Theater

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Theater is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories using combinations of speech, gesture, music, sound and spectacle - indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. Theater takes such forms as opera, ballet, mime, pantomime. "Drama" is that branch of theater in which speech, from written text (plays or "dramatic literature") or improvised, is paramount. Most of the above styles have been performed in Repertory.

20th Century American Theater:

Edward Albee

Lorraine Hansberry

George S Kaufmann

Neil LaBute (The Shape of Things)

20th Century British Theatre:

20th Century German Language Theater Authors:

Friederich Durrenmatt

Wolfgang Hildesheimer

20th Century Irish Theatre:

George Bernard Shaw

Samuel Beckett

Other 20th Century English-language playwrights:

Athol Fugard

This gives a brief outline of some of the better-known playwrights; but theater does not operate on playwrights alone. Plays are often produced by a production team: various technical, support, and design staff. Among these are the scenic designer, the lighting designer, the costume designer, the director, the dramaturg and the stage manager. This is not an all inclusive list, and may include other personnel from the world of technical theatre.

20th Century German Language Theater Directors:

Theatre is also the building in which works and plays are performed. Some of these buildings are masterpieces of architecture. Others, as for those mainly known for opera, became cultural references and symbols.

The original Greek theatre was semicircular in form and was normally built on a hillside, often overlooking the sea. Such theatres were constructed with faultless acoustics, so that a player standing centre stage could be clearly heard throughout the auditorium. The Romans copied this style of building, but tended not to be so concerned about the location, being prepared to build walls and terraces instead of looking for a naturally-occurring site.

During the Elizabethan era in England, theatres were constructed of wood and were circular in form, like the Globe Theatre in London, home to William Shakespeare's troupe of actors. The Globe has now been rebuilt as a fully working and producing theatre near its original site (largely thanks to the efforts of film director Sam Wanamaker) to give modern audiences an idea of the environment for which Shakespeare and other playwrights of the period were writing.

What are our priorities for writing in this area? To help develop a list of the most basic topics about theater, please see theater basic topics.