List of basic theatre topics

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 Lists of basic topics
For a more comprehensive list, see the List of theatre topics.

Theatre or theater is the branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, mime, puppets, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. Bernard Beckerman defines theatre as what "occurs when one or more human beings, isolated in time and/or space, present themselves to another or others." In addition to the standard narrative dialogue style, theatre takes such forms as opera, ballet, kabuki, puppetry, classical Indian dance, Chinese opera, mummers' plays, and pantomime. Basic topics in theater include:

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Contents

[edit] Nature of theatre

Main article: Theatre

[edit] Venues of theatre

[edit] Types of theatrical productions

[edit] Genres of theatre

There are a variety of genres that writers, producers and directors can employ in theatre to suit a variety of tastes:

[edit] Styles of theatre

There are a variety of theatrical styles used in theatre and drama. These include

  • Absurdism – presents a perspective that all human attempts at significance are illogical. Ultimate truth is chaos with little certainty. There is no necessity that need drive us.
  • Expressionism – anti-realistic in seeing appearance as distorted and the truth lying within man. The outward appearance on stage can be distorted and unrealistic to portray an eternal truth.
  • Melodrama – sentimental drama with musical underscoring, often with an unlikely plot that concerns the suffering of the good at the hands of evildoers but ends happily with good triumphant. Featuring stock characters such as the noble hero, the long-suffering damsel in distress, and the cold-blooded villain.
  • Modernism – a broad concept that sees art, including theatre, as detached from life in a pure way and able to reflect on life critically.
  • Naturalism – portraying life on stage with close attention to detail, based on observation of real life.
  • Postmodernism – there are multiple meanings, and meaning is what you create, not what is. This approach often uses other media and breaks accepted conventions and practices.
  • Realism – portraying characters on stage that are close to real life, with realistic settings and staging.

[edit] History of theatre

Main article: History of theatre

[edit] Participants in theatre

[edit] Basic theatre concepts

[edit] Theatre scholars

[edit] Leaders in theatre

[edit] Theatre-related lists

Main article: List of theatre topics

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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