Theatre Articles

If you’re a newcomer to theatre – here’s some language to learn!

Dramaturgy – the art or technique of dramatic composition and theatrical representation

  • Ideological approach
  • How the theme organises the elements
  • For writing – it is the composition in a way it works
  • How all aspects of drama work together

Catharsis – The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions

  • We feel fear when we empathise with the character - we can imagine the same thing happening to us
  • Catharsis is achieved by evoking the emotions of pity + fear in the audience
  • Achieving satisfaction through a satisfactory resolution (right is rewarded, evil is punished, loss is grieved, etc.)

Tragic Hero – The central character of a play, film, etc., depicted as a noble figure who experiences a tragic downfall

  • Noble hero - good but not perfect
  • Falls from a position of affluence/power/grace to one of ignominy (reversal of fortune)
  • A character that is like us but slightly better than us (not so far above us we can't empathise - we can look up to them)
  • Pity is revoked by normal people (fundamentally decent humans to sympathise with the characters) - can be flawed characters
  • Has a hamartia (a fatal error/flaw) - instrumental in their own downfall
  • Pride can get us in trouble
  • Characters are flawed - that's why there is a play in the first place
  • Catharsis wouldn't happen if the character is too perfect - its too unrealistic - no pity, no catharsis

Comedy – Professional entertainment consisting of jokes and sketches, intended to make an audience laugh

  • Relatable characters
  • Got events that aren't life-threatening
  • Sticky, and awkward - potentially embarrassing situations
  • All's well that ends well
  • What forms the "arc" - if nothing happens soon

Well-Made Play (Freytag’s Triangle) – Elements of Dramatic Structure

Exposition: given the circumstances of a protagonist

Stasis: this situation is stable

Inciting incident: event that sets the plot in motion; the ‘major dramatic question’ soon follows

Rising action: pursuing objectives, encountering obstacles (presented by an antagonist)

Complication: things get worse and worse

Midpoint: the major event halfway through

Falling action: choices made in relation to the midpoint crisis

Catastrophe: the worst moment for the protagonist/s

Resolution/Denouement: protagonist’s new normal or a new world without them

 

Fichtean Curve

Rising action

Crises Crises Crises Crises

Climax

Falling Action

  • Begins immediately with rising action, followed by a series of fast-paced obstacles

 

Character Arcs

The Change Arc

  • Aka "the hero's journey"
  • The protagonist changes from an unlikely hero/heroine, or even villain/underdog, into a saviour + hero (even if inner strength was always there, somewhere deep within …)
  • Involves radical change which can stem from external circumstances or inner qualities (i.e. Cinderella's innate goodness), but in the end, their life is changed in some significant way
  • The goal
  • The lie/lack
  • The truth
  • Virtuous - good will be rewarded eventually

The Growth Arc

  • The protagonist overcomes an internal conflict (weakness, fear, insecurities, the past etc.) whilst facing challenges in their external environment
  • Grows into a more enlightened, often better (though sometimes worse - Breaking Bad!) individual
  • Growth (development), not change, is brought about by enlightenment. The character ends differently, but not necessarily happier or better - perspective

The Fall Arc

  • Tragedy
  • Where the protagonist dooms him/herself and/or others, & declines into insanity, immorality or death
  • Examples: Oedipus, Hamlet, Macbeth, etc.

 

Details
Parent Category: Theatre
Category: Information about Theatre

User Menu