Modern Theater

Oh the Drama!

  Modern drama, like modern painting and other forms of modern art, developed not in the twentieth century, but during the 19 th century Modern theater was born out of a widespread reaction against the subject matters, forms, and methods of staging that had prevailed in many 18 th century and early 19 th plays.

 Largely plays from this era are missing the romantic melodrama or neoclassical tragedy.

 Rather a new form of theater was coming about.

Realism

 “Reality” in turn became a watchword among early modern dramatists, actors, directors, and set designers.

 Realism in its most literal sense developed out of a desire to bring the stage into greater conformity with the surface details or ordinary human experience.

The illusion of 3D

 To create the illusion of a three dimensional interior, nineteenth century set designers devised a set compose of flats arranged to form connected walls enclosing three sides of the stage with the fourth wall removed so that the audience could look into a stage room that spatially seemed just like a real one. The realistic illusion of this stage design is known as

Box Set

New advances:

 With box sets came movable windows and doors

 Interior walls of the set were decorated and hung with fixtures

 Lighting changed with the advent of gaslights as well as oil lights which could show the illusion of sunlight or moonlight

 False thickness: which made the sets appear to have more depth then they may really have.

Theater still follows the same story structure

Stage terminology

     Blocking - Blocking is the movement that the director gives the actors. The director is directing. blocks play or tells the actors where to move when he Upstage – Toward or on the rear part of the stage Downstage – The Portion of the acting area nearest the audience the Stage Left – The part of the stage on the actor’s left as the actor faces the audience Stage Right – The part of the stage on the actor’s right as the actor faces the audience.