Theatre: Exam 4
Laughter is what?
The most elusive emotion.
Murder is seen as comedy.
T.
3 Types of comedies..
1. Farce.
2. Satire.
3. Domestic.
Kabuki Origin date..
1603.
What is a Okuni of Izumo?
A female performer ceated a dance style drama.
Females played both Male and Female roles in simple comedy skits about ordinary village life.
T.
Much of the appeal was due to suggestive performances by ________, and many were up for ___________.
Courtesans; Prostitution.
During which era did they exist?
Edo period.
Kabuki Kanji defined as..
"Singing and dancing prostitute"
How long did the Edo Period last?
1603-1868.
The Period marks the beginning of what?...
The first Tokugawa shogunate. The Shogun was a military ruler who was appointes by the emperor.
Common name for the Shogun's men?
Samurai Warrior.
Techniques and styles of Comedy..
- The Comic Premise.
- Verbal humor - puns, malaprops, epigrams..
- Plot Complications.
In Murder Comedy what is the World's law?
Suspension.
Examples of Violence Comedy..
- The Three Stooges.
- Cartoons.
- Comics.
Character is getting what..
Their Comeuppance.
Comedy in this form assumes the world is in ______ _____, and the individual goes against the grain because of their _________.
Total order; Oddities.
Writers of Comedy are extremely serious.
T.
They don't veiw the world differently.
F.
Famous Onnagata:
- Bando Tamasaburo.
- Filmed collab with Yo-Yo Ma.
Many of the Kabuki Theatres were destroyed by the..
Bombing during WW2.
Kabuki was banned until..
1947.
Kabuki IS popular today.
T.
Comedic writers perceive the follies and excesses of human behavior and develope them into a sense of ridiculous.
T.
In KABUKI Females did what
Played both male and female roles in simple comic skits about ordinary village life.
In KABUKI Much of the appeal was due to
Suggestive performances by Courtesans. And many were also available for prostitution.
"歌舞妓" means what?
“singing and dancing prostitute”
The prostitution led to the degrading of
The art of Kabuki.
When were women banned from Kabuki?
In 1629.
In Kabuki, Young male actors did what?
Took over the performances Ironically, the same held true: low-class, vulgarities and more prostitution.
In Kabuki, Males were banned when.
in 1652.
Performances were relegated to which districts?
The “red light” districts.
Kabuki’s Golden Age was when?
1673 – 1841
1868 what happened?
The fall of the Shogunate and Samurai class.
Onnagata is what?
A man who plays female roles in Japanese Kabuki theatre; a female kabuki role.
Makeup is what in Kabuki?
Very important; The white base face
Dramatic lines to produce animal or supernatural masks
Bright color to indicate expression of a character’s nature.
Golden age: Play structure was what
formalized (stylization).
Traditional characters were developed in which age?
Golden age.
Onnagata means what
Female role, played by men.
Tachiyaku means what?
Brave Hero roles.
Katakiyaku means what?
Mean Villain roles.
Koyaku were..
Children roles.
Which became linked.
Bunraku and Kabuki.
The first influential Kabuki plays were written when?
In the Golden Age.
Bunraku means?
Puppet theatre.
The training of men to play female roles is?
intensive speak in falsetto voice on stage. Accompanied by tradition music; Mie pose.
The rise of the Meiji Period and Emperor Meiji. Real name was Mutsuhito.
1868.
The Meiji Period period lasted until
1912.
Japan was opened to the
west and Kabuki gained a wider recognition; Mature male performers played roles.
Kabuki stages feature a
Ramp called a Hanamichi. (花道 - Flower path)
"花道" means what?
Flower path.
The ramp extends
Into the audience. Designed for dramatic entrances and exits and playing space.
Modern stages also include:
Traps, revolving stages and fly systems.
There are three (3) main styles of Kabuki plays:
1. Jidaimono – History plays. Depicting major historical events of Japanese culture (mostly focusing on the Samurai class)
2. Sewamono – Domestic plays. Depicting the lives of common people. Famous love suicide plays dominate this style
3. Shosagoto – Dance pieces.
Kabuki plays consist of what
Two to Three separate plays or dances, spanning roughly 4 hours.
Jidaimono -
History plays. Depicting major historical events of Japanese culture (mostly focusing on the Samurai class).
Sewamono –
Domestic plays. Depicting the lives of common people. Famous love suicide plays dominate this style.
Shosagoto -
Dance pieces.
Many Kabuki Theatres were destroyed by
bombing during WWII; Banned until 1947.
Kabuki is popular today.
T.
FAMOUS ONNAGATA:
Bando Tamasaburo.
Who filmed collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma?
Bando Tamasaburo, a famous Onnagata.
Comedy writers perceive the..
Follies and excesses of human behavior and develop them into a sense of the ridiculous.
3 Types of laughter:
Mild amusement – Wilde, Simon
Belly laugh (at broad physical comedy)
Cruel laugh (Black Comedy)
“Don’t ask for the laugh..."
"..ask for the tea”.
Extraordinary Characters =
Principle characters in Classical plays. (Queens, Clergry, noblemen..)
First British Titles and Orders of Precedence:
Royalty - Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses.
Second British Titles and Orders of Precedence:
Peerage:
Representative Characters are
Replace Kings and Queens or individuals of high station, Embody entire groups of modern society.
Stock Characters are
Not Three-dimensional and Exemplify one trait.
Stock Characters Represent..?
Stereotypes such as Evil Stepmother or Loyal Servant.
Dominant Traits are
Characters dominated by a single trait such as Ben Jonson’s play The Alchemist he uses character names of Subtle, Dapper, Surly, Wholesome.
Classic Stock Characters Commedia dell'arte are what
Scenario Plays/Improvisation. (Zanni, Young lovers, Dottore..)
Origins of Humor
Hippocrates first to develop study for his medical theories, called it the “four temperaments”. Bodily fluids affect personality and behavior.
Four Humors:
BlOOD, YELLOW, PHLEGM, BLACK BILE.
BlOOD =
Sanguine, Air, Spring, optimistic, passionate, amorous, courageous.
YELLOW BILE =
Choleric, Fire, angry, irascible, bad tempered.
PHLEGM =
Phlegmatic, Water, dull, indifferent, indolent, apathetic, idle.
BLACK BILE =
Melancholic, Earth, sad, gloomy, sullen, depressed.
Special or Minor Characters?
Minor Characters appear only briefly - “No small parts, only small actors”; Narrator or Chorus.
Melodrama is
Found in many popular films/stories. (Hero - Villian - Mentor)
Tragedy assumes that the universe is
Indifferent to human concerns and is often cruel.
Irretrievability –
There’s no way out.
In tragedy the innocent ______ while the evil ______.
suffer; prosper
Responsibility –
They must confront their fate.
Tragedies that are important to History are
- Renaissance Tragedy (England, France and others).
- Greek and Roman Classic Tragedy.
Traditional Tragic verse is..
The language of traditional tragedy is VERSE. Because tragedy deals with profound and lofty ideas, POETRY is the best style in which to express the depths of the human condition and suffering.
Tragic Verse Effect is..
When tragic hero’s suffer in a world of chaos, but affirm the opposite by expressing their inner thoughts and ideas through brilliantly shaped words.
Modern Tragedy
- Arthur Miller’s Tragedy and the Common Man.
- The tragic flaw or major character flaw - Hubris.
- Written in prose, not poetic verse.
Heroic drama -
Plays presented characters of almost superhuman stature, and their predominant themes were exalted ideals of love, honour, and courage.
Domestic drama -
Tragedy focusing on the everyday lives of middle and lower class people.
Melodrama -
Which uses exaggerated action and clear-cut issues and characters to tell a story or present a didactic argument. Plot is the center focus.
Tragedy -
The ultimate test of a play is not whether it meets a certain definition of tragedy, but what effect it produces in the theatre and how well it stands the test of time.
Shakespeare lived when
1564 - 1616.
Ben Jonson Letter written in
1605; classical education at Westminster School was saved.
“The Masque of Blackness” written by Jonson and presented to Queen Ann of Denmark".
Manuscript of Leonardo da Vinci owned by
Bill Gates circa; 1506 - 1510.
Michelangelo letter -
1512.
Shakespeare’s First Folio in
1623.
Blank Verse –
A sentence in meter.
Iambic –
Type of foot.