Getting Started in Theater—Robin Wagner, Scene Designer
The Process of Scene Design
Elements of Design
Steps in the Design Process
Photo Essay: The Designer Prepares a Production
The Scene Designer's Collaborators
Designing a Total Environment
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 17 - Stage Costumes
Costumes in Everyday Life
Costumes for the Stage
Objectives of Costume Design
The Process of Costume Design
Getting Started in Theater—Jess Goldstein, Costume Designer
The Costume Designer at Work
Other Elements
Makeup
Hairstyles and Wigs
Masks
Coordination of the Whole
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Chapter 18 - Lighting and Sound
Stage Lighting
A Brief History of Stage Lighting
Objectives and Functions of Lighting Design
Achieving the Objectives: The Lighting Designer
Getting Started in Theater—Peggy Eisenhauer, Lighting Designer
Sound in the Theater
Sound Reproduction: Advantages and Disadvantages
The Sound Designer
Sound Reproduction and Sound Reinforcement
Sound Technology
Summary
Exploring Theater on the Web
Play Synopsis: Mother Courage and Her Children
Epilogue: Integrating the Elements and Predicting the Future
The Audience: Integrating the Elements
Observation and Assimilation
Observing the Elements as Parts of a Whole
The Overall Effect: What Does Theater "Mean"?
The Modern Theater: Different Purposes, Different Experiences
The Future: What Lies Ahead?
Summary
Appendix A - Technical Terms
Appendix B - Major Theatrical Forms and Movements
Appendix C - Historical Outline
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index

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The Theater Experience w/CD-ROM & Theater Goers Guide

The Theater Experience w/CD-ROM & Theater Goers Guide

0072878363

Summary

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The Audience: Its Role and Imagination

The Relationship Between Performer and Audience

The Special Nature of Theater: A Contrast with Film

The Chemistry of Performer-Audience Contact

Theater as a Group Experience

Psychology of Groups

How Audience Makeup Affects the Theater Experience

The Separate Roles of Performers and Spectators

How Should the Audience Be Involved?

Audience Participation through Direct Action

The Imagination of the Audience

Tools of the Imagination: Symbol and Metaphor

The "Reality" of the Imagination

The Imaginary Worlds of Theater

Realism and Nonrealism

Distinguishing Stage Reality from Fact

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 2 - Background and Expectations of the Audience

Background of Individual Spectators

Background of the Period

Theater and Society

Greek Theater and Culture

Elizabethan Theater and Culture

Modern Theater and Culture

Background Information on the Play or Playwright

Expectations: The Variety of Experiences in Modern Theater

Broadway and Touring Theater

Resident Professional Theaters

Alternative Theaters: Off-Broadway and Elsewhere

Children's Theater

College and University Theaters

Multiethnic, Multicultural, and Gender Theaters

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 3 - The Critic and the Audience

Theatrical Criticism

What Is Criticism?

Preparation for Criticism

Critical Criteria

Descriptive and Prescriptive Criticism

Fact and Opinion in Criticism

The Reviewer and the Critic

Getting Started in Theater—Mel Gussow, Critic

The Audience's Relationship to Criticism: Two Issues

The Audience's Independent Judgment

Analysis and Overanalysis

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Chapter 4 - Stage Spaces

Creating the Environment

Theater Spaces

Proscenium Stage

Arena Stage

Thrust Stage

Created and Found Spaces

All-Purpose Theater Spaces

Special Requirements of Theater Environments

Summary

Exploring Theater on the Web

Play Synopsis: A Raisin in the Sun

Play Synopsis: Fefu and Her Friends

Play Synopsis: King Oedipus

Part 2 - THE PERFORMERS AND THE DIRECTOR

Chapter 5 - Acting: Offstage and in the Past

"Acting" in Everyday Life

Imitation

Role Playing

Acting in Life versus Acting Onstage

Photo Essay: Audra McDonald

Stage Acting: A Historical Perspective

Physical Demands of Classical Acting

Vocal Demands of Classical Acting