Transcript theatre technologies

THEATRE
TECHNOLOGIES
Time
Influence on pace
Isolating areas
Lighting
Atmosphere
Special Effects
Intensity
Colour,
e.g. cool blue,
slate blue,
Pale, violet,
golden, amber,
rose tint,
light straw,
e.t.c
Establishment
of conventions
Different coloured gels have
different effects
Lighting can make the audience
focus on different parts of the
stage
Coloured lighting and spots can
also be used to pull the
audiences’ focus
Lighting Activity
• Think of a show you have seen
recently. How were lights used to
create special effects?
Period/era
e.g. ancient,
modern,
Elizabethan,
Victorian,
1950s e.t.c
Appropriate to setting
and production concept
Texture: silky,
velvet,
fur,
rough,
satin,
wool e.t.c
Costume
Colour
Symbolism
e.g. White: innocence
Red: passion
Purple: royalty
Status
implications
How it shows
relationships
with other
characters
Movement
implications
The montage below shows some actors
in costume. What do their costumes tell
you about their characters?
MAKE-UP
• In many ways make-up is similar to costume, it
helps us to see the period in which the drama is
set and gives us information about the
character such as their age and status.
• Stage make-up is expensive and needs to be
applied well. As distance between the audience
and actors has decreased, the amount of makeup used has lessened. Make-up is like a mask.
The further away you are from the mask, the
more definition needed to convey the
characteristics.
Make-up Activity
Consider the following characters. How would
you assist their creation using make-up? Use
diagrams. Justify your choices.
1. An old witch
2. An aging politician
3. An animal
Performance
space in
relation to
audience
Minimalist or
elaborate
detail
Symbolic
SET
Colour links
to make-up,
costume,
lighting, etc.
Set
Dressing
Realistic
Period/era
Representational
Stylised
Levels and
focus
sightlines
Stage Images
Atmosphere
Plot and
text
demands
Set Activity
Imagine you had two wooden boxes and a
crate. Using the three boxes sketch/describe
how you would create the following settings:
1. A mountain
2. An office
3. A rugby pitch
Properties
•
Props are the objects carried by the actor
(known as personal props) or the objects
added to a set (known as stage props).
• Props are used to support the action and
to give the audience more information
about the character. They fall into three
categories:
1. Realistic Props – These look like the real
thing. They are often expensive and
difficult to find. If you are using realism
your props should be realistic.
Properties continued
2. Stylised props – these represent the real thing.
They are often used in school productions
because they are cheaper and sometimes safer
(e.g. plastic replica guns, knives and swords).
3. Mimed props – these are the cheapest ones to
use! There is also no danger that someone will
pick them up and put them somewhere else.
Both professional and amateur theatre use
mimed props, and if done well they allow the
audience to believe they exist. If you are miming,
you must be aware of the imagined weight and
size of the prop you are using. You must be
aware of where the imaginary prop is at all times.
Props Activity
In pairs mime using three different
props to each other.
1. List the props you mimed.
2. Which ones were the easiest to
guess? Why?
3. What would be challenging about
using mimed props in a
performance?
Irony and
foreshadowing
Specific
sounds/
music
Plot
demands
Atmosphere
Sound
Character
Establish
setting
Live/recorded
sound
Onstage/offstage
sound
Visible/invisible
source of
sound
Sound Activity
Think of a play/movie you have
seen this year that used music/
sound.
1. How was it created?
2. Why was it used?
3. What effect did the
music/sound have on you?
Other theatre technologies…
We have looked at lighting, costume,
properties, make-up, set design and
sounds but there are other theatre
technologies. Can you name any?
THEATRE TECHNOLOGY TASK
Study the photograph. Look closely to see how technologies have been
used for effect. Choose ONE technology from the list:
•
Costume
•
Lighting
•
Set Design
1.
Describe the ways in which the technology chosen has been used to
create an effect. Give specific details from the photograph to support
your answer.
2.
Describe how sound could be used in combination with any of the
technologies listed to create an effect. Give specific details from the
photograph to support your answer.