1. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Explore Theatre: A Backstage Pass Michael M. O’Hara & Judith A. Sebesta PowerPoints prepared by the authors This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

2. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved What is Theatre? Chapter 1

3. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved How do these lessons work? Pedagogical design for the class. The syllabus? Required Texts? Required Shows? Web access issues?

4. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Today’s Mechanics in Theatre Today’s theatre is a collaborative team of 10 to 200+ individuals. They include: Author(s): text/script director/choreographer/conductor designers (scenery, lights, costumes, sound) actors technicians audiences

5. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Performance Mechanics are Typically “Invisible” Why? What is the essence of being “entertained?” Enthralled, enraptured, overwhelmed, swept away, transported, transformed, etc. What’s common to such experiences?

6. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved “ Theatre” Experiences Different for different contexts How do you prepare for different contexts? Movie with friends? Movie with date? Television by yourself? Television with friends?

7. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved More Formal Theatrical Contexts How would you change your preparation for: NYC, Broadway? Regional theatre? University? Community?

8. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Definitions of Theatre? Living actors enacting a text before a live audience. "An actor, two planks, and a passion." "Actor, audience, action." "Perpetual present tense.”

9. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Why... … does Theatre continue in face of other performative media? imaginative engagement fluid/adaptive v. static/recorded media communal impulse enact mysterious/meta issues liveness

10. Copyright © 2012 Ball State University, All Rights Reserved Summary Theatre is a complex art that is collaborative, imaginative, ephemeral, and communal.