Dictionary Definition: Theatre or (US) Theater
1.a. A building designed for the performance of plays, operas etc
b. (as modifier): A theatre ticket
c. (in combination): A theatregoer
2. A large room or hall, usually with a raised platform and tiered seats for an audience, used for lectures, film shows, etc.
3. Also called: operating theatre a room in a hospital or other medical centre equipped for surgical operations
4. Plays regarded collectively as a form of art
5. The theatre, the world of actors, theatrical companies, etc: the glamour of the theatre
6. A setting for dramatic and important events
7. Writing that is suitable for dramatic presentation: a good piece of theatre
8. (US), (Austral), (NZ) the usual word for cinema
9. A major area of military activity: the theatre of operations
10. A circular or semicircular open-air building with tiers of seats
From looking at the definition of Theatre, it has inspired me to broaden my impression of the subject, and it will inspire me to research many aspects of this topic. The definition has shown that there are many different interpretations of theatre, and not just as an artistic medium (for example, military or operating theatre).
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| Word Map Showing The Possibilities of Theatre as a Subject |
Theatre - A Present Day Story
Theatre is a form of art which uses live performers to present the experience of a certain event or story, real or imagined, to a live audience. These performances are usually held in certain buildings, called Theatres which have a stage and tiered seating so that the audience can see the stage clearly. The dynamics of the building will also be designed in order for the sound of the plays to reach the entire audience efficiently. The use of the word ‘theatre’ in the naming of the building comes from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, “a place for viewing”) and θεάομαι (theáomai, “to see", "to watch", "to observe”). (Stephen Fernandez 2011)
The concept of the performers conveying a story using just themselves and a few props really intrigues me and I might research into this further.
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| Madlenianum Theatre - Example of a Modern Day Theatre (Madlenianum 2011) |
The performers in a theatre will use a combination of speech, gesture, song, dance and music to convey the story they are telling in the performance. The modern version of theatre comes from the Ancient Greek invention of live drama and many of its genres, themes, characters and plots are derived from this. (Pam Cook 2007)
A more modern idea is that the only requirement for Theatre is an audience, and an empty space. The author of play Empty Space, Peter Brook says, “I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged”. (Peter Brook - 02/2010)
Clearly this shows that modern day theatre is adapting to present day ideas to keep itself relevant. I feel that if it stopped doing this then it will fall behind in peoples interests because currently there are many things for people to do in their spare time, and theatre is still seen as quite expensive – so it needs to keep up to date in order to justify charging the price they do for tickets and to keep people attending the theatre. Keeping this in mind I will now research the subject of theatre in the current media to gauge how popular it is.
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| The director's craft: A handbook for the theatre [Paperback] (mitchell 2008) |
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| Theatre [Paperback] (Mamet 2010) |
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Most of these books make it apparent that actually learning the art of theatre is the most popular subject currently. There are also some examples of dramatic fiction stories to do with the theatre but the most prevalent are guides to theatres and books for students so that they can learn the subject.
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| Madlenianum Theatre - Technologically Enhanced (Madlenianum 2011) |
Going back to the modern day theatre, a typical example is the Madlenianum Theatre in Belgrade (See picture above). It seats 512 people and it has the “highest requirements of the utmost comforts and technology of a modern theatre”. The Large stage has new generation audio equipment and lighting, it also has translation equipment, sub-titling for display translation and for deaf people, and connections for internet and TV with a direct audio and video contact with the main hall. This is showing that the theatre is up to date with the latest technology and this is typical of present day theatre with the heavy use of technology to enhance the viewing experience. (Lyn Gardner, The Guardian 2008)
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| Examples of modern day theatre (bubbl.us 2011) |
Today's Cinema
A more modern example of theatre is the invention of cinema. This came along with the technology boom responsible for the modern day lifestyle we have. The way a cinema works is that a moving image is projected by a movie projector onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium. In more recent years there has been the emergence of Digital Cinema Projection, further modernising the world of cinema. (Mark Fisher, The Guardian 2010)
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| A modern day cinema - much more minimalist than the typical theatre (Jon Lyus 2010) |
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"Immortals" trailer, showing that cinema is so popular in the present day that companies can afford to provide a huge budget for the productions.
During my research I realised the relevance of 3D cinema in the present day. 3D cinema is becoming more and more popular, and most films released now are also released in 3D (IMDB 2011)
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| 4D Cinema at Drayton Manor (Justine Halifax, Birmingham Mail 2009) |
Currently existing as a ‘gimmick’ is a new innovation – 4D cinema. This is when you combine a 3D film with physical effects in the theatre to enhance the viewing experience. The popularity of this topic is not too great at the moment, mainly because not many places have 4D cinemas available due to the high price. 4D cinemas are currently only at special venues such as theme parks, but 4D cinemas may become commonplace in the future if the cost goes down and the popularity increases. (Han Sunhee 2010)
The role of cinema in society has gotten even larger over the past years, with the invention of 3D film. More and more people are attending and shunning the theatre. Although some people argue that 3D cinema is just a ‘fad’ and will not last – there is still potential for it to grow and expand in the future.
Makeup in the Theatre World
Within the performing arts world, makeup (or theatrical makeup) is used to help create the appearance of the characters that the actors play. This is modern invention, because in the past the Greeks and Romans wore various masks instead. The reason makeup was needed was because of the stage lighting – in the past with the oil lamps the makeup could look crude and unfinished because the audience would never see it in detail, now with bright electric lights a more skilful application was needed when it came to makeup. The typical makeup of choice is greasepaint. (Encyclopoedia Brittanica 2011)
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| An old bottle of Theatrical greasepaint, the same thing is used to this day (James Bennet 2010) |
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| Modern Greasepaint Currently on Sale on eBay (air_on_a_shoestring 2011) |
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| Red Greasepaint for sale on eBay (fancydresshack 2011) |
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| An example from a current day make-up school for theatrical make-up (Greasepaint 2011) |
"For an artist working in the theatre, film and television make-up is one of the most fascinating spheres of study. It can often demand all the disciplines of a fine artist; chemist; computer technician, biologist and diplomat rolled into one." (Paul Vale - 'Be a Makeup Artist')
From looking at the information available on greasepaint, it looks like the art of make up has evolved since its arrival many years ago. Now people devote their entire lives to the profession of providing make up applications for actors in theatres. This mostly only seems to appeal to women as a profession though, so it is not as popular as a subject that will appeal to both men and women.
Puppetry
This is a form of theatre that involves the manipulation of puppets to tell a story. It is essentially like theatre itself, yet instead of using actors, it uses puppets and a smaller stage. It follows the process of animating inanimate performing objects. Puppetry was supported by cinema, television and other filmed media. This let it be shown to a wide audience and increased its popularity, despite its popular and folk origins. (Eileen Blumenthal, Puppetry and Puppets 2007)
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| Children using a Puppet Theatre Toy "Tellatale Hand Puppet Theatre and Shop" (Fiesta Crafts LTD 2011) |
Scene of a puppet theatre taken from 'Paul Daniels Magic Show'
Puppetry has always been very popular with children and everybody is very familiar with the ‘Punch and Judy’ shows of the beach front in seaside resorts. However, to improve my knowledge of the subject I will have to look at something more modern to determine the popularity of the subject.
More currently digital puppetry has gotten incredibly popular. It is the digital manipulation of 2D or 3D puppets, rendered on a computer in a virtual environment. This allows production companies to create feature length films and TV shows mostly aimed at children, but it appeals to adults too (The Economist Inside Story 2011). Below are several examples of digital puppetry in popular media:
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| Gollum, from Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Animated using Digital Puppetry |
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| The Polar Express [2004] [DVD] |
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| Screen capture of the Animation Techniques used in Digital Puppetry (The Economist 2010) |
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| Animation of Gollum using Digital Puppetry (The Economist 2010) |
From looking at the Digital Puppetry, this seems like a viable topic for the future because technology is getting more and more advanced. People love to watch films done this way because you can create a fantasy world whilst keeping the character movements looking real.
Marionettes
Marionettes are puppets controlled by strings from above, operated by a manipulator. They are used in theatres, film and television. Marionette means ‘Little Mary’ in French because one of the first Marionettes to be made was in the image of the Virgin Mary, thus how they got their name. They because popular during the Renaissance, but are still popular today and still used in current media. (Tony Sinnet 2011)
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| A stage featuring a Marionette Doll (marionettemaker 2011) |
Marionettes can be made from various types of materials and in many different styles although most commonly wood is used.
This video is a very odd looking video using people as marionette dolls. From an artist's point of view it is very interesting, and the fact that someone has made a song and music video titled 'Marionette' means that there is some interest in the subject.
Conclusion
The beginning of my research has shown that there is definitely an interest in popular media in the subject of theatre. This topic is worth researching in the past and horizon, and I feel that it will be an interesting topic to pursue. In my opinion the actual subjects of theatre and puppetry will be more popular in the past than they are now, and the subject of cinema will most likely become more popular in the future, as it is still gaining popularity in the present day. My upcoming research will prove or disprove these observations. My research into theatre in the present day has determined that it is prominent in the media of today, and a popular topic in today’s society, I will now look into the past and horizon to see if this popularity has continued, or changed.
Some thorough work here.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you cover a few more diverse areas just to complete this section.
Good choices for exploration listed but you need to write this up and add more comment about the topic in the context of 'media' and how this would be a marketable and feasible choice for a popular IP.
You're aiming to explore a diverse range of media that will cultivate innovation.
You need to show, films, books , magazines, theatrical performance, music etc. that have used these sort of themes.
Also include at least one image on your blog with each example that has a link to the source.
It is worth typing your chosen topics into sites such as:
ReplyDeleteEbay (items that are selling show a popularity and if the item is an antique/old it demonstrates a continuing popularity over time)
Amazon (sells a diverse range of products across many categories)
Supermarkets (not just food, but home wares, clothes, electronics, medication, entertainment etc)
There are many other sites you could try. You could also look in the library, newsagents, high street shops etc.
There are many different and diverse products/media sources available to you and these dont always come up on search engines.
It’s important to follow the schedule on webct so you don’t fall behind. This is to give us an opportunity to give constructive feedback and for you to make any required adaptations.
You should have completed your research into present on both topics and be on target to complete your research into the past as soon as possible.