O. Comm.+

Advanced Oral Communications

Minimized Shakespeare (Super-short summaries)

You need these items in your Shakespeare summary:

The title of the play and the year that it was written

A one-sentence hook that gives interest to the story

What themes are present in the play (research it)

Name and describe the notable characters in your play; why are they notable?

Tell us the plot; what happens in the play? Go here. Or here.

What are some of the famous lines that the characters say?

Where in the world is the next live performance of this play? Go here.

Elementary Performance: May 5 ???

History of Theater, Presentation

Due on Tuesday, February 28

Stop reading. Start explaining.

Things to Do:

  • Don't complain
  • Don't state that There's no information on my topic
  • Don't stall your presentation
  • Don't read each slide word for word, add NO other information, go to next slide, and repeat the process
  • Don't bore us--don't bore us.

Requirements

  1. All slides must use 30-point font (this is on purpose so that you stop using massive paragraphs in your slideshow--nobody wants that)
  2. All headers must use 36-point font
  3. EVERY slide must have one image that is relevant
  4. Use charts and graphs and visuals that explain your topic, then explain what that chart/graph/visual means
  5. Use videos, have links connected to your images; you must include two videos; both videos combined may not exceed 6 minutes in length (meaning one video is 2 minutes and the other is 4 minutes or any such combination). Videos do NOT count towards time.
  6. This presentation must be 7 minutes or more
  7. This presentation is evaluated on the quality and relevance of your information, not on the quantity of items vaguely connected to your topic
  8. Write and memorize a 200-word introduction of your topic. Begin your speech with this introduction.

You must become the class expert on two eras of theater history. You will be assigned one era this quarter and one era next quarter.

Instructions:

    1. Overview: Give brief overview/description of this era; what was theater during this time? Where did this type of theater come from? What inspired this type of theater? How did it originate? After it originated, what was theater of this era like?
    2. Stories: Describe what type of stories were common during this era (Such as, what was the setting, what kinds of characters were used, what costumes were used, what genres were common, what types of conflicts were common in the stories from this era.) Pick a play: what was the purpose of that play? What message was it trying to send
    3. People: Who from this era who were notable writers, actors, or organizations? Also, describe the audience for this era: what social class were they made up of?
    4. Buildings and structures: Where were the plays performed? Describe the structure or setting for where performances took place.
    5. New things: What advancements, innovations, or changes to the buildings, the types of stories told, how the actors acted, to who was allowed to act, to what types of characters were part of the story took place during this era. What did this era add or change to theater either onstage or off stage?
    6. Influence of theater: What was the purpose of theater during this era? Who "owned" the theater, and what did they use it for--think "control" (as in controlling a population's political views or religious beliefs or social attitudes) or think "rebellion" (as in changing a population's political views or religious beliefs or social attitudes). In what ways was theater used for other purposes during this era?

What to Present?

  • Write a 200 word report about your era of theater history; memorize it; present this to the class at the start of your presentation
  • Take the class on a virtual field trip. You decide which sites we go to.

Where to Find Information

  • Go to NPR.org and search for your stuff
  • http://historictheatres.org/
  • http://www.videoccasions-nw.com/history/jack.html
  • http://www.knowitall.org/series/history-theater
  • http://www.glencoe.com/theatre/Timeline/timeline_content.html
  • http://www.theatrehistory.com/
  • http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=cui
  • http://www.newyork.com/resources/broadway-and-theater-history/
  • http://world-theatres.com/long-runs-broadway-and-off-broadway/#longruns.london.html
  • http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/index.html
  • http://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/
  • http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/
  • http://www.npr.org/2016/08/04/488710159/remembering-zelda-fichandler-matriarch-of-american-regional-theater American Regional Theater
  • The Rite of Spring http://www.npr.org/2013/05/30/187066946/modern-movement-how-the-ballets-russes-revolutionized-dance
  • Early Broadway and Irish influence on broadway http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5289944
  • Encyclopedia Britanica go here: Iowa AEA Online and use this username and password:
    • Username: 2862hmsms
    • Password: nwaea

Eras of Theater History

  1. Origin of Theater
  2. Greek Theater
  3. Roman Theater
  4. Theater in the Middle Ages, Liturgical Drama, Cycle Plays, and Humanism
  5. Asian Theater
  6. Bollywood
  7. Theater in the Renaissance
  8. Elizabethan Theater
  9. French Theater in the 17th Century
  10. Theater during the English Restoration
  11. Theater during Colonial American
  12. American Theater 1800-1899
  13. Modern Theater, Realism, and Naturalism
  14. Theater in Moscow, Stanislavsky and method acting
  15. Symbolism and departures from Realism: Expressionism, Futurism, Dadaism,
  16. Theater in the U.S. 1900-1941 (Not Broadway)
  17. Musical Theater and Regional Theater
  18. Broadway and Tinpan Alley 1890s-1941
  19. Broadway 1942-1980
  20. Theater of the Absurd
  21. Broadway 1981-Today
  22. Hollywood 1910-1941
  23. Hollywood 1942-1980
  24. Hollywood 1981-Today
  25. Puppetry

Study Guide for Comprehensive Final

Test 1 starts with Origin of Theater and Ends with Italian Renaissance

Origin of Theater

  1. What are sacred mysteries?
  2. What is ritual?
  3. What is ceremony?

Greek & Roman Theater Is each item Greek or Roman?

  1. These plays honored the god of wine
  2. Much of the action was song and dance performed by a group of young men and boys
  3. This culture eliminated the chorus
  4. These plays were performed only a few times a year at religious festivals
  5. The type and style of theater performed in the United States today can be traced all the way back to these ancient plays
  6. The stage setting for comedies was always the same
  7. Few Roman plays survived
  8. Plays were based on the plots of Greek plays
  9. This culture had short comedies similar to our sitcoms
  10. These plays honored the god of fertility
  11. This culture limited the plays to a certain number of actors
  12. Comedies were more popular than tragedies
  13. This culture added music to underscore the dialogue
  14. The most important festival of the year was called the “Great” or “City”
  15. An important part of this culture’s festival was a dramatic contests
  16. These plays began early in the morning and lasted until nightfall
  17. These plays honored Dionysus
  18. Took place between 400-500 BC
  19. The theater was built into a hillside, so all the audience could see
  20. These plays were held in late March or the beginning of April in the theater of Dionysius
  21. Since each play was performed only once, the theaters had to be large enough to house thousands of people

Middle Ages

  1. What are the approximate years of the Middle Ages?
  2. What was the topic of most plays in the Middle Ages?
  3. What were cycle plays?
  4. What were mystery plays?
  5. What were morality plays?
  6. What is allegory?
  7. Explain your answer to number six.
  8. Please give a modern day example of an allegorical story.
  9. How were plays in the Middle Ages different from Roman plays?
  10. What were mansions in drama of the Middle Ages?
  11. What were platea in drama of the Middle Ages?
  12. Describe what farce plays of the Middle Ages were about.
  13. Describe what interlude plays of the Middle Ages were about.

Italian Renaissance

  1. What were the centuries that made up the Italian Renaissance?
  2. What type of drama focused on human activity instead of divine activity?
  3. What was verisimilitude?
  4. What is perspective painting?
  5. How did perspective painting influence theater?
  6. What is a proscenium arch?
  7. What is the purpose of a proscenium arch?
  8. How were the background sets of the Italian Renaissance different from the sets of theater during the middle ages?

Test 1 Ends Here.

Elizabethan England

  1. In England, the Renaissance is known as ______________.
  2. What were the years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign?
  3. How did theater change during Elizabeth’s reign?
  4. Where were theaters located during the Elizabethan age?
  5. Why were theaters located in that location during the Elizabethan age?
  6. How did a theater announce that a play was going to be performed on that day?
  7. Describe an Elizabethan theater.
  8. What is the musician’s gallery AND where was it located?
  9. T/F The English did follow the neoclassical ideal.
  10. T/F English plays written in this period were similar to the plays written in Italy.
  11. T/F A feature of Elizabethan drama was the use of poetry.
  12. Were English dramas of this period structured in a series of many brief scenes OR did they consist of either two or three long scenes?
  13. What is iambic pentameter?

Shakespeare

  1. What year was Shakespeare born?
  2. What year did he die?
  3. How many children did Shakespeare have?
  4. Who did Shakespeare marry in 1582?
  5. What successful theater company was Shakespeare a member and eventually a shareholder of?
  6. What famous theater did Shakespeare work at?
  7. Why were theaters at this time occasionally shut down?
  8. Name three types of Shakespeare’s plays.
  9. How many plays did Shakespeare write?
  10. What questions have scholars raised about Shakespeare’s plays? Name one and explain it.

17th Century French Theater

  1. The Hotel de Bourgogne was the first permanent theater built (1548, Paris) for the purpose of doing plays. It was built for the purpose of performing what kind(s) of plays?
  2. About a century later (1641, Paris) the Palais-Cardinal theater was built in Paris. What made this theater unique?
  3. Twenty years later, a theater called the Hall of Machines was built; what made this theater different from the other two?
  4. Theaters of 17th century France were light with oil lamps and chandeliers. Fire was one problem. What was another?
  5. Who was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin?
  6. Who was Moliere?
  7. Who was Tartuffe?
  8. What is deus ex machina?

English Restoration

  1. What was the name of the period that brought Restoration to Europe?
  2. What kind of theater was brought to England by the English Royalty?
  3. What were most of Restoration Tragedies about?
  4. What type of play was popular during this period?
  5. Most comedies made fun of what type of people?
  6. T/F During the Restoration Period, women played roles in plays.
  7. T/F Roofs were not used during this period.
  8. In this age, stages were _______ to show all the action on stage.
  9. Name the three types of seating during this period.
  10. Explain what Comedy of Manners is.

Theater in the 19th Century

  1. The invention of the steam engine affected theater in two ways, describe one.
  2. Please describe the other
  3. Were theaters of this time lit with candles, gas, or electricity?
  4. Three types of plays were popular during this era: Romantic plays, Well-Made plays, and Melodrama; which type of play emphasized logic and rational thought?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  5. Which type emphasized foreshadowing (a warning or indication of events that happen later)?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  6. Which play ignored the rules of verisimilitude?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  7. What is verisimilitude?
  8. Which play emphasized mood and feeling while ignoring plot?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  9. Which play thought no subject matter is inappropriate for a play?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  10. Which play relied on spectacular stage effects and actions?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  11. Which play would never use a surprise ending?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  12. Which play included obvious heroes and clear villains?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  13. Which play always included predictable endings?
    1. Romantic
    2. Well Made
    3. Melodrama
  14. Which of these became most popular at this time?
    1. The title of the play
    2. The actor or actors in the play
    3. The playwright who wrote the play
  15. What new occupation in theater was invented during this age?

Modern Theater and Realism

  1. Art and theater of the 1890s through the 1920s was influenced by scientists and philosophers (Charles Darwin and Karl Marx, among others), so what effect did this influence have on theater?
  2. What happened to the neoclassical rules for drama during this time?
  3. What is realism in theater
  4. Who is often considered to be the first writer of realism?
  5. Writers of realism believed that theater had an obligation to do something, so what was that thing?
  6. Characters in theater of realism are affected by items that are outside of their control. What would two such items be?
  7. True or false: The villain of a realistic play is obvious to the audience.

Naturalism

  1. What’s Naturalism in the world of theater?
  2. Who is considered to be the founder of Naturalism?
  3. Yes or No: According to naturalism, actors and directors should make their opinions on issues and their presence on stage known to and felt by the audience; that an actor on stage should be the subject of the scene and be both literally and metaphorically in the spotlight.
  4. Yes or No: According to naturalism, only the most important events of a story should be included in the play, that previous generations were wrong to include minor details or subplots
  5. Yes or No: Naturalism used elaborate sets.
  6. How was Naturalism and Realism similar?

Early Theater in the U.S.

  1. What was burlesque theater?
  2. What was vaudeville theater?
  3. What was minstrel theater?
  4. What is Broadway?
  5. What is Off-Broadway?
  6. Who was George M. Cohan?
  7. Who was Irving Berlin?
  8. Who was George Gershwin?

Moscow Theater

Describe two ways that the Moscow Art Theater changed theater.

Symbolism

  1. “Slice of Life” What does that mean? The answer to this question was found on earlier worksheets.
  2. “Realism” in theater. What does that mean? Please give examples to explain your answer.
  3. What is a symbol--not according to theater, but just the word itself as per a dictionary, what does the word “symbol” mean?
  4. When and where did symbolism begin?
  5. What did Symbolists believe?
  6. What was the basis for theater to a Symbolist?
  7. What does this mean, it was more important to evoke a thoughtful mood or atmosphere than it was to tell a story. Give an example.
  8. What is the function of a character in a symbolist play?
  9. How was the setting of a symbolist production different from other plays?
  10. Name a movie that has a “dream sequence.” Does that sequence fit the definition of “Symbolism”? Not all dream sequences do or intend to be symbolic. Explain how the sequence does or does not conform to Symbolism.

End of study guide

    1. Origin of Theater

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Greek Theater

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Roman Theater

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Theater in the Middle Ages

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Humanism

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Theater in the Renaissance (Italian Renaissance)

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Elizabethan Theater

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Shakespeare

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. French Theater in the 17th Century

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Theater during the English Restoration

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Theater in the 19th Century

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Modern Theater, Realism, and Naturalism

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. The American Regional Theater

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Theater of the Absurd

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Theater in Moscow

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Broadway and Tinpan Alley 1890s-1941

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Symbolism

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

    1. Broadway 1942-Today

Years covered:

What were stories about?

Where were stories performed?

What did they invent?

How was theater used to sway beliefs or values

Minimized Shakespeare (Super-short summaries)

You need these items in your Shakespeare summary:

The title of the play and the year that it was written

A one-sentence hook that gives interest to the story

What themes are present in the play (research it)

Name and describe the notable characters in your play; why are they notable?

Tell us the plot; what happens in the play? Go here. Or here.

What are some of the famous lines that the characters say?

Where in the world is the next live performance of this play? Go here.

The History of Theater

Theater Era Project

You are assigned one era in the history of theater. You will be the class expert on that era.

You must do two things:

(A) Find information on the five categories listed below, which will be presented at the start of fourth quarter. What do I need in my presentation? Think: your presentation should be about 15-20 minutes long.

(B) Create a 300-word overview of the five categories listed below (60 words for each). Memorize this overview. Present this memorized monologue before the end of third quarter, March 17. The order you present in is randomly chosen with (any) volunteers going first. That is, you stand in front of class and present from memory the 300 words.

These are the five categories you must report on

    1. Stories: Describe what type of stories were common during this era (Such as, what was the setting, what kinds of characters were used, what costumes were used, what genres were common, what types of conflict were common). Note: For this project, you are NOT telling us the plot of any one type of story; rather, you are telling us what kinds of stories were popular, what types of conflict were common, who were the typical heroes and villains, what was the setting, what themes were used, what lessons were being taught.
    2. People: Who from this era who were notable writers, actors, or organizations? Also, describe the audience for this era: what social class were they made up of?
    3. Buildings and structures: Where were the plays performed? Describe the structure or setting for where performances took place.
    4. New things: What advancements, innovations, or changes to the buildings, the types of stories told, how the actors acted, to who was allowed to act, to what types of characters were part of the story took place during this era. What did this era add or change to theater either onstage or off stage?
    5. Influence of theater: What was the purpose of theater during this era? In what ways was theater used: to entertain, to inform, to persuade? How was it used to entertain or inform or persuade? For what other purposes was theater used during this era? Hint: Governments and religions have both permitted theater and banned theater throughout history. So, what was the relationship between the (1) Theater of that time and place and the (2) Government and/or Religion of that time and place?

Do create a slideshow. Do have words on the slideshow. You should say 5-10 words for each word that you type on a slide. Slide are there to help you, not replace you.

    1. Origin of Theater
    2. Greek Theater
    3. Roman Theater
    4. Theater in the Middle Ages, Liturgical Drama, Cycle Plays, and Humanism
    5. Asian Theater
    6. Bollywood
    7. Theater in the Renaissance
    8. Elizabethan Theater
    9. French Theater in the 17th Century
    10. Theater during the English Restoration
    11. Theater during Colonial American
    12. Theater in the U.S. 1800-1899
    13. Modern Theater, Realism, and Naturalism
    14. Theater in the U.S. 1900-1941 (Not Broadway)
    15. Theater of the Absurd
    16. Theater in Moscow
    17. Broadway and Tinpan Alley 1890s-1941
    18. Broadway 1942-1980
    19. Broadway 1981-Today
  1. Hollywood 1910-1941
  2. Hollywood 1942-1980
  3. Hollywood 1981-Today
  4. Puppetry

Briggs Myers Test

Romeo and Juliet Summary

  1. Act 1, scene 1
  2. Act 1, scene 2
  3. Act 1, scene 3
  4. Act 1, scene 4
  5. Act 1, scene 5
  6. Act 2, prologue–scene 1
  7. Act 2, scenes 2–3
  8. Act 2, scenes 4–5
  9. Act 3, scene 1
  10. Act 3, scenes 2–4
  11. Act 3, scene 5
  12. Act 4, scenes 1–2
  13. Act 4, scenes 3–5
  14. Act 5, scenes 1–2
  15. Act 5, scene 3

Instructions:

    1. Name of era
    2. Overview: Give brief overview/description of this era; what was theater during this time? Where did this type of theater come from? What inspired this type of theater? How did it originate? After it originated, what was theater of this era like?
    3. Stories: Describe what type of stories were common during this era (Such as, what was the setting, what kinds of characters were used, what costumes were used, what genres were common, what types of conflicts were common in the stories from this era)
    4. People: Who from this era who were notable writers, actors, or organizations? Also, describe the audience for this era: what social class were they made up of?
    5. Buildings and structures: Where were the plays performed? Describe the structure or setting for where performances took place.
    6. New things: What advancements, innovations, or changes to the buildings, the types of stories told, how the actors acted, to who was allowed to act, to what types of characters were part of the story took place during this era. What did this era add or change to theater either onstage or off stage?
    7. Influence of theater: What was the purpose of theater during this era? Who "owned" the theater, and what did they use it for--think "control" (as in controlling a population's political views or religious beliefs or social attitudes) or think "rebellion" (as in changing a population's political views or religious beliefs or social attitudes). In what ways was theater used for other purposes during this era?

What to Present?

  • Write a 300 word report about your era of theater history; memorize it; present this to the class at the start of your presentation
  • Take the class on a virtual field trip. You decide which sites we go to.

Controversial Ballet

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-iambic-pentameter.html

History of Theater Timeline

Course Standards

https://sites.google.com/site/lrnthaccnt/how-to-do-a-credible-scottish-accent

Advanced Oral Communications/Theatre 1 credit 1/2 unit (Grades 11 - 12)

This course is designed to give any student, regardless of previous theatre background, a basic understanding of the technical and artistic aspects of theatre as a performance art. Students will study terms and concepts relating to theatre, but will also take an active role with the art. All students will participate in a performance, the planning and rehearsing of which will be largely the sole responsibility of the students.

Students in theater class focus on the skills of critical reading, speaking, listening, and viewing through performance and the study of the history of theater. The critical reading skills of reading comprehension, understanding unfamiliar vocabulary, and interpreting complex literature are developed through the use of multiple skills and strategies, such as readers' theater, performances, and the reading of texts aloud. Students participate in a variety of communication situations (critical speaking) that require consideration of audience; production of a coherent message; control of delivery; consideration of purpose, occasion, and context; participation in individual and group settings; and evaluation of and response to oral communications. Through oral interpretation and performance students have the opportunity to develop the critical listening skills of interpretation, analysis, and evaluation. Theater is a visual medium. Students will use a range of strategies and a variety of criteria to interpret, evaluate, and analyze the effects of visual media on society and culture both today and historically. Students also use visual narratives to understand how literary forms can be represented.

Tragedies

  1. Seven Against Thebes (467 BC)
  2. The Libation Bearers
  3. Antigone (c. 442 BC)
  4. Oedipus at Colonus (401 BC, posthumous)
  5. Electra (unknown, presumed later in career)
  6. The Suppliants (422 BC)
  7. The Trojan Women (Troades) (415 BC)
  8. The Phoenician Women (The Phoinissae) (411-409 BC)
  9. Orestes (408 BC)
  10. The Bacchae (405 BC, posthumous)

Comedies

  1. The Acharnians (425 BC)
  2. The Knights (424 BC)
  3. The Clouds (423 BC)
  4. The Wasps (422 BC)
  5. Peace (421 BC)
  6. The Birds (414 BC)
  7. Lysistrata (411 BC)
  8. Thesmophoriazusae (c. 411 BC)
  9. The Frogs (405 BC)
  10. Assemblywomen (c. 392 BC)

Links

Greek Theater

Videos

Aesop Fables

  1. Scripts A

National Arts Standards .org

And here

Theater Activities

Theater Vocabulary