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49 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Formalist Analysis |
The search for playable dramatic values that reveal a central unifying pattern that informs/shapes a play from the inside and coordinates all of its parts. |
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Playable Dramatic Values |
Anything that energizes actors, directors, and designers in their work |
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6 Aristotelian Elements of Drama |
Plot, Character, Thought (theme), Dialogue, Melody, and Spectacle |
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Table Work |
Analytical and all work done before blocking starts. |
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Painting With Words |
Using vocal pitch, tempo, rhythm, and emphasis on certain words to create images in the minds of the listener(s). |
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Implications |
Hints/suggestions that are deliberate though not openly stated |
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Inference |
Deductions of unknown from known info, that is deduced from literal facts and their implications |
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Affective Fallacy |
Supposed error of judging or evaluating a text on the basis of its emotional effects on a reader |
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Fallacy of Reality Testing |
Testing it against what you know to be true |
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Given Circumstances |
The world of play made up from the past and present |
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Time of Composition |
When the play was written |
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Time of Action |
When in time the play takes place |
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Dramatic Time |
How much time passes in the play |
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Geographical Locale |
Where on earth: country, region, district of the play (emotional associations evoked through this) |
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Specific Locale |
The play's setting (room, field, elevator, etc...) |
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Social Standards |
Shared beliefs and behaviors that are acceptable by the characters |
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Euphemism |
A socially inoffensive way of putting something offensive/abrasive (passed away=died) |
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4 Economic Systems |
Mercantilism: colonialism with state control of manufacturing and exports Laissez-Faire: (to leave alone) business is permitted to follow the unwritten natural laws of economics Capitalism: private property, profit, and credit form the basis (Raisin in the Sun) Socialism: involves public ownership of manufacturing, services, and natural resources |
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World of the Play |
All given circumstances plus social standards they embody |
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Historical Technique |
Pre 19th Century: background story revealed early on in the play in extended rhetorical speeches -Elizabethan Ex.: Shakespeare |
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Modern Technique |
Most of background info still appears at beginning but is broken into smaller pieces -Cup of tea vs below the stairs scene Ex.: Oscar Wilde |
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Retrospective Method |
When action moves forward while the past unfolds backwards: keeps revealing the most significant background info until as late as possible in the action Ex.: Lorraine Hansberry |
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Minimalist Technique |
(Often called Absurdist): in the 1940s, playwrights began to push limits of retrospective method: limit quantity of background story and disclosing it with intricate complicated hints rather than frank narration (veiled hints/casual allusion) Ex.: Albee |
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Beat |
1 small single topic introduced, developed, and concluded |
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Unit |
A group of related beats |
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Scene |
Scenes are shaped by introducing, developing, and concluding one, single, large event |
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French Scene |
When any character enters or exits the stage |
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Act |
When we are left with the feeling that something big is going to happen Ex.: Lena-"Somebody get me my hat" |
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Point of Attack |
Where we pick up the story at the top of the show -Early: Little background story Ex.: Angels of America -Late: A great deal of background story Ex.: Raisin In The Sun |
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Inciting Action/Incident |
The single event that sparks the main action of the entire play Ex.: Getting the check |
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Complication/Obstacle |
When planned behavior encounters difficulties as it tries to reach its goral |
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Obligatory Scene |
An open confrontation about the play's main conflict shared between at least 2 major characters (not in all plays) Ex.: Walter vs. Lena in money talk: money vs freedom being life |
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Crisis |
Points in the action when tension reaches a peak and a change in the course of events becomes necessary |
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Climax |
A prominent peak of emotional intensity in the unit, scene, act, or play Minor: A basic peak of emotional intensity (could be a crisis) Major/Main: A composite term to describe 2 psychological activities that unfold simultaneously in performance: highest peak in emotional intensity |
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Recognition |
A change from ignorance to knowledge |
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Reversal |
A change in fortune (good to bad, bad to good) |
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Rising Action |
All events leading up to main climax |
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Falling Action |
(Denouement/Resolution) All events after major/main climax |
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Freytag Pyramid |
(Named after German critic who developed it) The pyramid charts the rising action, main climax, and falling action of a scene |
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Complex & Single Plot |
Complex: Plays that contain both a reversal and a recognition Single: Plays that may contain either a recognition or a reversal or maybe neither |
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Objective |
The character's goals or basic future desire/plan or action |
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Through-Line |
Ties together all of the character's secondary objectives together under the control of the character's main objective Ex.: Walter wants to provide for his family-get Ruth on his side/guilt Beneath out of her share of money |
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5 Stanislavski's Guidelines for Discovering Objectives |
1. Come from character's goals 2. Be directed at other characters 3. Describe character's inner life 4. Relate to play's main idea 5. Framed in form of active, concrete verb |
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Actions/Dramatic Actions |
Tactics described with active verbs that characters use to achieve their goals/objectives |
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Conflict of Role |
Characters opposing views of each other
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Conflict of Objectives |
Characters opposing goals |
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Complexity |
The capacity for awareness equals a character's complexity |
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Psychological/ Internal Action |
Advances the plot using Assertions, Accusations, Plans, and Commands |
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Physical/External Action |
Blocking |
