Summary what we have covered so far in Theater

The two general aspects that we have covered in our IB Theater Class HL were staging of theater and the crucial elements and states of theater. To talk about staging first, the stage of the theater could be categorized into three different types and a stage could also be divided into nine specific sections. 

First, theater itself could be a Proscenium stage, which actors perform on the stage that is directly in front of the audience. And this is the most common form of stage. Secondly, another type of stage is called the Thrust stage, which extends into the audience. The third type of stage is called the Arena stage, which also has the name Theater in The Round. Arena stage is generally in a circle shape that audience sits around it. To take the Black Box theater we have at Cheshire Academy, it was arranged in a Proscenium stage structure last year in the play The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Also, although the Black Box theater is pretty small, it is flexible and the audience are connected to the stage. Personally I thought it is great because the stage is much more fun in this way and the actors could often interact with the audience, which even adds more “color” into the stage. 

Second, a stage itself could be divided into nine different sections, which are down stage center, down stage right, down stage left, center stage, center stage right, center stage left, center stage right, up stage center, up stage right, and upstage left. The back of the stage is called backstage and the sides of the stage are called the Wings. Down stage section is usually the closest to the audience in a Prosceniun stage while the up stage section is the furthest from the audience. Different parts of stage could be used create different effects and purposes. For example, when the whole stage is being used, which may represent the idea that there are a lot of people on the stage, to create a chaotic crowd effect, or to show the power and high status of a single character who is taking over the whole stage. 

Additionally, when characters are having more interaction down stage, which could show a sense of intimacy, quiet, and personal situation. 

Theater as a whole could be made up of a basic level 1, which includes script and words; level 2, which is composed of movement, blocking, emotion, gesture, facial expression, reaction, and acting; level 3, which highlights the importance of tableau, stage pictures, color, light and sound. Usually actors and actresses would experience level 1 first, then develope themselves into level 2 and 3, which require more effort, understanding and experience to achieve. Level 1 is usually the basic requirements for the actors to be fluent in script and words; in level 2, it is important or clarify that movement is mainly based on stage-directions, emotion and gesture are based on physical interactions between others, and reaction is mainly based on lisenting and observing others on the stage. Tableau, which is in level 3, is composed of people, places and things. Also, it requires the stage director to set props and character in their right position to create multiple layers of the scene to make it more complexed and more interesting. Character is also a very important aspect in theater. In order to fully understand a character, it is often helpful people to know the motivation and obstacles of the characters, the given circumstances, world of the play, also the idea that acting is equal to “behaving truthfully under given circumstances.” If you are an actor of actress, it is also significant for you to learn the preparation methods, which are emotional memory and imagination and emotional creativity.