Embedded Files
What is meant by the term 'theatre style'?
If we think of 'style' as the particular way something is done (like hair-style, dance-style, music-style), theatre style means the particular way a piece of theatre is 'done' - or performed. Just like there are different styles of dance, music, and hair styles, there are different styles of theatre.
Some theatre styles are: Verbatim Theatre, Physical Theatre, Non-Naturalism, Realism, Expressionism, and Musical Theatre.
Different theatre styles include different theatrical conventions. A theatrical convention can be thought of as an ingredient, something that is added to a performance that make it recognisable as a particular theatre style. Theatrical conventions are the techniques or devices used by the produciton team to turn a script into a piece of theatre.
For example, the theatre style of Musical Theatre includes theatrical conventions such as singing and dancing; the theatre style of Realism includes theatrical conventions such as conversational language and believable, everday characters.
From VCAA: "Theatre styles are the traditions of theatre that are accepted as conventional and are particular to specific times, places, peoples and cultures. By their very nature, theatre styles and their associated conventions are not static, constant or definitive but are indicative. For example, a theatre style might indicate a historical period or political movement.
In modern theatre it is understood that theatre styles are fluid and experimental and evolve in response to a range of contexts and purposes."
Modern Theatre encompasses theatre styles from the 1920s to present day. These days, many theatre productions include a range of theatrical conventions from a range of styles, in what we call Eclectic Theatre. Therefore, when you are analysing a play, don't feel you have to fit it neatly into one theatre style. Instead, identify the conventions you noticed in the production.
Below is a summary list of distinct theatre styles and their associated conventions. It is by no means exhaustive because the way a piece of theatre can be performed is limited only by your imagination.
META THEATRE
Metatheatre refers to the self-conscious and self-referential nature of theatrical performances. In metatheatrical works, the play itself acknowledges its own theatricality, openly discussing and exploring the artificiality of the dramatic medium. This self-awareness can occur in various ways, such as characters breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly, commenting on their own roles within the play, or questioning the very nature of theatre and reality.
By exposing the mechanics of theatre and the performative aspects of life, metatheatre invites the audience to critically examine the relationship between art and reality, as well as the role of theatre in society.
Breaking the fourth wall
Direct address
Self-referential through:
~ characters discussing their role in play
~ commenting on playwrights’ choices
~ questioning the nature of theatre
Disruption of Narrative Structure
~ non-linear timelines
~ events that loop, reverse, or unfold out of sequence
~ blur the lines between the characters’ “real” world within the play and the “play” they perform within that world
Play Within a Play
Use of Theatre Terminology ("where's the stage manager?")
Ironic commentary on theatre and performance through satire or pardody
EPIC
Political – wants the audience to question, take action and change injustices in society
Placards and signs
Direct address to audience
Narration
Costume changes in full view of the spectator
Lighting equipment in full view
Projection spoiling dramatic tension in advance of episodes
Disjointed time sequences
Historification
Use of gestus
Fragmented costumes - single items represents entire costume
Fragmentary props - representing a larger picture (or setting)
Actors play multiple characters
Demonstration of role – actors are encouraged not to fully become the role, but rather ‘demonstrate’ the role with a sense of detachment
the actor was never to fully become the character as in the realistic/naturalistic theatre
often characters tended to be somewhat oversimplified and stereotyped
Open white lighting
historical, real-life characters in some Brecht plays
some (but not all) character names were generic eg. the worker, the peasant, the teacher
a mix of presentational and representational acting modes
Alienation technique – a term translated from the German “verfremdungseffekt”. The ultimate aim is to distance the audience emotionally, increasing their intellectual response to the drama
a mix of realistic and non-realistic movement
the movement was at times graceful, but at other times forceful
some Oriental gestures were used (Brecht’s influence from a Balinese dance performance)
groups of characters often positioned on the stage for functional and not aesthetic reasons in an epic theatre ensemble
Brecht’s plays were performed in traditional proscenium arch theatre houses however, the stage curtain was often dispensed with or a half curtain was used instead of a full one
Brecht preferred to call the audience ‘spectators’
direct address by actors/characters to the audience was a strong and unconventional technique used by performers
the use of narration was a common convention in Brechtian dramas
CONTEMPORARY GOTHIC
Emphasis on the power of the unknown and unseen, nature/landscape against which humans are ultimately powerless.
Settings are often isolated, abandoned or confined. Nature is powerful and symbolic
Use of sound effects to create atmosphere.
Silence used to create tension
Unexpected changes, eg: stillness contrasted with rapid movement, silence with loud noise
Supernatural or other worldly element
Archetypes: the hero, villain, innocent victim
Lighting used to create stark shadows
Symbolic use of props
Recurring motifs
NON-NATURALISM
A broad term encompassing many non-naturalistic conventions. Non-naturalism does not try to replicate ‘real life’ on stage.
Transformation of character
Fragmented costumes - single items represents entire costume
Fragmentary props - representing a larger picture (or setting)
Actors play multiple characters
Song
Transformation of place
Transformation of object (prop/item of costume)
Disjointed time sequences
Exaggerated movement
Caricature
Lyrical live sound effects
Flashback
Tableaux
Stillness and silence
Heightened use of language
Implied character
Slow motion
MAGICAL REALISM
Magical realism (or magic realism) is a term first used in the art world by German critic Franz Roh (1925) and later in literature by Cuban author Alejo Carpentier (1949). It typically refers to the coexistence of the real and fantastical, the natural and the supernatural, the normal and magical worlds. In magical realism, elements of fantasy are not questioned.
Non-human characters
Timelessness/Unusual time shifts
Characters with supernatural powers
Other worlds
A sense of mystery
Eerie atmospheres
Extraordinary events unable to be explained by rational thought
Myths and legends
Moments where the unreal becomes real
Fantastical and supernatural exist in a realistic setting and are accepted by other characters as normal. They coexist in a realistic world that would ordinarily make them irreconcilable.
IMMERSIVE THEATRE
A form of contemporary performance where immersion of the spectator (audience) in the drama is a key factor
Closely linked with Interactive Theatre
often staged indoors but can also be performed at outdoor settings
lack of a purpose-built structure (i.e., a theatre)
the actor-audience relationship is altered significantly; no plush red seats or proscenium arch dividing the space
boundaries between actor and audience are so blurred they often barely exist
indoor settings often include multiple rooms and levels, such as disused warehouses, factories and empty school buildings.
some immersive theatre shows are highly structured with the audience taken from location to location as one group, while some immersive theatre shows allow the audience to roam freely in any direction to multiple locations at their own leisure. Each participant, therefore, may have a highly individualised, unique theatre experience
spectators are often asked to hold props, sit at dinner tables, join performers on a couch, take on a role in the drama with instructions, or listen to or witness something in very close proximity
some immersive theatre shows are more concerned with the plot, while in others he plot is more like loosely connected episodes in each location
EXPRESSIONISM
Dreamlike – reflecting the emotional state rather than a literal representation of the world.
Dreamlike/nightmarish atmosphere.
Use of pause and silence placed in speech.
The plot and structure tended to be disjointed and broken into episodes, incidents and tableaux.
Acting departure from realism. Avoided detail of human behavior. Might appear overacting, adopting the mechanical movements of a puppet.
Dialogue poetical.
Long lyrical monologues or staccato telegraphese
Settings avoided detail of naturalistic drama.
Stark simplified images reflect theme.
Bizarre shapes, sensational colour.
Stereotypes and caricatures rather than individual personalities, and represented social groups.
Characters lost individuality, identified by nameless titles, like The Man.
Characters could appear grotesque and unreal
POOR THEATRE
Polish theatre practitioner Jerzy Grotowski is best known for his intense actor training system in the 1960s and 70s where actors experimented with the physical, spiritual and ritualistic aspects of theatre, the nature of role, the relationship between actor and spectator, and his concept of ‘poor theatre’.
today, Grotowski is recognised as one of the great directors of the modern theatre and a significant innovator of the experimental theatre movement.
Acting area was typically bare, with few props and no set
Object transformation was a key aspect of Poor Theatre. After transformation, objects were often symbolic and/or of great significance
Lighting typically flooded the acting area with no use of spotlights or focus areas
If used at all, ‘costumes’ would be anonymous, not identifying character (unlike realism)
Acting & Characterisation
The actor and his/her skills was at the core of all Poor Theatre performances
On occasions, performances used no ‘real’ props, but employed actors as props instead
Space & Actor-Audience Relationship
Traditional theatre spaces were ignored in preference for rooms and buildings
Involved an intense exploration of the relationship between participant and spectator
Aim was to eliminate the division between actor and audience, creating a communion between the two
Actors typically performed with the spectators on many sides
Participants also performed in and around the spectators strategically placed amongst them in the space
THEATRE OF THE ABSURD
Based on the existential philosophy that life is inherently without meaning and we must create our own meaning.
Non-linear plot developments, often circular, ending where they began
Song, dance and jokes
The coming to life of inanimate objects
Slow dialogue accompanied by frenzied, fast-paced
Use of monotone
Frequent use of silence
Ritualistic and repetitive movements
Presentational acting
Page updated
Report abuse