theater GOTE assignment
Acting in the Theatre
Ancient Greece
Masks
Chorus
Thespis
3-actor rule
highly trained
Roman Times & After
Entertainers
Not really respected
Put on same level as prostitutes
Medieval Times
Power of the Church
Imitation=bad
Liturgical drama
Traveling players
Renaissance
Diminished role of the Church
Suspicion returns
Think, unions
Women Onstage
Earliest was Spain in the late medieval period
France during the early 1600s
England, not until later 17th century
Sexualized
Bourgeois Drama
David Garrick
Actors become celebrities
Craft of acting heavily codified
Melodrama
Theatre at its most popular
& possibly most outrageous
benefit nights
Realism
Realistic acting didn’t begin until late 19th century
Constantin Stanislavski—acting theory
objectives
actions
Those ideas remain to today, with changes
Acting Today
Given Circumstances & Objectives:
What is the setting?
What are they doing?
What are the biographical details about each character?
What is your past together?
How do you feel about the other person?
What do you think your character wants?
What do you want?
Open Scenes
A: Think this will last long?
B: What?
A: This. It has to end sometime.
B: This?
A: It can’t go on forever, right?
B: It can’t go on forever.
A: You’re right. It isn’t so bad.
B: If you say so.
A: I feel better. Thanks.
B: If you say so.