Theatre as we know it began in Ancient Greece as a part of the celebration of the mythical god Dionysus.

Dionysus was the god of wine and fertility.

The celebration was held each year in the month of March and lasted for three days.

In the beginning, it was very primative. Gradually, the celebration became more formal and sophisticated with the inclusion of music and dance.

The songs were called dithyrambs and were accompanied by dance. Over time, these primitive forms of expression became tragedies, which translates into "goat song."

By 400 B.C., the Helenistic Period, the celebration of Dionysus had evolved into a three day festival of plays. These were plays as we know them. In fact, a contest had taken shape and a "winner" was named. The prize was the position of High Priest of Dionysus for the coming year.

These plays, over thirty of them, are still produced in today.

Greek playwrites were:
Sophocles
Aeschylus
Euripides
Aristophanes

All wrote tragedies except Aristophanes who wrote comedies.

All won the "contest" at least once, but Sophocles stands head and shoulders above the rest with over 20 wins.

The philosopher, Aristotle, wrote "Poetics", which included the guidelines for writing a play. Many of these guidelines are still used and influence how plays are written to this day.

THE ROMANS:

The Romans made an attempt to emulate the civilization of the Greeks, but they were not very successful on many levels. One of the fields in which they failed was Theatre. They just were not very good at it.

Seneca was the best of the playwrites of he Era.

The romans were a more warrior-like people and by far prefered a more barbaric form of entertainment. They enjoyed spectacles that were very elaborate and often ended in the deaths of many of the participants.

They built huge arenas for their gladiatorial displays and altered existing Greek theatres to fit their needs for spectacle.

Most of the ancient theatre ruins are actually ones that have been altered by the Romans. This can be said to be their greatest contribution to the art form...architecture.

THE DARK AGES:

Theatre was banned as the Dark Ages began and didn't exist as we know it for several hundred years.

People continued to entertain and perform, but in a different form.

Travelling troupes of performers went from village to village and would perform out in the open to crowds of people. They would perform tricks much like in a carnival or circus. There were jugglers, acrobats, and trained animals. There was nothing that would resemble Theatre as we know it.

THE RENAISSANCE:

There were many things that contributed to the beginning of the Renaissance. Among them was the invention of the printing press by Guttenberg. Books had been printed by hand and were very rare and expensive. He made it possible to reproduce literature at much more efficient rate and ditribute it to more places.

As the Theatre ban was lifted, the Universities began to perform classic scripts from the Greeks.

The common man, however, did not have access to this kind of performance. The travelling troupes form the Dark Ages, however, had begun to perfrom a style of Theatre that became very popular with the masses.

The were illiterate, so the plays were performed improvisationally. Nothing was scripted, so no examples exist today.

Soon, they learned that certain things worked every time, and others did not. Through a process of elimination, they kept the things that worked and got rid of the things that didn't.

Soon, they had developed a group of characters, costumes, business (lazzi), and plots that were used in almost all performances. They became known as "stock" characters, costumes, etc.

Much of what was developed by these troupes affects Theatre today.

Some of the "stock" characters that survive today are:

Pantalone-very old, very rich...the "dirty old man". He would start out on his deathbed until the sweet young girl would happen by, then he would be miraculously cured and spend the play chasing her. His costume was red "bed clothes", a long grey beard, a grotesque mask to appear old and ugly.

Isabella-the sweet young girl, pretty, innocent. Her costume was very rich and full, ususally purple or green, and a demure neckline.

Colombina-Isabella's attendant, older, seductive, worldly...coaches the young girl in how to tease Pantalone. Her costume was full, but not rich, the colors would reflect those of her mistress, she would have a scandalously low neckline.

Arrlecchino-attendant to Pantalone, clumsy, bumbling, a fool, appears to be stupid, but is in league with Colombina to take his master's money. His cotume was always white and torn with patches of many different colors. He wore a simple black mask.

This form of improvisational Theatre with stock characters, cotumes, business, and plots became known as The Commedia Dell'Arte.

It has heavy influence on Theatre today through the many characters that have survived.

Perhaps the strongest character to survive is the Arrlecchino. Many have made a career as this charcter. Some of the more prominant are:
Jerry Lewis
Red Skelton
The Three Stooges

THE ELIZABETHAN PERIOD:

Theatre was vastly popular during this period. The West Bank of the Thames River was designated as the Theatre District and remains so today. An office, the Lord Chamberlain was created to oversee Theatrical activities. The office is still in place today.

Richard Burbage was the most popular actor of the day. His company became the most popular when William Shakespeare took over as playwright.

Shakespeare's plays are considered the best in the English language, because they have universal themes and have withstood the test of time. Unlike the Greek playwrights, Shakespeare wrote tragedies, comedies, historys, and fantasies. His appeal is much broader.

He was influenced by The University Wits. In particular his friend, Christopher Marlowe.

THE MODERN PERIOD:

The following men are credited with becoming the major influences of the period:

The Duke of Saxe Meinegen...directing

Constantin Stanislavsky...acting

Henrik Ibsen...playwritng

DESIGN:

Many things influence the design aspect of a play production. First must be the requirements of the play:
where it takes place
when it takes place
the state of the characters
etc.

The tools with which the designer works are the ELEMENTS OF DESIGN:

LINE: exterior (general shape of an object) and interior (the line inside the shape)

Line can be very expressive. Some examples are:
Horizontal line...tranquility, repose, immobilty
Vertical line...stability,dignity, austerity
Diagonal line...instability, movement, action
Crossing Obliques...conflict, tension, confusion
Zig-zag lines...excitement, animation, electricity
Radiating lines...concentration, explosion, traveling outward
Rhythmic curves...joy, grace, youth
Concentric ars...buoyancy,grace, youth
Waterfall...gravity, movement, rhythmic
Clouds...sleepiness, laziness, calm
Upward spray...idealism, growth, spontaneity
Upward swirls...aspiration, sprituality, ardour
Expanding spheres...slow buoyancy, good spirits, uplifting
Upright hook...sad, weary, grief
Pyramid...stability, dignity, massive strength
Converging lines...distance, nostalgia, limited expanse
Divergent lines...infinite expanse, freedom, expanding space
Spiral...growth, movement, generative force
Rounded arches...strenght, austerity
Gothic arches...faith, hope dignity

Mass:
Mass refers to the appearance of having weight or not having weight. If something appears to have a lot of weight, it may also appear to be stable, immoveable, or permanent. If something appears to be light, it might read as flimsy, temporary, or weak. In general, the heavier the appearance of mass, the stronger an object reads.

Color:
Color may be the most expressive of the elements of design. The human eye is capable of detecting approximately 17,000 different colors. Each of these colors can have a visual meaning.

Colors may be divided into two general catagories: WARM and COOL.
Some examples of cool colors are:
Blue...associated with water and the sky...can be calming and uplifting
Purple...associated with royalty and tragedy. Can be very austere and diginified or foreboding and sad.
Green...associated with youth and rebirth...can be hopeful, exciting.

WARM:
Yellow...associated with the sun and sunny days. Can be happy, carefree, exciting.
Red...associated with warning signs, heat, and Valetines Day. Can read as danger, hot, or passion.

NON-COLORS:
Black...associated with death and evil.
White... associated with purity and cleanliness.

TEXTURE:
Texture refers to the sense of touch or how something feels when touched...or how we might expect it to feel when touched. Some surfaces are more inviting to the touch than others. Soft, warm, fuzzy vs. cold, hard, rough. The appearance of an object's texture can communicate this type of message.

These elements of design can then be applied using the PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN:

UNITY: The appearance that all the visual elements belong together.
VARIETY: The practice of adding enough different elements to the design so as to not be monotonous.
BALANCE: Symmetry vs. assymmetry. A symmetrical set can be very austere and formal...even classical. An assymetrical set can be more interesting and expressive.
EMPHASIS: Where is the audience's eye drawn to when it looks at the design. The designer can control the visual focus to a place of importance.
RHYTHM: The different highs and lows, darks and lights, brights and dulls, etc. that the audience's eye encountes as it moves across the design. Is the rhythm even or uneven? Does it allow the eye to move with ease and grace, or does it stop the eye and or interupt its movement?

From the time of the Ancient Greeks until the Renaissance, Theatre was performed outdoors. Consequently, lighting was provided by the sun. Although very effective for visibility, it allowed no control. In fact it controlled what was being done on stage. When Theatre was brought indoors during the Renaissance, lighting was provided by open flame from wicked instruments, such as candles, oil lamps, and torches. Eventually, natural gas became the source, but open flame was still the method of producing light. This offered some control, but not much. To make the stage brighter, the fire had to be larger. A reflector could be added for some directional control. However, safety was always an issue.

ELECTRICITY:

As electricity became a practical power source, both control and safety became more managable.

Modern electrical circuits are protected by circuit breakers and ground fault circuit interupters.

There are two types of electricity: alternating current and direct current.

Alternating current was developed by Westinghouse and is:
A. Safer
B. More economical
C. Looses less power when transmitted over long distances

Direct current was developed by
Edison and is:
A. More dangerous
B. More costly to produce
C. Looses significant power when transmitted over long distances.

In this country, household current is alternating current at a constant 120 volts.

Because electricity is a force of nature, natural law applies. Therefore, electricity will always seek the path of least reistance to a positive source.

The law of charges states that like charges repel and opposite charges attract.

Electricity is produced by causing a chain reaction of negatively charged electrons jumping from atom to atom by the law of charges.

Materials that offer little resistance to the flow of electricity are considered to be conductors.

Materials that offer great resistance to the flow of electricity are considered to be insulators.

FOUR MEASURABLE PROPERTIES OF ELECTRICITY:

VOLTS: The difference between the charge and the potential.

AMPS:The current or flow fo the electricity.

OHMS: Resistance to the electricity required to do the work.

Watts: The load or amount of electricity reqired to do the work of the appliance.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS:
All electrical systems have:
A. Source...provides the power to the system.
B. Load...device doing the work
C. Circuit...pathway for the current.

The two types of circuits are:
A. SERIES: Cheaper, but less dependable. If one goes out, they all go out.
B: PARALLEL: More expensive, but more dependable. If one goes out, the rest stay on.

THE POWER FORMULA:
To determine the amount of wattage that can be handled by a circuit, we use the power formula. Power equals intensity X electromotive force. More simply, and for our use, Watts equals Volts X Amps. W=VA...sometimes called the WEST VIRGINIA FORMULA.
Therefore, a circuit rated at 20amps can handle a load of 2400watts. Volts(120) X amps(20)=2400watts.

MODERN LIGHT SOURCES:

Incandescent...use a filamenet that creates heat and glows.
Flourescent...uses gasses excited by electricity to glow.

Household light bulb is an incandescent light source. It contains the following parts:
A. Glass case or envelope
B. inert gas
C. tungsten steel filament
D. electrical contacts

As the filament of an incandescent light source burns, tiny particles (electrons) fly off of it. They collect on the inside of the envelope until they begin to allow less light to escape. Eventually, enough particles leave the filament so as to create a weak spot, and the filament breaks opening the circuit. When we replace the light bulb, it may appear to be smokey or cloudy on the inside. This is the result of the particles collecting on the inside of the envelope.

Modern theatrical light sources utilize halogen gas and a glass envelope made of quartz crystal. The halogen gas forces the particles to return to the filament making it last longer and keeping the envelope cleaner. It will be as bright on its last day as it was in the beginning. The glass envelope is much smaller and heat resistant. However, you can not touch the envelope, because the oil in your skin will create a hot spot and the lamp wil blow out.

Light is radiant energy that travels in wavelengths.

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second.

The human eye is sensitive to only a tiny fraction of the light that exists. This is called the visible spectrum.

The visible spectrum contains all the wavelenghts and therefore, all the colors that the human eye can see. When part of these wavelengths are filtered or absorbed, the remaining wavelengths are visible to our eyes. These wavelengths appear to us as colors. The human eye is capable of detecting approximately 17,000 colors.

The primary colors of light are:
RED
BLUE
GREEN

The secondary colors of light are:
YELLOW
MAGENTA
CYAN

Filtering or absorbing some of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum is the subtractive color method.

Combining two or more filtered beams of light is the additive color method.

The controlable properties of light are:

DISTRIBUTION: We can select where to put light on stage. We can choose what to show the audience, and what not to show them. Often, what we do not show them is just a important as what we do show them. We accomplish this with instrumentation.

DIRECTION: We can control the direction from which the light comes. We can achieve the passing of time, or the light from a window, or anything in between. We accomplish this with instrumentation.

INTENSITY: We can control how much light is on any spot of the stage. Intensity should not be confused with brightness. Intensity is objective and can be measured. Brightness is subjective. It is how bright our eyes percieve the light to be. Our eyes are more sensitive to changes in light at low levels than at high levels. An area that has twice the intensity of another area may not appear to be twice as bright to our eyes. We accomplish this with the use of a dimmer.

COLOR: We can control the color of light through both additive and subtractive processes. We accomplish this with color filters and mixing colored beams of light.

There are two basic types of fixtures or instruments used to light the stage. These are spotlights and floodlights.

SPOTLIGHTS:
These instruments are designed to put light in specific spots. They are usually used to light acting areas.

Floodlights:
These instruments are designed to put light into wide areas such as washes and on cycloramas.

THE PARTS OF A SPOTLIGHT:
A. Metal case
B. Light source (lamp)
C. Reflector
D. Lens

THE FRESNEL SPOTLIGHT:
This instrument creates a soft-edged beam of light. This makes it easy to blend smoothly with others. It is a short ranged instrument usually mounted above the stage to light upstage acting areas. The size of the beam can be controlled by altering the focal length of the instrument. It is named for the type of lens it uses.

ELLIPSOIDAL REFLECTOR SPOTLIGHT:
This instrument creates a hard-edged beam of light that is very distinct. It is a long range instrument and is usually mounted on front-of-house rails and used to light downstage acting areas. This instrument has two focal points allowing more control than the fresnel. Shutters may be used to shape the beam of light, or patterns may be used to be projected onto the stage.

Distribution and direction are accomplished through the use of instruments such as these.

THE MC CANDLESS THEORY:
This is a method of properly modeling the face, or creating the proper shadows and highlights so that the face looks normal. It requires a minimum of two lighting intsruments. Each are mounted 45 degrees above the level floor, with one 45 degrees to actor's right, and the other 45 degrees to the actor's left. A backlight may be added to help separate the actor from the background and give depth perception to the audience. Side lights may be added to help give the illusion of direction.

We control the intensity of light through the use of a dimmer. The dimmer controls the amount of voltage that gets to the lamp. Dimmers have gone through three basic stages of development:

A. Resistance dimmers
The first dimmers controlled the voltage by offering resistance to the flow of current. They would build up a dangerous level of heat. They were very large and took up an enormous amount of space.

B. Autostat:
The autostat was a better idea. It was smaller and worked in reverse to the resistance dimmer allowing only the amount of electricity to flow that is needed. In this way, they controlled the voltage to the lamp without building up dangerous levels of heat.

C. Electronic dimmers:
These devices do the same job as the autostat, but without moving parts. The job is accomplished electronically with solid state components called silicon chip rectifiers or SCRs.

DIRECT VS. REMOTE CONTROL

Resistance and autostat dimmers were direct control devices. You, the operator, were in direct contact with the device. If an electrical catastrophy occured, it happened to you, as well.

Electronic dimmers are remote controlled devices. You, the operator, are not in contact with any devices that are handling dangerous amounts of electricity. The control head, or light board, is a low voltage device that simply sends coded messages to the decoder of the dimmer system.

Hard Patch Systems:
Hard patch systems require the operator to actually plug circuits into dimmers. The danger is in accidental overloads. This is especially the case when circuits are duplexed and have more than one plug receptacle allowing it to accept more than one lighting instrument.

Soft Patch Systems:
Soft patch systems are usually dimmer-per-circuit systems, which eliminates the possiblity of accidental overloads. They also eliminate the need to actually plug circuits into dimmers. The circuits are hard wired into the dimmers. The operator actually assigns which control channels of the light board will control which dimmers. This is done electronically. The light board then sends a coded message to the dimmer box, and the dimmer box decodes the message and sends it to the appropriate dimmers.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans used masks...sometimes very large masks...to make their faces visible to their audiences.

GREASEPAINT:
The use of make up, as we know it, began during the Renaissance. The make up was made from animal fat and became known over time as greasepaint. This became the traditional make up of the Theatre for hundreds of years.

It was very effective. It looked great. It was very flexible and mixed and blended beautifully.

It was very damaging to the face. If not removed properly, it would leave decaying matter in the pores of the performer's skin.

Greasepant also did not store very well. It would melt in the heat of the summer and become an unusable glob of goo.

CREME BASE:
Modern technology has provided us with a better choice. Creme base make up is an artificial base that will not damage most people's skin. It is very effective. It stores well. It is not very flexible and can not be mixed easily.

FOUR TYPES OF MAKE UP:

A. Straight make up:
To make the actor appear normal. It enhances the existing features of the face without altering them. The face should appear natural, and not as though it is wearing make up.

B. Character make up:
The purpose is driven by the requirements of the character. This might include aging, or some special feature, such as facial hair, a scar, or other unusual feature. These are accomplished with prosthetics. A prosthetic is an artificial piece that is attached to the face.

C. Corrective make up:
The purpose is to correct existing features of the face.

D. Fantasy/special effects:
As required by the characters of the play.

Application:

A. Every shadow must have a highlight, and every highlight must have a shadow.

Every shadow and highlight has a hard edge and a soft edge.

Highlights and shadows are applied hard esge to hard edge, then the soft edges are blended away from the hard edges.

It is absolutely essential that the make up be set with powder.

Aging:

Probably the most common character make up for young actors has to do with aging.

No two people age the same or at the same rate.

Many factors effect how we age. Some are controllable, and some are not.
A. Genetics
B. Health
C. Environment (The sun is your worst enemy.)
D. Substances (Diet, smoking, drinking, pollution, etc.)

What will happen:

The muscles of your face will begin to atrophy, or deteriorate slowly. As they do, they will separate and create a gap between them. The skin then falls into the gap. The more brittle the skin, the more pronounced the "wrinkle".

Prosthetics:
The most common prosthetic is facial hair. This is made with crepe hair applied with spirit gum. If the hair piece is to be reused, it may be built on a liquid latex and fabric foundation. Professionally made hair pieces are available and tend to look better at close range. They are usually used in intimate theatrical situations such as our Black Box.

Another commonly used prosthetic is nose and scar wax. Sometimes called nose putty. It can be used to create shapes on the face or scars and open wounds.

STAGE BLOOD:
Every manufacturer of stage make up offers stage blood. However, they offer it in only one color. Blood, however, differs in colorartion according to its oxygen content. The higher the oxygen content, the lighter the color. Some blood is so dark, it is almost black.

Some typical stage blood formulas use corn syrup and red food dye. These can be altered somewhat by adding some yellow or blue food dye.

Another formula uses chocolate syrup and red food dye. The darkness can be controlled by the amount of red dye.

Props are the "stuff" of the play. They are classified by responsibility, which is determined by where they begin in the play.

A. Set props: Begin on the set and are the responsibility of the set crew.

B. Costume props: These are part of the costume and are worn by the actor. They are taken care of by the costume crew.

C. Props: These are carried on stage by an actor and are taken care of by the prop crew.

D. Personal props: These are accessories worn by the actor that are not part of the costume. They might include items such as glasses, jewelery, watches, etc. They are thr responsibility of the actor.

Firearms: There are four types of firearms.

A. Actual: Real, genuines firearms. They are very dangerous and no longer legal to use on school campuses.

B. Dummy: These are replica weapons and not capable of firing any type of cartridge.

C. Starter: These are the type used to start races in track meets. They fire a black powder cartridge. They split the charge at the barrel and discharge to each side.

D. Blank: These are similar to starters, but dot split the charge. They discharge to the front.

All blank cartridges are very dangerous and have lethal force at close range. They should always be treated with respect and never considered a toy.

Bladed weapons: No matter how large or small...sword or knife...or material of manufacture...metal or plastic...these, too are not toys. They can cause great damage if not treated with respect. Any use of them must be carefully choreographed.