20 th Century Theatre

1. 20th Century Theatre Performance Analysis

2. LI • To gain an understanding of how to conduct a critical analysis of a theatre performance SC • I can identify the areas I need to discuss • I can justify my opinions • I can offer analytical comment on the effectiveness of techniques • I can highlight links between the presentation and my own research/understanding of a theatre practitioner

3. System for Performance Analysis • Checklist –helps us focus on areas of performance • Order –can adapt to suit • Take notes at the time and develop your findings later • Choose a focus before viewing • Avoid too many notes on the same thing e.g. tech

4. What are we asked to do? • Present an analysis of aspects of theatre practice in one or two productions • Productions should, within your interpretation, reflect the theories and/or practices of your chosen practitioner (Stan or Brook)

5. Focus • Venue • Performance Space • Audience Space/Actors space • Set • Lighting • Sound • Costume • Actor & Performance • Text/Non text • Impact and Audience reception

6. Questions to consider – Venue • What building? – Purpose built theatre? • History of building • Place in the community? • How does your view affect your experience? • Can you make reference to another aspect of the analysis?

7. Performance Space • Look at the theatre and performance space separately • How do you enter the space? • What effect does the “feel” of the theatre have? • Colour of the auditorium? • How does it affect your feeling of being there for performance? • How do actors relate to audience area? • How far/near to actors? • What’s visible?

8. Actor & Audience Space • No clear-cut conventions for the performance space • Proxemics? • How does formal/informal space affect way audience behaves? • Affect the way the actors behave? • Performance space appropriate or not? • Advantages/Disadvantages?

9. Set • Complete a rough sketch and word list • Research designer/director (a lot of stuff online) to compare the process of decision making with their end result • Is it representational i.e. Naturalistic? • More than one set? • Significant elements? • What is shown? What is implied? • What is being communicated? • Texture, colours, form? • What’s the message?

10. Lighting • Are the lights visible? Types? • How arranged to focus attention? • Are you conscious of changes? • How does LX change mood/atmosphere? • What’s the purpose of particular effects? (slow fade, blackout) • Effect on perception of performance?

11. Sound • Source and purpose? • Natural or abstract? From text or comm mood & atmosphere? • Live or recorded? • What does it communicate? • Music – function?

12. Costume • Relationship to design concept? • What do they indicate about character? • Formal/Informal? • “In period”? Making comment on period? • Present conventions? (Dame in a panto) • Colour? Texture? How do they aid our understanding? • Relationships between costumes? • Mixed conventions?

13. Actor & Performance • Relationship between individual performers and other cast members? • Playing more than one part? Differences? • Relationship between text and movement • Voice/Movement • Spatial relationships • Relationship to set • “Star” actor? What influence on expectation and evaluation? • Acting style?

14. Text/Non-text & Directorial Interp • What choices have been made? • What aspects of perf tell you about these decisions? • Sub-text? • Genre? • Structure/form? • Translation? How has this affected interpretation? • Thematic relationship between text and imagery? • Devised? Group led? Actor input? End result?

15. Overall Impact & Audience Reception • Assistance toward interpretation of meaning? • Read any critical work? Reviews? • What didn’t make sense? Wasn’t communicated clearly enough? Was this important? • Your role as spectator? Passive? • Interested or bored? • Audience reactions • Most important aural and visual moments? • Long term impact?

16. Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W403QQrHPy4&list=PLALSd9rxG97F1oK0o8_E927KXav-6yyWy Audience Reactions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzuNFXDp27s

17. Reviews • “the vigorous ensemble tells [the story] with drive and authority”The Guardian★★★★ • “a brilliantly accomplished staging”The Telegraph★★★★ • “Adam Best is excellent as the alienated student Raskolnikov”The Times★★★★ • “a fearlessly rich production”The Herald★★★★ • “It’s both a classic come to life and an urgent new work”The Independent★★★★ • “magnificent”The Scotsman★★★★ • “under Hill, the taut script becomes an exciting commentary”The Stage • “another milestone in the illustrious history of the Citizens”Sunday Herald • “an accessible insight into one of the most renowned works of all time”What’s On Stage★★★★

18. Essay Could you detect a strong directorial imprint in Dominic Hill’s “Crime & Punishment”? If so, how did it manifest itself? You should consider such elements as the status of the text, scenography and visual language, the role of the performer and/or actor/audience relationships. Would the practitioner you have studied have made similar choices?

19. Some Brookian Key Features • Free improvisations in rehearsals/Experimentation • Worked with classic plays/pieces of literature • Story that is mythic • Text on stage differs from page • An empty space • Ritual to open and close the show – to focus the audience’s attention, generate electricity • Story and presentation stripped down to barest essentials • Use of a well known actor/Trusted actors