1. Fundamental Elements of Theater Advanced Humanities

2. Script Created by the playwright Includes the dialogue used by the actors and the stage directions.

3. Plot The structure of the play - the skeleton that gives the play shape The nature of the plot determines how a play works, how it moves from one moment to another, how conflicts are structured, and how the play ultimately comes to an end Most plots use the following structure: exposition, complication, and dénouement

4. Exposition Provides the necessary background information to understand the play Characters and their personalities, relationships, backgrounds, and present situations are introduced Generally a very recognizable section at the beginning of the play The amount of information given depends on the play

5. Complication Complication holds the interest of the audience The inciting incident oftentimes begins the complication – Inciting Incident – an event that happens that upsets the smooth flow up to that point. The complication is the meat of the play It comprises a series of conflicts and decisions that raise the intensity of the play The climax oftentimes ends the complication – Climax – the last big crisis (usually the biggest of all) after which everything is calm again

6. Dénouement The final resolution of the plot Ideally it brings about a clear and orderly resolution to the play Usually short -> because people like conflict. Resolutions can be boring.

8. The Lion King Exposition Inciting Incident (begins complication) Complication Climax (ends complication) Denouement

9. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story.literary deviceauthorplotstory Generally builds tension or suspense The audience senses that something will happen Moves the play forward, because it points to events that will happen in the future EXAMPLE:

10. Discovery The revelation of information about characters, their personalities, relationships, and feelings EXAMPLE:

11. Reversal Any turn of fortune in a play In a comedy it is often the switching of social classes EXAMPLE:

12. Character There are always major Characters in a play who the play is focused on – The protagonist is the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work. – The antagonist is the adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work There are also Minor Characters who interact with the Major Characters EXAMPLE OF A PROTAGONIST: EXAMPLE OF AN ANTAGONIST: EXAMPLE OF A MINOR CHARACTER :

13. Foil A foil is someone who is not the central person in the play, but is used to accentuate or contrast the qualities of the protagonist Example:

14. Theme The ideas that comprise the intellectual content of the play What the play is about, but not the plot There can be more than one theme The audience needs to discover or develop this, it generally is not told to them Theme of Lion King:

15. Visual Elements This includes the type of theater the play is performed in, the stage settings, the lighting used, the costumes, the properties, and the movements of the actors Anything that can be seen by the audience contributes to the visual elements of the play

16. Theater Types Arena Theater is a play done “in-the-round” where the audience sits around the stage on all sides Arena Theater provides the most intimate kind of theatrical experience Thrust Theater is a theater where the audience sits on three sides of the stage, generally not the back The Proscenium Theater is the most common today, where the audience sits in front of the stage

17. Arena

18. Thrust

19. Proscenium

20. Aesthetic Distance The more closely situated to the stage, the more involvement in the play by the audience Some distance is necessary though for certain emotions to develop which is called Aesthetic Distance Aesthetic Distance is the ability of the audience to recognize that the play is not reality Aesthetic Distance also allows for the audience to get involved with what it knows is fictional or unbelievable

21. Scene Design Creates the setting of the play Scene designers use line, form, mass, color, repetition, and unity just like painters and sculptors Scene designers are limited by: stage space the concepts of the director amount of time, size of the budget Scene design has something of its own to say to the audience CLAP FOR THESE PEOPLE – THEY MIGHT BE BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT THEY WORKED AS HARD AS THE ACTORS ON THE STAGE

22. Lighting Design Possibly the most important aspect of theater design, because without it, nothing would be seen by the audience This is working with light and shadows to highlight the scene, actors, or costumes Lighting can also be used to indicate the rises and falls in action Lighting helps to set the mood or atmosphere Lighting also helps to establish the time and place of the play

23. Costume Design Clothing that reflects the historical time period in which the play takes place, time of day, climate, season, location, or occasion Not simply limited to clothes though, because this also includes hair styles, jewelry, and makeup Costumes can show the audience who are the most important in a particular scene Costumes show social position, profession, cleanliness, age, physique, and health as well

24. Properties Also called props, and there are two kinds of props, set props and hand props Set props are part of the scene such as furniture, pictures, rugs, fireplaces, etc. Hand props are used by the actors such as cigarettes, papers, glasses, pens, etc. The use of props helps the audience understand significant information in a play

25. Aural Elements Basically what is heard by the audience Helps the audience enjoy and understand Can be voices, music, or other noise Puts the audience in the correct mood for watching a play or scene