THEATRE ARTS Theatre Arts is the collective name

THEATRE ARTS

Theatre Arts is the collective name for • SET • LIGHTING • SOUND • PROPS • COSTUME • MAKE-UP

SET - The Acting Area • The acting area is used by the actors when acting • Staging is the position of the acting area to depending on where the audience sit • There are many types of staging where the audience sit in different ways

Types of Staging are: END ON or PROSCENIUM ARCH When the audience are seated on ONE side of the acting area THEATRE IN THE ROUND When the audience are seated all the way round the acting area THRUST When the audience are seated on THREE sides of the acting area

Types of Staging are: Audience AVENUE Audience are seated on TWO sides of the acting area Promenade The audience follow the action. There is no designated seating area.

Areas of the Stage • USR Up Stage Right • USC Up Stage Centre • USL Up Stage Left USR USC USL CSR CS CSL DSR DSC DSL • CSR Centre Stage Right • CS Centre Stage • CSL Centre Stage • DSR Down Stage Right • DSC Down Stage Centre • DSL Down Stage Left AUDIENCE The Areas are indicated from the ACTORS POINT OF VIEW

Ground Plan A ground plan is a bird’s eye view of the set, showing furniture, entrances/exits and the position of the audience 1. An Outline of the acting area 2. Position of the audience 3. Entrance and Exits : Either a door symbol if using flats or by arrows when walls/doors are imaginary 4. A Key 5. To Scale Audience Key: Entrance and Exit Chair Table Flat Door

Areas of the Stage • USR Up Stage Right • USC Up Stage Centre • USL Up Stage Left USR USC USL CSR CS CSL DSR DSC DSL • CSR Centre Stage Right • CS Centre Stage • CSL Centre Stage • DSR Down Stage Right • DSC Down Stage Centre • DSL Down Stage Left AUDIENCE The Areas are indicated from the ACTORS POINT OF VIEW

Symbols used in a Ground Plan Flat Sofa Door ~~~~~~~ Curtain Table Chair Rostrum Window Flat Fireplace Stairs - arrow indicate up Entrance/Exit

Lighting Why use lighting? 1. 2. 3. 4. To allow the actors to be seen clearly To highlight a particular area of the stage To create a mood / atmosphere To create special effects What can lighting tell an audience? 1. Let’s the audience know where and who to focus on 2. Tells us the mood or atmosphere of the scene/character 3. Suggest time (e. g day or night) 4. Weather - e. g a storm or sunny day 5. Enhance the setting (e. g flashing lights or a strobe for a nightclub 6. Highlights an important moment in the drama

Lanterns are hung on a grid PROFILE SPOT Lantern giving a HARD EDGED beam of light FLOOD LIGHT Lantern giving a wide spread of light FRESNEL SPOT Lantern giving a SOFT EDGED beam of light

GEL - Film placed in front of lantern to change the colour of the beam GOBO - Thin metal plate cut out in a pattern and placed in a lantern to project pattern or shape into the acting area

FOLLOW SPOT - A Large powerful Profile which can be moved around by Lighting Operator, for instance, to follow a character across the stage or through the auditorium (an escaped prisoner, perhaps? ? ) STROBE - a strong light, which flashes on and off at varying speeds, which can be controlled or set by the operator: very slow - a lighthouse in the distance, special effects to create tension

Words to describe lighting • • • Blackout Slow Fade to Fast Fade to Snap to Crossfade The acting area is not lit The lighting is faded out slowly The lighting is faded out quickly Blackout is achieved instantly To change from one lighting cue to another with no blackout in between • Fade up/Fade down To brighten or dim the lighting • Flood Lantern giving wide spread of light • Gel Film placed in front of a lantern to change the colour of the beam

SOUND Why use sound? 1. To establish the mood/atmosphere of the presentation 2. To enhance the mood/atmosphere of the presentation 3. To enhance the actor’s performance e. g slapstick, villian, hero 4. To sustain audience interest during set changes

SFX WHAT can sound tell an audience? 1. Tell us where the scene is e. g seaside, city traffic 2. Tell us the weather e. g wind, rain 3. Tell us the time of day e. g owls, clock chiming 4. Add atmosphere e. g creepy music 5. Tell us whats happening off stage e. g car arriving, door bell ringing. 6. Create realism – e. g gun shot 7. Enhance the emotion of the scene e. g sad ballad

Sound Vocabulary • CUE: • • A signal for an actor to do or say something, or for a sound effect to begin FADE IN: To bring the volume up FADE OUT: To bring the volume down CROSSFADE: To change from one sound cue to another with no silence in between LIVE (SFX): An SFX is operated on cue during the performance e. g phone ringing, a knock PRE-RECORDED (SFX): An SFX is recorded on tape and played on cue during the performance SFX: The quick way to write “Sound Effects” MIXING DESK: Control desk for sound

PROPS Props (short for properties) are items used or carried by an actor, or items on the set. There are 3 main types of prop PRE-SET HANDHELD PERSONAL A pre-set prop is an object which has been put on the set prior to the performance and is usually part of the set e. g Lamp, a clock, a picture A handheld prop is exactly what it says. A prop which is held in the hand e. g a hairbrush, a suitcase, a bunch of flowers A personal prop is usually an object or an item which is considered to be part of a characters costume. Actors are totally responsible for looking after their personal props. A personal prop would be e. g a pair of spectacles, a handbag, a wallet

Why USE Props? - To help make the drama more REALISTIC! Occupation (Carrying First Aid Box) Age (Carrying a teddy bear) WHAT can PROPS Tell an AUDIENCE Circumstances (holding out a gun) Wealth (Carrying lots of bank notes) Personality (carrying lots of books) Weather (carrying an umberella)

PROPS TABLE IS A TABLE IN THE WINGS ON WHICH ALL PROPS ARE PLACED FOR ACTORS TO COLLECT AS THEY ENTER, AND REPLACE AS THEY EXT.

MAKE UP • Why USE make - up? 1. To help establish the character 2. To help an actor feel more like the character and therefore give a more convincing performance 3. To allow the audience to clearly see the actors’ features and therefore the experssions 4. To help replace the loss of colour from the actor’s face sometimes caused by stage lighting

There are 5 types of stage makeup: • STRAIGHT Make-up • OLD AGE Make-up

Character Make-Up

Animal Make Up

Fantasy Make Up

Make-up Vocabulary • Fake Blood: • • • powder, liquid capsules which create the effect of bleeding Foundation: the basic skin colour Liners: sticks of make-up in different colours used to create lines, bruises, shading, highlighting etc Pencils: soft pencils in different colours which are easily smudged and blended Scarring: scars created with make-up, putty or scarring material Stipple Sponge: used to create an unshaven look or the appearance of cracked veins Tooth Varnish: used to create the look of a missing tooth by blacking out an existing one

• Crepe Hair: • Highlighting: • Spirit Gum: • Latex: • Nose putty: • Skull Cap: Make-Up Vocabulary plaits of artificial hair which can be cut and trimmed to form eyebrows, moustaches and beards using light colours to make face areas stand out Glue used to attach hair to the face Liquid rubber which can be used to make skull cap moulds and false noses type of clay used for altering the shape of the plastic head-shaped covering to give appearance of baldness

COSTUME WHY USE COSTUME? - Helps to build a character - Creates realism and believability - Gives the audience information

Costume can tell an AUDIENCE • Period of Time (e. g Ancient Rome) • The Place/Setting (e. g beach/space) • Characters Personality (Girly, confident, bubbly)

• Weather (e. g raining, a heat wave, snow) • Occupation of a character (e. g Fire Fighter) • The Occassion (e. g wedding, funeral, party)

• Characters Wealth • Characters Status

Look at the this characters make-up How would you describe this make-up (colours, materials used etc)? What does this makeup tell us about the character?