What is the Theatre?

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Robert Cohen. Theatre: Brief Version, 10th edition: Chapter 1.

1. What is theatre? Drama?

Theatre is the place of performance, such as Aberdeen's Capitol
Theatre (L) or the performance of a theatrical work, such as the 2008 Broadway
musical: Legally Blonde (R).

A performance, according to Robert Cohen, is "an action, or series of actions, taken for the
benefit of someone else. We call that someone else 'the audience.'" (Cohen, pg 14.)
Drama is the script or the text of a play. As one writer put it: "drama is on the page and theatre
is on the stage."
2. What is the original source language of these two terms?
Greek.
3. What is the rough English translation?
Theatre: To see.
Drama: To do.
4. Is there a difference, besides the spelling, between "theatre" and "theater"?
No. Theatre is the British spelling and theater is the American spelling. In the 1830's, Noah Webster
(1758-1843), of dictionary fame, created an American spelling for a number of British
words. Colour became color, centre became center, and theatre became theater. Most of those in the
acting profession, many of whom were originally British, continued to use the re spelling. Today,
both spellings are used in the United States. Those in the profession still generally use the re spelling,
the rest of America uses the er spelling.
5. What is Robert Cohen's definition of theatre?

Robert Cohen (1938- ), the author of our text, defines the theatre as
"the live performance...of a scripted andrehearsed event" (Cohen, pg 17).
Obviously the three key words are live, performance and scripted. Scripted
means the work is repeatable.

Robert Cohen

6. Who was Aristotle?

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was a Greek critic who in The

Poetics (335 BCE), (1) outlines the beginnings of drama, (2)
develops a structured approach to dramatic analysis and (3)
presents a definition of drama.
What is his definition of drama?
Drama is "an imitation of men in action". Three key words-
- Imitation: It's not real, it's make believe. Men: Drama deals with
people, men and women. Action: Something happenes. There is
movement; a beginning, middle and an end.
Aristotle

7. According to Eric Bentley, what are the three essentials for a theatrical performance?

Eric Bentley, (1916- ), a British born drama critic, playwright, editor and
translator, declares that all you need for a theatrical experience is an actor,
a character (developed by the playwright in the script), and an audience.

Eric Bentley

8. According to Edwin Wilson and Alvin Goldfarb, what is the "heart of the theatre
experience?"
Edwin Wilson and Alvin Goldfarb, the authors of a commonly used Introduction to Theatre text,
believe that the "heart of the theatre experience" is the live relationship between the performer
and the audience. "During a stage performance the actress and actors can hear laughter, can sense
silence, and can feel tension in the audience. In short, the audience can affect, and in subtle ways
change, the performance." (Wilson and Goldfarb,Theatre, The Lively Art, 7th ed, pg 7)
9. What are the three categories of art?
Literary (poetry, drama, fiction), visual (painting, sculpture, architecture), and performing.
10. What are the four performing arts?
Theatre, dance, opera and music.
11. What characteristics do all the performing arts have in common?
They all require a creator (playwright, composer), an interpreter (actor, dancer, singer, musician),
and an audience. They also require that the interpreter and audience occupy the same space (the
theatre) at the same time.
12. What are the six major elements of theatre?
Audience, script, actors, director, the theatrical space (the theatre) and the technical elements of
scenery, lights, costumes and sound
13. Is theatre not a pure art?
No. Theatre, in performance, is produced by the collaboration of many theatrical artists: writers,
actors, directors, designers, producers, managers,... Each of these collaborators considers himself
an artist.
14. What are the responsibilities of these collaborators?
1. Playwright: Writes the text of the play. He develops the characters, outlines the plot, and
presents this creation to the audience through dramatic dialogue.
2. Producer: Is the head (boss) of the production company. He picks the play, or property; and
is responsible for raising the funds necessary to mount the show.
3. Director: Is responsible for developing a dramatic interpretation of the playwright's script.
He spends most of his time working with the actor.
4. Actor: Takes the character developed by the playwright and turns that character into a living
creation on stage.
5. Scene Designer: Develops the drawings (Plans and Elevations) necessary to build and paint
the sets. He or she supervises the set and property crews.
6. Lighting Designer: Develops the drawings (Light Plot) and charts (Hook-up Chart and Cue
Sheet) necessary to hang, focus, and cue the lights for a production. He or she supervises the
light, or electric crew.
7. Costume Designer: Develops the drawings (Costume Plate) necessary to build the costumes
worn by the performers. He or she supervises the costume, or wardrobe crew. The three
visual designers-- scenery, lighting and costume --create the "world of the play."
8. Sound Designer: Develops the drawings and charts necessary to establish the type and
location of sound equipment (microphones, speakers, amplifiers, mixing consoles) needed
for a show. He or she supervises the sound crew.
 9.
10. Managers supervise and organize, the work of the actors
(Company Manager), production crew (Stage Manager), and
house staff (House Manager). The Stage Manager is the back
stage boss. He (1) keeps a written record of the play's
interpretation (the prompt book), (2) calls all of the light, sound,
and shift cues during the performance, and (3) in the commercial
theatre, is responsible for maintaining the "integrity" of the show
once it has opened. (Making sure the performance does not
change from night to night.) Watch and listen to the Stage
Manager calling the electric (light) and rail (fly) cues for a brief
scene (The song: "Big Love") in Memphis, The Musical at the
Colonial Theatre in Boston. See the performance of "Big Love"
as it appeared to the audience seated in the house.
(YouTube videos) Notice in the photo on the right, that the Stage Stage Manager calling Cues
Manager is back stage, watching the performance on four black back stage
at Memphsis, The Musical
and white video monitors.
11. Be sure to read "Photo Essay: Broadway Stage Manager Michael McGoff" starting on page
144 of the text.
12. Why does the Stage Manager call the cues? In many commercial theatres, the crew can
not see or hear the actors on stage so the Stage Manager becomes their eyes and ears. Also in
the commercial world, especially "on the road", the crew generally does not attend
rehearsals. (It's just too expensive.) The first time they "see" the show is at the first
performance. They are told, "When the Stage Manager gives you the GO, grab this rope and
pull."
13. Why is it the Stage Manager's job to maintain the "integrity" of the show? Once the
show opens, the director's job is done. From this point on, it will be the Stage Manager who
will rehearse the understudy and cast replacements and give notes to the actors each night
after the show.

E-mail questions and comments to Larry Wild at Larry.Wildl@Northern.edu.

Updated: December 28, 2013
All images downloaded from the Internet. Copyright held by others.
Text Copyrighted © 1995-2013 by Larry Wild, Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD 57401