GENRES OF THEATRE

Essential questions What are some things that makes one theatre genre different from another? How can you learn about a society or culture through theatre?

Genres GENRE: ways of categorizing or classifying different conventions of theatre Comedy Farce Melodrama Tragedy

COMEDY DEFINITION: any work generally intended to be humorous or to amuse by inducing laughter Variations: satire, political satire, parody, screwball comedy, black comedy, toilet humor, romantic comedy, comedy of manners, situation comedy (sitcom).. And there’s more! Examples: Friends Seinfeld http://yadayadayadaecon.com/clip/38/ https://youtu.be/rxDK-gjx_48 The Odd Couple Brighten Beach Memoirs

COMEDY PLOTS CHARACTERS Familiar situations Everyday, familiar people serious subject, taken lightheartedly lighthearted subject, taken seriously Typically has a happy ending. Includes puns, irony CHARACTERS Everyday, familiar people We laugh with them, no at them Humor comes from their “take” or reaction to a given situation

FARCE DEFINITION: A low style of comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable  deliberate use of absurdity or nonsense Examples: Mr. Bean http://youtu.be/J0cZK1c0wpE http://youtu.be/eC4yDwOh-U8 Three Stooges http://youtu.be/jocRd-aajW0 Noises Off Comedy of Errors

FARCE CHARACTERS PLOTS Each are over exaggerated in terms of the character’s action and Reaction to a situation. Large facial expressions and gestures help emphasize character’s reaction to situation PLOTS Familiar Situations that are exaggerated out of proportion Lots of physical action, including chases, fights, trips, falls, accidents Over exaggerated action and characters Lots of puns, irony and repetition Plot twits and turns!

Why do people laugh? FAMILIARITY!!! Common life experiences that we all encounter but we don’t often deal with in an open, honest way. Involves pointing up some observation or activity most of us have commonly experienced Ex: awkwardness of a first date, or the pressures of dealing with our family, steering a grocery cart with a broken wheel

THOUGHTS ON humor should come out of the situation and characters, not in spite of them a joke or some piece of schtick that interrupts the flow of a scene can be ultimately damaging to the piece as a whole, no matter how big a laugh it gets if a joke is used... make sure it is organic to the situation, rather than something that you say to get a laugh a line or an action that may be funny at one moment, can completely lose its punch a moment later

MELODRAMA DEFINITION: putting characters in dangerous situations in order to appeal to their emotions Examples: Any soap opera Some cartoons Rocky and Bullwinkle http://youtu.be/sjzxZCqFu9w Muppet Melodrama http://youtu.be/Gw-W48n06Lw

MELODRAMA PLOTS “taking control of…” scenario Cliffhangers heart-tugging emotional appeals strongly moralistic tone Lots of puns CHARACTERS Stereotyped characters Hero, Villain, Sidekick/s and a Person in distress (male or female) Characters are larger than life! Stylized characters and acting NO emotional intensity

TRAGEDY DEFINITION: Examples: A character of high esteem “falls” to death or despair because of some fatal flaw within him. It is because of this fatal flaw or weakness, that brings about his tragic end. Catharsis: feeling empathy for the tragic hero Examples: Oedipus Rex Othello https://youtu.be/RAYuASqrs94 Death of a Salesman Romeo and Juliet

TRAGEDY CHARACTERS well rounded characters PLOT protagonist - 1 dominate trait antagonist = provides conflict, & helps to bring about the “fall” of the tragic hero Controlled emotional intensity! Show honesty, conviction and sincerity in actions, decisions and motivations PLOT Universal Elements Focus on immediate problems but aware of surroundings