What exactly is art?

Art expresses things that cannot be understood by strictly intellectual means Knowledge can be broken into 2 types: 1. Intellectual Knowledge

There is also Experiential Knowledge Some things you know through direct experience

Theatre approximates experiential knowledge to elicit empathy. Sympathy – having compassion for someone – not necessarily understanding them Empathy – compassion born out of common experience or understanding

Theatre is a performing art Wilson and Goldfarb identify 3 categories of art: literaryvisualperforming

Perform To pretend to do something or be someone else Children Actors Deceivers

Perform To perform is also to do – to complete a function or task The pretending and the doing do not necessarily exclude one another

Represent To present again – to re-present If it wasn’t you the first time, this involves pretending - performing

Represent Lindsey Graham, Senator for South Carolina Represent also means to stand-in for someone, to speak for them This word has a political as well as artistic meaning

Why should we study Theatre? There are only two reasons for doing anything: 1. You like it 2. It’s good for you

Why theatre is ‘important’ 1.Theater is the foundation art of all drama - pantomime, opera, film, television, etc. Theater creates a relationship between performer and audience –Live –Personal –Immediate (unmediated) Theater teaches “timeless observations about the human condition” –Commonalities –Differences

Essentially, theater entertains and teaches. In that order. Theatre is the most effective art at teaching empathy.

Wilson and Goldfarb identify 6 elements of theatre 1.Audience 2.Dramatic Action Embodied in a Script 1.Structure 2.Focus 3.Point of view 3.Performers – someone who adopts a character other than their own 1.Talent 2.Skill 3.Believability

4.Director 5. Theater Space 6. Design Elements 1.Costume 2.Lighting 3.Scene 4. Sound Finally: Theatre is collaborative