1. An Introduction to THEATRE

2. “Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But the arts, poetry, beauty, romance, these are what we stay alive for.”

3. What is theatre? The difference between theater and theatre…
Theater is the space
Theatre is the art-form
“Theater” comes from a Greek word meaning “The place for seeing”
Everything comes from the Greeks- Greek Chorus

4. Basic Drama terms: Play Playwright Cast Crew Company Actor/Actress
Character
Technical theatre
Thespian

5. What is a play?
A play is a piece of literature, written by a ___________, and performed on a ____________ by the __________.
playwright
stage
cast

6. Basic Types of theatre: A.K.A. “Genres”
Drama- “Action.”
Not always sad, just serious!
Tragedy (sad ending)
Melodrama- overly dramatic
Comedy
Usually funny plays with big “styles.”
Farce- making fun of something
Plays usually include moments of both comedy
AND drama.
Musical
Plays with singing and dancing. Could be either comedy or drama
Straight Play
A play without singing or dancing

7. Places for theatre: Broadway- Off-Broadway- Off-Off Broadway
40 theaters each seating 500 or more on Broadway Street
Off-Broadway-
Productions done in NY but not on Broadway St seats a theater
Off-Off Broadway
(less than 100 seats a theater) elsewhere in NY, not in the Broadway theatre district
Educational-
done in a school
Community-
Not for profit, done within a community
Regional-
Professional theater company in a city that produces its own seasons
Touring-
Traveling performances- 8 shows in 6 days
For movies-
Hollywood (Las Angeles, CA)
Places outside of the US
London, Paris, Beijing

8. Theatre Superstitions
Mrs. Britton’s Theory as to why theatre is so superstitious:
Theatre has been around for as far back as 2500 BC, very superstitious times
Things go wrong all the time on stage, so we try to give another excuse besides human error.
Superstition Examples:
No whistling or clapping(cues)
“Good luck” vs. “Break a leg”
Peacocks: Greek myth of Argus, the evil monster whose body was covered with a hundred eyes, these eyes were transferred to the tail of the Peacock.
Wearing Blue (expensive dye put theaters out of business)
Graveyard flowers (AFTER a performance only)
Ghosts & ghost light (Thespis)
Mirrors- 7 years bad luck for actor and theatre, lighting issues
Three lit candles (stages burnt down)
Never say the last line of a play without an audience
Bad dress rehearsal= good opening night
Black Cat= GOOD luck!
The Scottish Play
must go out of the theatre, turn around 3 times, spit, curse, then knock on the door and ask to be readmitted to the theatre.
 In 1849, more than 30 New Yorkers were killed when rioting broke out during a performance of the play. Abe Lincoln read it the night before he was assassinated.
Other random superstitions:
Never clean your makeup box. NEVER wear brand–new makeup on opening night. Never paint a green room green. Never place shoes or hats on chairs or tables inside the dressing rooms. Always exit the dressing room left foot first. No knitting in the wings. Never open a show on a Friday night. Never use real money, jewelry, flowers, or Bibles.