STUDY GUIDE, EXAM 2 (Chapters 6, 8, 9, and 10 in Theatre: Collaborative Acts) THEA 2010

Exam Date: Tuesday, November 5. Exam will be similar to Exam 150 multiple choice questions,
including information derived from the handout on theatre budgeting which supplemented Chapter 10, video
clips (Hal Prince, Peter Brook, Arthur Miller, etc.)
Chapter 6: The Director
What is meant by these terms and what periods are they are associated: play master, cycle plays, actormanager, auteur (pp. 144, 194)
o Play master: Medieval, coordinated and staged the play cycles of their communities.
o Cycle plays: Medieval, biblical dramas
o Actos-manager: 17th and 18th centure Western professional theatre, made the financial decisions,
selected the repertory of plays, hired the actors, and performed, but they seemed to have little to
do with the staging.
o Auter: used to desctibe directors who operate with almost total control.
When did prompt books appear (pp. 136-137)? What is included in a modern promptbook (p. 155)?
o Promptbooks emerged in the Medieval time period to organize and document the traveling cycle
plays. A modern promptbook usually includes a copy of the script marked with all the cuts and
and text changes, blocking notes, and all of the sound, lighting, or set cues.
Other terms: cues, staging, blocking, casting director, call backs
o Cues: changes in sound, lighting or setting.
o Staging: combining all elements to bring the text alive in three dimensions.
o Blocking: where and how the actors move
o Casting director: specialist in finding actors for a specific role
o Call backs: more extensive auditions held after some actors have been eliminated.
What are the responsibilities of the following? dramaturg (pp. 141 and 191-192); stage manager (p.
155); run crews (p. 156) ; production manager (p. 156)
o Dramaturg: a literary and historical advisor assigned specifically to the production
o Stage manager: coordinate a show during rehearsal and performance and keep the directors
artistic choices intact during its run.
o Run Crews: workers who maintain and execute cues for props, costumes, set, lighting, and sound
during the run of the show.
o Production manager: usually employed by a theatre company that has multiple performance
spaces such as a resident theatre company or a large university theatre. Usually he is in charge of
scheduling and coordinating stage managers for the productions.
What are technical rehearsals? ( p. 159)
o Near the end of the rehearsal process, light, sound, and set changes are added to the show during
technical rehearsals.
What is meant by antiquarianism (p. 138 and p. 303) and how does it relate to the development of
the role of the director in the 19th-20th century? How does it differ from new stagecraft? (p. 151)
o Antiquarianism is historical accuracy. In the 1820s costumes were designed to be historically
accurate, and sets were also supposed to resemble to time period of the play. New stagecrafts
different; it can be historically accurate, but it is an approach to scenic design that focuses on
simplicity, avoidance of detail, and reduction of a location to its most significant elements.
What is fourth wall staging? (p. 139)
o Treating the stage space as if it were an enclosed room.
Why is David Belasco important? (pp. 138 and 238)

o David Belasco was a producer-director who revolutionized western theatre. He was one of the
first directors to start taking complete control of his productions; he wrote his own plays, rewrote
those of others, created scenic detail, and oversaw staging. He gave so much attention to lighting
the stage he is considered an innovator in lighting techniques. He also helped create an
organization dedicated to producing single performances of plays meant to turn a profit.
What was the Arthur Miller-Wooster Group controversy about (p. 149)? What political events during
the 1950s led to Arthur Millers writing of The Crucible?
o The Wooster group was using pieces of his play in ways that he did not intend for them to be
used; he did not allow them to produce his play in any other way than what he originally
intended for them to be performed.
Important directors:
Sir Peter Brook (see box on pp. 146-147 plus bottom of page 141 - 142)
Julie Taymor (p. 144-145)
Mary Zimmerman (p. 152, box)
George Wolfe (p. 154 box)
What is meant by the term new stage craft? (pp. 151, 309)
Chapter 8: The Playwright
Why were plays written and how were playwrights regarded in ancient Greece? Do we know the names
of early Greek playwrights? What were cycle plays during the medieval period? Who wrote these
plays? (p. 186)
o Plays were written because they were civic contributions. They were typically religious.
Playwrights were highly revered because it was an honor to be selected to have your play
compete. The early greek playwrights were Thepsis and Aeschylus. Cycle plays in the medieval
period were series of religious plays that were based on biblical stories ranging from the creation
of the world to the last judgement and were performed outdoors in the vernacular. The
playwrights were usually anonymous because the plays typically belonged to the state.
How were playwrights typically paid for their work during Elizabethan period? (p. 186)
o They were not paid for writing plays, but they could sell their work to other troupes.
What are royalties? What country passed the first legislation regarding royalties? (p. 188)
o Royalties are a fee for each performance. The first country to pass regulation regarding to
royalties was France.
When was the first International Copyright Agreement created? (p. 189)
o 1886
Know: Henrik Ibsens importance as a realist playwright (father of realism) whose plays about social
issues not generally discussed were often read first as literature before becoming widely known through
performance (pp. 118, 189, 212, 255)
What is significant about the year 1923 in copyright law? What is meant by public domain with
regard to copyright? If a play was originally written in a foreign language before 1923 and is translated
in 1990 to English, is the translation subject to copyright law? (pp. 189-190)
o Works published before 1923 are considered public domain, so they can be produced freely.
Public domain is something that you can use without permission or paying for it. Yes, the
translation will be under copyright. Royalties must be paid to translator.
What inspired Stephen Sondheims and James Lapines Sunday in the Park with George? (p. 193, box)
o George Seurats painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

What is the purpose of the Humana Festival held and what Theatre hosts it? (p. 199, box)
o It is a festival of the Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL) for new plays to gain exposure through
performance.
What is the process for developing a new play in a professional theatre (workshops)? (pp. 197-198)
o Directors and actors work with the writer to develop the script using reading, discussion, and
improvisation.
What legal issue pertaining to Rent erupted pertaining to the unexpected death of playwright Jonathon
Larson while working with dramaturg Thompson (p. 200)
o Larson wanted credit as a coauthor and 16% of the royalties. She was ruled against because there
was no legal evidence that Larson had intended to name her as a coauthor. Eventually, she settled
out of court.
Chapter 9:The Designer The designers job in the theatre is to control environment (p. 203). How do they
do this through set, costume, light, and sound?
Ancient Greece: what were the following: skene, orchestra, pinakes, periaktoi.
o Skene: a stage house upstage of the orchestra
o Orchestra: circular performance space
o Pinakes: flat, painted scenery
o Periaktoi: prism shaped, three sided scenic units.
Other terms: wing, drop, and border scenery (p. 205), box set, ground rows (p. 207),
antiquarianism (pp. 207-208), fourth wall (p. 210), metatheatre (pp. 213-214)
o Wing, drop, and border scenery: flat painted panels on either side of the stage (wings), a large
expanse of painted fabric (drop), and strips of cloth or panels hung horizontally across the tops of
the wings (borders).
o Fourth wall: imaginary. The actors behave as if the audience is not there; there is a fourth wall
between them.
o Metatheatre: productions that self-conciously comment on the play as taking place in a theatre.
What is meant by the new stagecraft? When did it appear? What were the roles of Adolph Appia
and Edward Gordon Craig in its development?
o New stagecraft is an approach to scenic design that focuses on simplicity, avoidance of detail,
and reduction of a location to its most significant elements. Developed by Adolph Appia and
Edward Gordon Craig develpped it in the early 1900s.
What is the revolve and how did Max Reinhardt use it (p. 209 box)? How is it used in Strindburgs
Ghost Sonata (p. 216), Also used in Kabuki sets. Andin many contemporary plays, such as Les Mis,
Sweeney Todd, Noises Off. . .
o A revolve is a scenic change method involving a revolving stage or turntable.
What is difference between representational and presentational design (pp. 210-211)?
o Representational is scenery costumes, lighting, and sound that imitate precisely the kind of
environment and details in which the action of the play would occur in real life. Presentational is
when those things suggest, distort, or even abstract reality.
What is a unit set? (p.218, last paragraph)
o A single unit used to represent many different locations
Terms in set design (pp. 216, 217): Ground plan, section, rendering, model, front elevation, painters
elevation, rear elevation
o Ground plan: a drafting of the plan of the stage as seen from overhead
o Section: a drafting showing the vertical elements of the pace and their relative positions

o Rendering: a picture of the set, drawn in perspective from the audiences point of view. Usually
incolor and depicts the appearance of the set under lights.
o Model: a 3D mini version of the set, built to scale.
o Painters elevation: in color, showing the plan for painting each pieve of scenery.
o Rear Elevation: showing each piece from the back. Important in scenery construction since the
rear view may show how each piece of scenery is to be built.
Responsibilities of the following: technical director, scene shop foreman, props manager
o Technical Director: responsible for the safety of the theatre space, for scheduling, for
construction and equipment installation, and for making sure designs are executed according to
the designers specifications.
o Scene Shop foreman: oversees the set construction when the sets are built onsite.
o Props manager: organizes the collection or building of all properties of the show.
What are sight lines and the relationship of masking to sight lines? (p. 219)
o Sight lines are what the audience can and cannot see. Anything that the audience is not supposed
to see, like the top of a piece of scenery, can be hidden by masking, black velour drapes or flats
that can be hung or placed vertically and horizontally across the stage.
Costume design: what do these terms mean: renderings, silhouette, color, texture, accent, costume
plot, costume parade (pp. 229-230).
o Rendering: pictures of costumes on the actors, ideally done with color and with appropriate
swatches of fabric.
o Silhouette: the otuer shape of the costume. Can help indicate time period or setting
o Color: designers use color to have different effects on the audience. Symbolic meanings are
culturally specific.
o Texture: the feel of the fabric. Usually associated with socioeconomic class. Cultural association.
o Accent: details to finish or set off a costume. Buttons, lace, piping, jewelry.
o Costume plot: a chart that records the items of clothing worn by each actor in each scene of the
play.
o Costume parade: during tech week, actors are dressed in costumes and appear under the
appropriate stage lights.
o
Why do designers attend rehearsals (p. 228)? How do actors get ready for performing in period
costumes (p. 231)? How is color choice in costume related to plot or character? What does the costume
shop manager do?
o Designer attend rehearsal to understand what the character needs in a costume both physically
and design wise. Actors get ready for period costume by wearing rehearsal skirts, corsets, and
other pieces of their costume that they will need to get used to. Color choice is related to
character because color has cultural meanings that the audience will then project onto character.
The costume shop manager coordinates efforts of cutters, stitchers, and other costume personnel.
Four basic elements of lighting: intensity, color, distribution, and orchestration (movement) (p. 223);
effect of shift of lighting from HOUSE lighting to STAGE lighting (p. 221)
o Intensity: how bright the lighting is
o Color
o Distribution: how light is spread over the stage: angle and texture.
o Orchestration or movement: changes in any of the first three elements.

o Effect of shift of lighting from the HOUSE lighting to STAGE lighting: Audience focuses on
stage, expects something to begin.
Types of lights: spotlight, Fresnel, ellipsoidal (p. 223)
o Spotlight: glass lenses create a focused and controllable beam of light and the shape of the beam.
o Fresnel spotlight: creates a beam of light with a soft edge, and the beams from different
instruments can be easily blended to create the appearance of an even area of light.
o Ellipsoidal: creates a hard-edged beam and includes four shutters around the circular lens to
further control its focus.
What is a scrim and how might it be used? (p. 221)
o Scrim: a translucent piece of fabric. When lit from the front the scrim appears solid. When lit
from behind it is translucent.
Other terms: gobo, projection, and crossfades (p. 224), a practical, lighting plot (p. 225),
o Gobo: uses a metal cutout to cst shados on the stage.
o Projection: an image thrown onto the stage using light.
o Crossfades: changing the level of lighting.
o Practical: a visible lighting source onstage that is often enhanced by undeen lighting instruments.
o Lighting plot: a technical drawing showing where each instrument is hung, along with the type of
instrument and color filters to be used.
What happens at cue-to-cue, technical rehearsal, dress rehearsals? (p. 227)
o Cue-to-cue: only the parts of the play that include cues are run
o Technical rehearsal: the stage manager, actors, and run crews practice putting all elements except
for costumes together in a complete run of the show.
o Dress Rehearsals: when the lighting designers refine and perfect the contribution of lighting to
the total production
Sound designers work: sound mixing, creation and amplification of any sounds suggested by script
(crickets chirping, guns firing, party noise, etc), mikes for performers, pre-show mood-setting
music/sounds complementary to the production
Joseph Svoda as an important international designer (p. 208) who combines set, costumes, lights in his
unified design concepts
Chapter 10: The Producer
Who produced theatre in classical Greece?
o The civic government and religious priests.
Who really functioned as the producer in Europe, and early American troupes?
o The manager
Why are the following important: the Shubert Brothers (p. 238); Hal Prince (block, pp. 242-243),
Cameron MacIntosh (pp. 240 and 245, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Mis)
o The Shubert brothers had a monopoly over theatre owners and actors and playwrights.
o Hal Prince: had a lot of influence on American theatre through directing and producing.
Associates with musicals.
o Cameron MacIntosh: a musical producer who owns many West End theaters
What are the chief responsibilities of the producer in commercial theatre? Who hires all personnel in
commercial theatre?
o The producer is in charge of all financial aspects of the show. The producer hires and fires
everyone.

In non-profit theatres, what are the chief responsibilities of the managing director (sometimes called
the executive director), the artistic director , and the company manager? (pp. 240-243); what are
major ways that a non-profit regional theatre differs from a commercial theatre?
o Managing director: oversee the business aspects of the organization.
o Artistic Director: in charge of the artistic life of the theater. Has to make sure the costumes will
be applicable all season.
What is the difference between aregional (also called resident) and community theatre?
o Regional theatre is non-profit. It is still professional, but all the money goes back into the theater.
Community theater is usually non-profit, unpaid volunteers that are not professional.
What does the development director do in a non-profit of a theatre (or any non-profit organization,
including the University)?
o Leads the theaters advancement programs. Connects the community to the theater.
What is meant by in kind on a budget line? Approximately what percentage of the budget in a typical
non-profit theatre is unearned income? Why would a managing director need a month-by-month budget
as well as an overall budget? What are sources of unearned income? Ofearned income?
o
What is Theatre Communication Group (www.tcg.org) and what kinds of information does it gather in
Theatre Facts publication?
What is the National Endowment for the Arts and what does it provide? (p. 246)
o A government agency that supports the arts and arts education as well as widening the audience
for the arts in the United States. Largest single funder of nonprofit arts organizations in the US.