Stage Craft Notes 2/25/14 11:04 AMDon’t forget toolsssss

Performance SpacesArena Staging- Believe it was from Cavemen. Original- start of theater as we know it. Audience is all the way around you.-Amphitheater- thrust spacing- Started with the Greeks. Outside.

Orchestra- Circle Stage, slightly elevated Skene building was behind the orchestra- became holding area for

actors Proskene- area in front of the Skene with columns

Plays- Climactic- “well made play”

o One major story lineo Certain amount of peopleo Expositiono Limited Location

Episodic- Reoccurring serial drama

I don’t understand why Bill thinks he’s so funny. He laughs almost every other sentence…But like seriously...there is NOTHING funny about what he’s saying…

Eccyclema- Platform that rolls out- showing the result of what just happened. Stage Wagon. Thanks Greeks

Dues Ex Machina- “Machine of the Gods” Precursor to modern fly system. Counterweight system. Thanks AGAIN Greeks

Periaktoi- 3 sided “Frames” where they would stretch fabric and paint it in order to convey a different location. Modern stage flat. Oh Greeks, you clever cats.

ROMANS IN DA HOUSEEEE Borrowed a lot of stuff from the Greeks Started closing out some of the performance spaces

Coliseum Theater- Vomitorium Voms- Entrance ways through the audience Romans were kinda cray with their entertainment content AKA

Hunger Games Gave us the concept of trap doors

Theater fell outta style during medieval times while praisin Yeezus became cool. They said “Down with the gays, I mean, THEATRE.”

The church realized that nobody was very educated. So they started doing biblical/morality plays- PREACHY PLAYS

Everyman is goin on a journey AKA Dora The Explorero Only “good deeds” will go on the adventure with him

Simultaneous setting- two different places on stage that depict different locations.

“Mansion”- mini proscenium on wheels that would tour. The beginning of Parade floats.

Platea- playing stage

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Scaenae Frans- elaborate proscenium, has two small side doors near the apron

Artists discover mathematical prospective by way of geometryo Can create illusion of depth in theater space

Drop and Wing Setting- illusion of depth by putting a drop in the back of the theater space making it look like that there’s more depth- also having the wings in relation

“Upstage” and “Downstage” comes from Raked staging since the actor would actually have to walk Up the stage or down.

Theaters would cut grooves in the floor Wings would have wheels in them (chariots)

o PULL AND CHARIOT SYSTEM- people would pull the pole that was attached to the chariot and the wing would exit offstage

Stock scenery- sets that were used again and again that could be used a lot for certain shows

Tragedy- King Throne Room

Elizabethan Era parallels to Italian Renaissance

England theaters- thought to have been originated from a courtyard space Looks like a thrust space

Unit Set- stationary unit, where we change location by the addition or subtraction of small pieces

Box Set- turning wings @ an angle Creation of the fourth wall

o Tendency towards realism

Traditional Proscenium Theater starts comin’ in style!

1920’s and 1930’s Sets became more abstract

Appeus in Virgina- Produced @ Drury Lane Theater Created new sound effect- taking cannon balls and rolled them up

and down on ramps; made sounds like thunder John Dennison made it

“Lime Light”- can run an electrical charge through two limes which would create a greenish tint of light- able to control light

Chapter 2Pg 7 flow chart

Money person- Producer- responsible that the money exists to make the show happen- have final artistic say

Artistic Director- they make artistic choices

Director- Comes in with a vision- guides the production with that vision

Choreographer-

Musical Director-

Playwrights/Composers- May be there if it’s a new project being developed

Dramaturge- background information for the information

Stage Managers- make sure all members of the staff are working together Take down all of the artistic blocking

Call the show

Bill you are not a comedian, stop laughing at things you say, it’s NOT even funny!!!!!

Scenic Designer- Creates the environment

Lighting Designer- Let us see what they want us to see and hide what they don’t want to be seen

Sound Designer- Create that audio environment Sound Reinforcement

Costume Designer- Dresses the Actors Make the choices of what the character is going to wear

Media Designer- Projection design

Technical Director- Execution of the set designer’s work“He makes it happen”

Prices out in budget Looks at it in time frame

Cast Actors have an Agent Casting Agents cast shows for them

Master Electrician- Responsible for getting the lights up in the air

Hang crew

Run Personel Board Operator Follow Spot

Costume Shop Manager- execution of the costume designer’s work

Crafts Artisan- put the costumes together

Run Crew- Make sure costumes are holding up during the show

Specialty Jobs Shop foreman Carpenters Welders

Stage hands- highest paying job in NY

Managing Director (parallels the artistic director)- manages financial information

Legal Director- deals with attorneys

Business Manager- book keepings

Marketing Staff

Box Office Staff

Ushers

Scenography- do multiple design elements on a production

Flat Fee- Paid X amount of money with your contract

Profit Sharing Situation- In Europe you can negotiate a certain amount of money if the show makes bank

Encourages you to do your best work ALL THE TIME

Chapter 3: Scene design as a visual art form

Composition: organization of design elements into unified statementLight- Reveals composition

Symmetrical Composition & Asymmetrical composition

Elements of Design LINE- Definition of Form. Expressive characteristic. Ability to give us

direction. Can suggest 3 dimensional form. Real line or suggested line- suggest another line. Has emotional connections.

SHAPE- form. Geometrical or a relationship of positive and negative spaces.

SCALE- Size or mass of a form. Balancing act between both sides of the stage. The actor is always the scale on stage.

o Proportion: relation to one form to another COLOR- Most emotionally connect to. Light color or pigment color.

o Hue- Name of the coloro Value- Presence of white or black in a color. Gives tints (has

white added to it) or shades (has black or opposite color added to it)

o Chroma- Purity of the color TEXTURE- Tactile sense- a feel to them. LIGHT-

o Real light- capable of revealing form.o Having it’s own design formo Simulated light in scenic design

Principles of Composition:Harmony and Contrast together create good composition.

Harmony: pleasing or congruent arrangement of scenic forms. Take scenic forms and repeat elements.Contrast: Dissimilarity of forms that give us visual interest. Variation- slight or major change in an element or major form prevents monotony (boredom)Emphasis: Focal point. Area we want visual prominence. Gradation: Transitional steps in a sequence that create emphasis and a feeling of movement in a design.

Movement: illusion of motion

Proportion: Size and scale of one object compared to another.Rhythm: patterns of repeated visual movement

Function of set design:Trying to create an environment- fulfills a purpose

Place the Action- specific or general. Creating environment for the scene.

Makes character statements visually Time and Place Establish mood- evokes emotional response from audience Reinforcing the theme- main idea of a play Staging the story

2/25/14 11:04 AM

2/25/14 11:04 AM