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ThePlay 2 Top 10 famous plays of all time Four basic elements of Cover Story 3 - 5 theatre Theatre Club Monthly 6 2nd Edition, November 2019 FAQs Answered today! 7 Brohemia! A new play 8 Qualities that influence casting 9 Seven must visit theatres before death 11 A man for all seasons

4 Basic Elements Of Theatre Plan Product The starting point of theatrical performance. An The end result of the process of work involved. The element most often considered as the domain of final product that results from all of the labors coming the playwright in theatre. The playwright’s script is the text by which theatre is created. It can be together to complete the finished work of script, simplistic as in the 16th century with the used by scenario and plan, in union with all of the the acting troupes of the Commedia dell’ arte, or it can be elaborated such as the works of William collaborators in the process to create the final product. Shakespeare. The script, scenario or plan is what This is what the audience will witness as they sit in the theatre and view the work. the director uses as a blue print to build a production from. Process Audience This is the coordination of the creative efforts Theatre requires an audience. For all of the arts usually headed up in theatre by the director. It is public is essential. The physical presence of an the pure process by which the playwright’s work audience can change a performance, inspire actors is brought to realization by the director, actors, and create expectations. Theatre is a living, breathing designers, technicians, dancers, musicians and art form. The presence of live actors on the stage in front of live audiences sets it apart from modern day any other collaborators that come together on the script, scenario or plan. This is the works in films and television. progress stage. 2

Top 10 Famous Plays Of All Time “The theater, which is in no thing, but makes use of everything -- gestures, sounds, words, screams, light, darkness -- rediscovers itself at precisely the point where the mind requires a language to express its manifestations. To break through language in order to touch life is to create or recreate the theatre.” Antonin Artaud 3

Romeo and Juliet A Doll’s House by William Shakespeare by Henrik Ibsen One of the early plays ever written by William Controversial at the time when it was written in 1879, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that the play had stirred frenzy by criticizing the 19th narrates the story of young lovers whose death century marriage systems. While many claimed that it ultimately unites two feuding families. The play was centered on women’s rights, Henrik described it echoes the dramatic style of writing by Shakespeare as a story that tells how every individual needs to find and, along with Macbeth and Hamlet, occupies a out what he or she wants from life. The protagonist of legendary status still remaining on the top list of all the story, Nora, rejects to live in a ‘Doll House’ theater lovers and love birds. created by her husband and therefore the false perception. Death of a Salesman Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Arthur Miller by Tennessee Williams Premiered at Broadway in 1949, the Death of a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is regarded as the best work by Salesman has been performed more than 742 times Tennessee Williams, despite all the controversies that and won four Tony awards for best Revival. The story abound the play when it was first performed. Set up in narrates an intriguing relationship between a father the backdrop of the plantation house of the Big Daddy and his two sons. In their own ways, all three are big family, the story mostly covers the rivalry between failures in life but they refuse to accept it to each two brothers for their father’s property as well as the other. But, eventually circumstances lead them to relationship between Brick, one of the sons, and his admit their imperfections. wife ‘Cat’. Through the plot the play explores several issues ranging from greed, superficiality, decay, repression, and more. 4

A Raisin in the Sun A Street Car named Desire by Tennessee Williams by Lorraine Hansberry A bold step; A Raisin in the Sun, was one of the first Exploring the good, bad and the ugly of relationships, and most famous plays in the history of American a Streetcar named Desire is based on the story of two Theater that explored the agonies of the Black sisters and their journey of life. While one of them community. The title of the play was taken from a Stella is struggling to make peace with her rather poem by Harlem; the line went something like ‘a over dominating and brutal husband; the other sister dream deferred might dry up, like a raisin in the sun.’ Blanche has lost her grip over reality after she The play describes the hopes, aspirations and struggle discovered her husband was having a homosexual of a black family living in Southern Chicago. affair outside their marriage. Waiting for Godot Pygmalion by Samuel Beckett by George Bernard Shaw The first ever professionally produced play by Samuel, Written and performed in 1912, Pygmalion derives Waiting for Godot narrates the story of two men in its name from a Greek Mythological character of the search for the meaning of life. They wait near a tree in same name. Bernard Shaw through this play a barren stretch of land for someone called Godot. It’s demonstrated an unmatched wit by subtly mocking their interesting conversations while they wait, the at the rigid British class system. The story of the play satire and the nonsense incorporated therein which revolves around Henry Higgins, a phonetics makes for a delightful watch. professor, who plans to train a filthy street girl to pass for a Duchess at an ambassador’s garden party. 5

The Importance of being Hamlet Earnest by Oscar Wilde by William Shakespeare A farcical comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, The father of all tragedies, Hamlet comes straight out landed Oscar Wilde in jail and yet today, years after it the treasure box of William Shakespeare’s repertoire was first performed in 1895, it still remains one of the of plays that have become timeless in retrospect. The best and most famous plays of all times. The story is of prince Hamlet who discovers his aimlessness of the plot and its undue attack on various mother’s infidelity toward his father King Hamlet social institutions like marriage put it in the bad books and his realization that it was the King’s own brother of the critics but the audience enjoyed its witty Claudius who killed him. Hamlet is drawn as a dialogues and light hearted comedy. shattered man struggling to avenge his father but in two minds. FAQs Answered Today! Are all stages the same? ?? What is mime? The most common type is the proscenium stage, where the audience is separated from the framed, Mime expresses a mood or an idea raised stage by a curtain. It was invented in Italy in through gestures and facial expressions, the 18th century. Other stage designs try to bring without using words. the audience and actors closer by locating the stage within the audience, or having the audience Is satire a type of comedy? surround the stage entirely. Satire is a cruel form of comedy that Why do people watch tragedy? criticizes society by showing the weaknesses of public figures using caricature According to the Greek scholar Aristotle, the and mockery. audience shares in the sadness and fear of the characters they are watching. At the end of the Is drama always performed in a theatre? play, the audience feels emotionally purified and uplifted by the release of tension. This process is Street theater is performed in public places and called catharsis. is often free to those who watch. It aims to bring plays to people who would not generally get the chance to go to a theater, and is a direct way of communicating with local people about issues that affect them. 6

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QUALITIESCTAHSTAITNIGNFLUENCE Acting: A person’s theatrical “instincts”; believability as a character; versatility; willingness to try new things; and learned and developed skills that provide a broad intellectual and emotional pallet from which to draw. Vocal: A person’s vocal quality, flexibility, and range. Musicality: A person’s sense of ease with music in general and singing in particular; their intuition about and expressiveness through music. Dance: Dance skills, grace, and accuracy; a sense of control with the body and ability to use it in the service of a character. Chemistry: How the actor works or “connects” on stage with another actor or actors with whom he/she will be in relationship. Promptness, preparedness, discipline, respect for directors and fellow actors; Professionalism: appropriate balance between confidence and humility; and an ability to collaborate with others for the good of the group. Type: How “right” someone is for a given role — this is not simply a question of how someone looks but pertains more to their energy, how they hold themselves, and their all-around temperament. Energy: A person’s energy level, focus and a willingness to invest in whatever it is he/she is doing on stage. Courage: Evident openness to taking direction and to taking risks, enabling an actor to venture into unknown territory and to be willing to appear foolish. Preparedness: How well presented the audition is — memorized, rehearsed, clearly thought out, and appropriate to the role/show for which a person is auditioning. 8

7 Must Visit Theatres Before Death The Winter Garden Toronto, Canada The Winter Garden dates back to 1913 and is definitely one of the most stunning. It is impressive due to its height – seven storeys – and because it is the only working double decker theatre in the world. That’s a feat of engineering that isn’t seen much anymore, so if you get the chance to see a performance of something when in Toronto, the chance should not be missed. Minack Theatre Cornwall, UK It was Rowena Cade who designed and built the wonderful Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall. She actually built this lovely little building at the bottom of her garden, and it was intended solely for one group of amateur players to use. As time went on, the theatre was opened up to more and more groups (although the requirement to be amateur was and is still present), and today there are as many as 17 different plays put on there each year. The Seebühne Lake Constance, Austria Seebühne translates as ‘floating stage’, which certainly goes some way to explaining why this particular theatre is so special. It is located right on the shore of Lake Constance, and with 7,000 seats it is a big, beautiful beast. This is where the biggest budget and largest scale musical performances are carried out, and the theatre is used extensively during the famous Bregenz Festival. The Seebühne is so iconic is even features in Quantum of Solace, the 2008 James Bond movie. 9

Tampa Theatre Florida, USA The Tampa Theatre opened in 1926 and has been a hit ever since. It’s the brainchild of architect John Eberson, and it’s the interior that really impresses. It is designed to look as much like the courtyard of a Mediterranean village, complete with 99 lamps embedded in the ceiling which are meant to be the twinkling stars of on a warm summer’s night. It’s no wonder that people love to visit this place, no matter what’s playing. Shakespeare’s Globe London, UK A reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre, way back in 1599. Sadly, just 30 years after that, it was demolished to make way for housing. Seeing a need for some good old fashioned theatre space, Wannamaker took in the challenge of reconstructing the Globe as closely to the original as possible, whilst still making it comfortable for modern audiences. Over the past 20 plus years, the theatre has been a huge success. Odeon of Herodes Atticus Athens, Greece Of course, no list of the world’s most beautiful theatres would be complete without at least one participant from Greece, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a worthy entry. It’s ancient too – completed in 174AD, and sitting on the southern slopes of the amazing Acropolis. Perhaps one of the oldest working theatres in the world, when the Athens Festival is on the Herodeon plays host to plays, dances, and musical performances. La Seine Musicale Paris, France La Seine Musicale is a uniquely impressive and absolutely transfixing theatre. It was designed by award-winning architect Shigeru Ban, and includes an oval shaped auditorium with a wall of solar panels that moves to keep in line with the sun. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering, and the large theatre itself can seat up to 6,000 people. There is also a smaller auditorium for 1,150 people, and this is where the Insula Orchestra performs. 10

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“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” - Oscar Wilde -