in class group work

What is type casting?

A pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenplay, or teleplay.

Who is Lorraine Hansberry and what is she famous for?

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was a playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway.

Draw a rectangular stage and label the Audience, Center, Down Left and Up Right 

What do you think it might it signify when an actor comes closer to the audience rather than moving farther away from the audience? 

It could mean that there is a more dramatic scene so when they are talking going closer would make it seem louder

Explain where the audience is in Proscenium Stage vs. a Thrust Stage vs. Theater in the Round?

What is the most common type of stage? 

Proscenium stage

Where is the orchestra often located in a traditional theater?

In front and below the stage

What is the challenge of performing in a Theater-in-the Round space?

Sometimes you can have your back to the audience which you dont want and that can cause problems in how u perform

What is the difference between projection and enunciation? 

Projection would be saying something loudly and enunciation is saying something clearly

Why are gestures and facial expressions important to actors? What do they do? 

It describes how that character feels and shows the emotions

What is the difference between a prop and a set piece and a costume piece?  Give examples of each.

What is the difference between a play and a musical? 

A play doesnt have singing or it would be considered a musical

What is a sitzprobe?

 A sitzprobe is a rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups.

How can music set a tone for a scene? Give an example. 

What is devised theater? 

Devised theater is a method of theatre-making in which the script or performance score originates from collaborative.

What is a follow spotlight and give an example of when a director or lighting designer might like to use a follow spot? (2 pts)v b

When speaking on stage, even in a stage whisper, actors need to --------- in order for the audience to hear the lines being spoken.

What is the difference between a monologue and dialogue spoken in a scene?

What is improv? In improv, why should actors never say "no"?

Because it ends the scene, if you say yes you can keep on going.

If you forget what to say while rehearsing scenes, you say “line,” and the stage manager, director, or whoever is on book will prompt you. During an actual performance, what should you do?

Keep going along with the scene and try to make up a line that is similar to the one your forgot.

What is motivation and why is it important to character development?

What is the given circumstances of a scene?

The given circumstances of a scene refers to the “who, where, what, when, why, and how” of the characters.

What words are usually written in italics in a script and refer to blocking, emotion, or other elements besides lines?

They are usually titles of articles or chapters.

 Why might a director ask actors to consider and/or invent a backstory for their characters?

So that the actor can really connect to his or her character they are portraying, because if you have a backstory and know everything about your character it will just make you that much better at acting them out.

 In order to be best seen by the audience, a director may ask actors to alter the way they are standing or positioned by asking them to --------------------.

Hit your mark.

What pace should actors generally use when speaking lines (except under special circumstances)? 

They should not speak faster than they do in a normal conversation, they should speak about 140-160 words a minute, in a normal conversation there is about 400 words said a second.

What is a common problem that inexperienced actors have regarding the pacing/tempo of lines? 

Inexperienced actors tend to be nervous and talk too fast for a scene.

How are costumes used in creating character? Use a specific example of a character you have seen and how costumes were used to communicate something about the role to the audience.

 What is blocking? Where should blocking get recorded (written down) while rehearsing?

Blocking is the precise staging of actors to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. Blocking gets written down in the script.  

Some plays require actors to contribute some original lines, often as filler. What is this called when actors put in original lines not written in their scripts?

Reaction is just as important as delivering lines. Why?

Because the reaction of somebody can talk for someone, because if somebody’s reaction is really good then the audience wont even need words to know what the actor is feeling so reaction is just as important as delivering words.

Where are the wings and the backstage on a proscenium type of stage?

What is a curtain and a cyclorama in a traditional stage? Why don't we have those in the Black Box?

What is a prologue and an epilogue in a play?

What is a flashback?

Who is Constantin Stanislavski and why is he important to modern-day theater?

What are Uta Hagen's 9 Questions that actors should ask themselves about their characters and scenes?

Explain what a goal and an obstacle is in acting and how they create tension.

Explain the difference between a protagonist and an antagonist.

What is an overture in a musical?

Explain the difference between a producer, technical director, director, musical director, and stage manager in professional theater.

Producer is responsible for deciding to do the play or not, the script, hiring the director

Technical Director is responsible for coordinating all technical aspects of the production

Director is responsible for overseeing and orchestrating the mounting of a theatre production by making sure every aspect of the production is working in unison 

Musical Director is responsible for the overall music performance in the production especially the pit

Stage Manager is responsible for overseeing the physical aspects of the stage in a production

What is a raked stage?

A stage that is sloped upward toward the rear of the stage allowing audience patrons seated at the back of the theater to see performers at the rear of the stage.

What is type casting?

A pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenplay, or teleplay

Who is Lorraine Hansberry and what is she famous for?

Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was a playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway.