Allie Ahn
IB Theatre Test
October 21, 2013
1. Theatre is a passion for so
many different people for a variety of reasons. It is a way of expressing,
creating, and conveying. Because there are different issues and ideas today,
theatre is headed towards more modern themes. The world is becoming more advanced
technologically, and, therefore, is allowing people around the world to unite.
Not only is there unification in the world, but also in theatre and its themes.
A huge theme that I believe will start spreading not only in music and books,
but also in theatre, is New Age-ism. The New Age theme is really focused on
nature and unification. I do not think that theatre will ever come to be just
on the big screens or in technology because live theatre has been a part of
history for hundreds of years. There may be different ways of performing or
showing, but watching something in movies or technology cannot compare to
the unified excited feeling of live theatre. I completely disagree about
the lack of need for live theatre and its effectiveness in post-modernism. Live
theatre brings on a different feeling and mood than any movie or TV show. Live
theatre is needed in order to convey the “realness” of the actors and the
emotion, action, feeling, message, and connection that they are trying to
convey and have with the audience.
2. Five characteristics of
Postmodernist theatre performance:
· Technology was greatly used in the Hi-Seoul Festival. There was one show in
which the people were tied to ropes and swinging around and dancing. It was
extremely technological in that the actors would also play with the set and
music, which was all done through technology.
· Symbolism was very much used in the Hi-Seoul Festival. It was in the first
show we saw with the French Dancers/Actors all in a circle running and dancing.
There was not an actual set with actors acting, but the theme was about the
aspects of society. They used their bodies to convey that message.
· The French play in the very
beginning was very multi-cultural.
Mrs. Jefferson asked them if the group was practicing from France, but it was
amazing to see how there were Koreans and Americans all a part of the play as
well. They had all joined in Korea, but were already practicing mainly in their
native countries. It did not focus on one cultural theme, but helped to expose the
aspects of society through their dance and movement. The painting show also was
multi-cultural in that there were French painters/dancers/actors conveying the
story of Japanese War victims.
· The plays with the cranes
were surreal. The actors were playing
with the cranes and dancing/acting/singing at the same time. It was very
interesting to watch and was quite bizarre and out of the ordinary. I am not
positive of what message they were trying to convey, but it was still
interesting and out of the ordinary to watch. It was almost like a circus as
the music, setting, actors, and scenes seemed almost unreal.
· Mixing Ideas and Images were greatly seen in the French painting show.
The painters were using chords, brushes, and many other unknown things in order
to perform their show. It was interesting to watch as the whole show was not
made up of words or acting, but mainly just using paintings and dancing to make
up the performance. The painters were drawing many different images to convey
the message and point of their show.
33. Peter Brook was very definitive about Holy and Deadly Theatre. He
stated the importance of Holy Theatre and greatly warned against the dangers of
deadly theatre, but what exactly is Holy and Deadly theatre? Deadly theatre is
theatre just for the sake of performing. It is all just a performance without
any depth behind the play, actors, and atmosphere. It is simply a loud, big
event with wild colors and spotlights. These aspects are not technically the
reasons why it is Deadly Theatre, but just relying on these aspects to perform
a play is. Peter Brook describes Holy Theatre as something with a strong
message. A play that is willing to get a little dangerous with their message
and go to the inner depths of society and its problems, a play that can relate
to the audience and become a part of their lives. He even stated that just
having an empty room with one actor walking across could be defined as Holy
Theatre.
44. I read the play “The Exonerated” and there were many different 21st
century aspects to the play. Recontextualism
was greatly used in the play. It starts with the narrator talking to the
audience and slowly the scene sets as he joins the court for the opening scene.
He pretends to be starting the show, but it was so interesting to later find
that he was actually just in a scene. Virtuosity
is an aspect that can be seen in the play. The actors do not really rely on
just their acting to make the play “real”. The actors must be able to talk to
one another or even just at the audience. They must play with the set, even though
it never changes. They are really relying on the connection with the audience
to make it “real”. Extreme symbolism is
also used in the play. The actors and set do not seem or act very dramatically.
They are not required to move around the whole set or act wildly, but each and
every prop and word is very important as it symbolizes a lot of the social
issues that they must try to convey. Not only do they talk of the prison
issues, but also the issues between race, status, and language.
