An Introduction to THEATRE
“Medicine, law, business, engineering,
these are noble pursuits and
necessary to sustain life. But the arts,
poetry, beauty, romance, these are
what we stay alive for.”
What is theatre?
• The difference between theater and theatre…
– Theater is the space
– Theatre is the art-form
• “Theater” means “The place for seeing”
What is a play?
• A play is a piece of literature, written by a
playwright, and performed in a theater by an
actor.
Basic Drama terms:
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Play- A script that is performed on stage. AKA “show”
Playwright- the author of a play
Character- the person an actor plays (not real)
Cast- all the actors in a show
Actor/Actress- the person who plays the character
Crew- anyone involved in a play besides the actors
Technical theatre- All the aspects outside of acting
(costumes, lights, set, etc.)
• Thespian- A term for a person regularly involved in
theatre
Basic Types of theatre:
A.K.A. “Genres”
• Drama- “Action.”
– Not always sad, just serious!
– Tragedy (sad ending)
– Melodrama- overly dramatic
• Comedy
– Usually funny plays with big “styles.”
– Farce- making fun of something
• Plays usually include moments of both comedy AND drama.
• Musical
– Usually very stylized plays with music.
Places for theatre:
• Broadway- in NY, NY. Musicals only
• Off-Broadway- in the area outside of Broadway,
still in NY. Here they do straight plays (non musical
plays) and lower budget plays
• Community- in any community in the US
• Touring theatre- professional shows that travel
around the country