ArtLinks Pro Am Theatre Skills byTony McCleane-Fay

39
THEATRE SKILLS THEATRE SKILLS WORKSHOP WORKSHOP
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How to read a play * Artistic Vision, what is it? Do I need to have it? * Contemporary Playwrights: McPherson, Roche, Walsh, Kane, Churchill, Ravenhill, Pinter etc. * Choosing a Play to produce for your group/companyPractical guidance on improving your production valuesThe workshops are aimed at non-professional or amateur drama practitioners and are designed to enhance your enjoyment of the process whilst promoting confidence in your abilities.

Transcript of ArtLinks Pro Am Theatre Skills byTony McCleane-Fay

Page 1: ArtLinks Pro Am Theatre Skills byTony McCleane-Fay

THEATRE SKILLS THEATRE SKILLS WORKSHOPWORKSHOP

Page 2: ArtLinks Pro Am Theatre Skills byTony McCleane-Fay

SOME STYLES OF THEATRE

RomanticismFaust, Romeo & Juliet

RealismHedda Gabbler, Pygmalion

NaturalismMiss Julie, Stanislavski

Expressionism & Epic TheatreBrecht, Woycezk

Constructivism & Existentialism

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, No Exit

Theatre of the AbsurdWaiting for Godot, Mountain Language

Post-Dramatic TheatreThe Wooster Group, Forced Entertainment, Crimp, Handke

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Choosing A Play

What do I want to say?What do I want to do?Why do I want to do it?

Where is it going to be staged?Will I tour as part of a festival?

Who will my audience be?How skillful are my actors?Is this a play I can handle?

Is the play theatrical?Will it be a creative experience for all?

Will it be fun to do?Will it give a fresh experience for the audience?

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Choosing A Play

Find a playwright you like and read all of their work.Do you have a company of actors already? Are they a bit

stale/typecast? Look at open auditions. Go talent spotting to your local Youth Theatre shows/musicals/pantomimes.

Read as many plays as you can get. Be bold, don’t just look to the Drama League of Ireland and French’s lists.

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How To Read A PlayLook at the title.

What does it mean? Is the play funny or tragic? What is the genre: comedy, tragedy, romance, etc?

Based on the genre, does the play end the way it's supposed to? Look at the setting. Does it seem appropriate? How does the setting affect the

overall feel of the play? Read some of it aloud.What are the basic plot points? How does the action build up to the climax of the

play?Does the play have a dramaturgical arc?

Look at the stage directions. How detailed is the staging? Do the directions give you a sense of what the play is about and what is happening? Is it necessary to follow the stage directions verbatim? Look at the historical background of the play. What famous works of literature, political and social environments influenced this play?

How did this play inspire or influence later works.What is the theme (message, moral or idea) of the play?

If you love/like the play - why?What can you bring to the play?What is your vision for the play?

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Artistic Vision

Simply put, Artistic Vision is the pictures a director sees in his/her head when s/he reads a play.

This can take the form of a film of the stage play rolling in your head.

Vision: imagination, creativity, inventiveness, innovation, inspiration, intuition, perception, insight, foresight, prescience.

You will not have a vision for every play you read, maybe one in ten. Recognising it takes experience.

Ask yourself: Is there anything new I can bring to this play? If the answer is ‘yes’ and you know exactly what you can bring and ‘how’ you can bring it - that is your

vision.

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The DirectorThere are basically four types of theatre director:

The DictatorIn this style of directing, the director has a strongly assertive role and is very dominant in the

process of creating a theatrical work. Rehearsals are more or less fully controlled and predictable, with the actors having little or no say.

The NegotiatorThe negotiator is a style of direction in which the director focuses on a more improvised and

mediated form of rehearsal and creation, using the ideas of the production team and actors to shape a theatrical work in quite a democratic style.

The Creative ArtistThe director sees himself or herself as a creative artist working with the 'materials' of dramatic creativity, be they the actors, designers and production team. The "creative artist" wants input

from the actors but, as artist, has final say over what is included and how ideas are incorporated.

The ConfrontationalistIn this style of directing, the director is in constant dialogue and debate with the cast and the

production team about creative decisions and interpretations. The director seeks out and actively engages in such exchanges. Out of these exchanges, which can sometimes be heated

or risky, comes a final contested product.

Many contemporary directors use a creative amalgam of styles, depending on the genre of the theatrical work, the nature of the project and the type of cast.

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Contemporary Playwrights

Conor McPhersonBilly RocheEnda Walsh

Mark O’Rowe

Sarah KaneCaryl ChurchillMark RavenhillHarold PinterMartin Crimp

Anthony Neilson

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Conor McPherson

Dublin CarolPort AuthorityRum & Vodka

Shining CityThe Good Thief

The SeafarerThe Weir

This Lime Tree Bower

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Billy Roche

A Handful of StarsAmphbians

BelfryHim & Her

On Such As WePoor Beast In The Rain

The Cavalcaders

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Enda Walsh

Disco PigsBedboundMisterman

Pondlife AngelsSucking Dublin

The Walworth FarceThe Small Things

The New Electric BallroomDelerium

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Mark O’Rowe

From Both HipsCrestfall

Anna’s AnkleHowie The Rookie

Made In ChinaTerminus

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Sarah Kane

BlastedPhedre’s Love

CleansedCrave

4:48 Psychosis

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Caryl Churchill

Top GirlsThe Skriker

This Is A ChairFen

IcecreamA Mouthful Of Birds

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Martin Crimp

Attempts On Her LifeThe Country

Fewer EmergenciesFace To The WallCruel and Tender

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Harold Pinter

The Dumb WaiterNo Man’s Land

Ashes To AshesMountain Language

The LoverOne For The Road

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Mark Ravenhill

Shopping and FuckingFaust Is Dead

Pool(no water)Some Explicit Polaroids

Handbag

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Anthony Neilson

NormalPenetrator

The CensorStiching

The Wonderful World Of Dissocia

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Rehearsal Techniques

When do the actors need to be off-book?

Before Rehearsals?After specific Workshops on the themes of the play are conducted?

Whenever they can?

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Rehearsal Period

Professional theatre productions usually rehearse for four to six weeks (Mon – Sat 10am – 6pm) in accordance with Irish Actors Equity Agreements. There are many ways and methods one can use during rehearsals but usually rehearsals are split into three sections:

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Rehearsal Section One:

Trust your casting, if you have a problem with an actor – recast NOW, don’t leave it any later; select two actors (don’t tell them!) as

barometers – one whose response is high and one whose response is low this way you will be able to guage your own pace;

get them to look at each other rather than the script; start to set character and blocking – but don’t nag them! Mark out set.

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Rehearsal Section Two:

the digging period; the actor brings characterisation the director adds to it; all off-book now; no messing about and talking; directors energy should be high and obvious; director should be excited and

hungry to see a run; don’t stop run thru’s, make notes; blocking and business should be complete.

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Rehearsal Section Three:

Polishing, discipline, full-runs, some if not all costume / make-up. Dig deeper on relationships, character, objectives etc.

This section includes the Tech and Dress, right up to the opening.

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Rehearsal Tips

Warm the cast up;Swap Roles;

Run scenes at different paces;Run scenes in different genres;

Insert acting exercises into rehearsals;Play around with blocking;

If an actor uses a prop and you don’t yet have it, use a substitute;Sing some scenes;

Do ‘spot’ rehearsals;If actors are ‘shuffling’, hold their feet;

If actors are ‘holding on’ to the furniture, play the scene with their hands on their head;

If actors are not projecting, play loud music during their scenes and get them to project over it;

Attempt to take actors out of their comfort zone early on.

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Design:

Most professional productions will employ a number of designers; set, sound, lighting, costume, make-up, sfx etc.

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Set: The 'stage picture' is the 'look' or physical appearance of the stage for a play, whether in rehearsal or performance. It reflects the way that the stage is composed artistically in regard to props, actors,

shapes and colours. The stage picture should express good principles of design and use of space. It should be visually

appealing for the audience or should express the show's concept. The stage picture is also crucial for the creation of atmosphere for

the audience.

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The set designer is responsible for collaborating with the director and other members of the production design team to create an

environment for the production. Set designers are responsible for creating scale models of the scenery, renderings, scale elevations

and scale construction drawings as part of their communication with other production staff. There are basically two types of set naturalistic and abstract. If the play is set in a kitchen and living room the design of a naturalistic set will be those two rooms re-

created on stage, an abstract (or nonpictorial, conceptual or nonrepresentational) set will more than likely be designed around the themes of the play or the ‘vision’ of the play. Your budget may

be better spent on a hiring a sculptor or visual artist rather that recreating the kitchen sink.

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Costume: You may wish to produce a restoration play or a play set some time

in the past but be put off by the complexity and expense of the costumes. Consider setting the play in modern-dress, as a choice

this may inform your telling of the play in that you may find contemporary parallels which you can examine.

Make-Up: Should compliment the costume, characters, tone of the piece. Try

to get the same person to do it each performance.

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Sound: Great for setting tone, atmosphere, ambience and effect. Try and

get a whizz-kid who’s great with computers and produce it yourselves. You can get sfx on the internet.

Works best when the score is original – do you know any musicians/composers who would do it for nothing?

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Lighting: Essential. Many shows look flat and uninteresting because they

are lit purely from the front. Experiment with angles, colour, gobos etc. Theatre is primarily a visual medium – and you control what

the audience sees and how you want them to see it.

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Actor Tips

CharacterRelationship

ObjectiveWhere

Accents & DialectsTimingDrying

Corpsing

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Production Tips Marketing

Friends SchemePreviews

Auditorium / Foyer

Warm Ups - physical & mentalLine Runs

Speed RunsRe-Blocking

Following: simple & effective stage design examples

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4:48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane

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Conspiracy Theory by Devised

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This Is A Chair by Caryl Churchill

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Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh

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Babes in the Hood by Devised

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Beaten by Ailis NiRiain

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Beaten by Ailis NiRiain