Outline of Notes and Vocabulary Words for TPS 1107, SPRING 2005:
The concepts are grouped according to the title of the class session in which
they were discussed. These notes represent an outline only. You are
responsible for the content and definitions relative to concepts on the
outline. If you have missed class, get notes from a friend in the class. Some
quiz questions will be based on class attendance.
If you have further questions about specific concepts, e-mail your
professor(s).
VALUING THE ARTS
TOPICS we DISCUSSED
THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE ARTS. THEY CAN:
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Reflect our experiences (and offer us new ones)
Offer us pleasure
Express and arouse our emotion
Offer Spiritual enlightenment
Manifest Beauty
Foster Community
Inspire Change
Give us knowledge (about ourselves, about humanity, about the
world)
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Notes on WHAT IS THEATRE?
*
What are the essential elements of theater?
* CONCEPTS we discussed in relation to the essential elements:
* Space
* Performance/Performers
* Impersonation
* Audience
* Willing Suspension of Disbelief
* Empathy
* IN THE BEGINNING
Review the Different theories we discussed about how theatre began. What
was a common thread that existed in all of the human activities which
contributed to the birth of theatre?
Review the origin of the word 'theatre': theatron. What did it mean?
* WHO MAKES (creates) THEATRE? (THIS WAS NOT COVERED IN
SOME OF THE SECTIONS; if not then don't worry about it!)
Make a list of all the jobs that go into creating a piece of theatre.
We will be studying these various 'jobs' throughout the term.
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Class on 'Varieties of Contemporary Theatre':
Types of Theatre we viewed and discussed (students in MW am section might wish to use
your hand-out to review; we will hand this back on Monday.)
 Musical Theatre
--Who creates musical theatre (Hint: 3 job titles)
--Who stages musical theatre (hint: 3 job titles)
--Why is musical theatre so popular?
--What are some different types of musical theatre?
--What were the clips of musical theatre we viewed and what aspects of musical
theatre
did each emphasize?
 Traditional Plays: What are they? What are the major types?
 Review the various kinds of theatre we discussed that are on stages throughout our
country today in addition to musical theatre and traditional plays:
 Shakespeare: Why are his plays so popular still?
 Performance Art: What is it?
 Dance/Movement Theatre: Why is it called this? Who did we show you as an
example?
 What does DIVERSE VOICES mean when one is talking about contemporary
theatre?
 What do the following categories refer to?
 African American
 Asian American
 Native American
 Latino./Hispanic
 By and About Women
 Gay and Lesbian
 By and About the Physically and Mentally Challenged
 Cross-Cultural
 MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN MATCH UP SPECIFIC CLIPS WE WATCHED
IN CLASS WITH VARIETIES OF THEATRE DISCUSSED ABOVE.
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STORYTELLING
NOTES FROM STORYTELLING PRESENTATION
"God made man
because he loves stories."
 'Homo Narrans' Means?
"Stories are how we explain, how we teach, how we entertain ourselves, and
how we often do all three at once. They are the juncture where facts and
feelings meet. And for those reasons, they are central to civilization — in
fact, civilization takes form in our minds as a series of narratives."
--Robert Fulford, The Triumph of Narrative: Storytelling in the Age of Mass Culture
How Stories Heal
"Many things in our lives cry out to be storied - unfinished relationships,
momentous changes that affect the course of our existence, and unjust hurts
at the hands of friends and parents . . . . To weave together the slender
threads of a torn life into a firm pattern of meaning can give even the most
pernicious emotional and physical injuries a role of honor in our experience.
This is the power of story."
--Richard Stone, The Healing Art of Storytelling: A Sacred Journey of Personal Discovery
What is a story? What is each of the following, and what is its
significance to the story?
1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Setting
Types of Narratives You May Hear
at a Storytelling Festival:
 Myth (includes cosmic, hero, and fertility myths)
 Legend (includes place, event, and personal legends)
 Folktale (includes fairytales, fables, tall tales)
 Literary Works (including poetry, short stories, novels)
 Personal Narratives (what are these? why are they of value?)
The Power of Story
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Stories . . .
1.
entertain us.
2.
create community (and maintain individual and group identity).
3.
develop our empathy and our understanding of other people.
4.
show us the consequences of our actions.
5.
educate our desires.
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6.
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give us a sense of place.
understand the significance of time and time passing.
heal us.
--Scott Russell Sanders, "The Power of Stories."
How do these comments about the 'power of story' compare with the
potential effects of art that we discussed the first week of class?
How does storytelling heal us?
 It renders meaning from chaos
 It breaks through our fundamental isolation and connects us to humanity.
 It opens hearts and teaches us to grieve.
 It validates teller and listener.
 It transforms emotional pain and restores hope.
--Diane Rooks, Spinning Gold out of Straw: How Stories Heal
QUALITIES OF GOOD STORYTELLING; How do we define each of the
following?
1. Suspense:
2. Rapport with the audience
3. Empathy for the story's characters
STORYTELLING AS A PERFORMING ART:
 Every storyteller is different.
 Every storyteller's style is different.
 Storytellers most often tell stories as themselves,
 How does the storyteller use her/his Voice? (pitch, volume, rate, qualtiy, character
voices, dialects (accents))
 How does the storyteller use his/her body? (gesture, facial expression, posture,
character physicalization etc.)
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World Theatre/Dance Part I
Asian Theatre
 Why study World Theatre in the first place ?
 Review the two influential forms of Japanese Theatre we discussed:
Bunraku and Kabuki
 Review distinctive features (in relation to style of performance,
costumes, make-up, stage pictures, movement and blocking, the way
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scenery and props are moved into place, etc.):: what visual effects were
striking?
How did the stage-hands, costume assistants, etc. do their jobs? How was
music used to contribute to the pieces?
How do performance styles differ from performances you might in
America: Think about how the actors moved, how they expressed
emotion, how they used their voices.
What are distinctive features of the subject matter in the Bunraku and
Kabuki stories we watched: what do they 'teach' us about their culture?
--What American production shows Asian Theatre influences?
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SYMBOLIC USE OF
PROPERTIES?
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World Theatre/Dance Part II
 What is The Ramayana ?
 What is its country of origin? Where else is the tale popular?
 What do the HINDI (plural) HINDU (singular) gods Brahma,
Vishnu, and Shiva each stand for? With which one is Rama linked?
 Why is RAMA a significant character? Review the events in the story
we enacted in class. Who were the other characters and what did they
stand for?
 What costume pieces were used to help visually tell the story in class?
 What might this story be trying to express to its audience?
 The visual images on the screen that were shown depicting the story-How did they come to be created in the first place? In what country or
empire were they created and for what purpose?
African Theatre
 What is 'theatre for development'?
 What is its purpose?
 How is it created?
 Give an example of a subject/topic one might explore in a theatre for
development piece.
 Why is it important and meaningful?