Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event

before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance. Elements of design and stagecraft are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience.[1] The specific place of the performance is also named by the word "theatre" as derived from the Ancient Greek (thatron, a place for viewing) and (theomai, to see", "to watch", "to observe). Modern Western theatre derives in large measure from ancient Greek drama, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements. Theatre scholar Patrice Pavis defines theatricality, theatrical language, stage writing, and the specificity of theatre as synonymous expressions that differentiate theatre from the other performing arts,literature, and the arts in general.[2] Theatre includes performances of plays andmusicals. Although it can be defined broadly to include opera and ballet, those art forms are outside the scope of this article. There are many types of theater architecture and the most popular kinds have different effects on the way the audience is allowed to see the performance. The art of theater is one of the oldest and most popular forms of entertainment. Productions can be small, simple affairs involving a few actors and props, or they can be large, using dozens of performers, elaborate sets, and huge audiences. One element common to all productions is the environment in which the actors perform. Theaters use many types of stages for different productions and the different kinds of architecture can have a great effect on how the audience perceives the action. The proscenium, or picture-frame, stage is the most commonly used. This theater is named for the proscenium arch at the front of the stage through which the audience views the performance. All action takes place behind the arch and a curtain can be used to hide the area from view of the audience for scene changes. The extended apron, or thrust, stage projects out into the audience past the proscenium arch. The actors can move either in front or behind the arch, or perform exclusively in front of it. Because there is no curtain, scenery is either changed quickly or not at all.

Tragedy - emotional (usually), crisis, conflict, something bad happens (Comedy - humour (any type of humour - dark, slapstick, etc Musical - musicals/singing, obviously Improv - like whose line is it anyway Pantomime - like improv (usually), but with mimes

representational theatre - does not realize the audience presentational - acknowledges existence of audience there are also types relating to existentialism, epic theatre, etc, which usually try to get .a point across, or use special types of acting or set design to presnet ideas differently Forms of drama Opera Western opera is a dramatic art form, which arose during the Renaissance in an attempt to revive the classical Greek drama tradition in which both music and theatre were combined. Being strongly intertwined with western classical music, the opera has undergone enormous changes in the past four centuries and it is an important form of theatre until this day. Noteworthy is the huge influence of the German 19th century composer Richard Wagner on the opera tradition. In his view, there was no proper balance between music and theatre in the operas of his time, because the music seemed to be more important than the dramatic aspects in these works. To restore the connection with the traditional Greek drama, he entirely renewed the operatic format, and to emphasize the equal importance of music and drama in these new works, he called them "music dramas". Chinese opera has seen a more conservative development over a somewhat longer period of time. Pantomime

Main article: Pantomime

These stories follow in the tradition of fables and folk tales, usually there is a lesson learned, and with some help from the audience the hero/heroine saves the day. This kind of play uses stock characters seen in masque and again commedia dell'arte, these characters include the villain (doctore), the clown/servant (Arlechino/Harlequin/buttons), the lovers etc. These plays usually have an emphasis on moral dilemmas, and good always triumphs over evil, this kind of play is also very entertaining making it a very effective way of reaching many people. Creative drama Creative drama includes dramatic activities and games used primarily in educational settings with children. Its roots in the United States began in the early 1900s. Winifred Ward is considered to be the founder of creative drama in education, establishing the first academic use of drama in Evanston, Illinois[citation needed].