...Table Of Content -The theorist, the theory and the contexts -Practical explorations and developments of the solo theatre piece -Evaluation of the solo theatre piece and my personal reflections -Works Cited/ Bibliography The theorist, The theory, and The Contexts For the Solo Theater project I have chosen Harold Prince or rather his theory on Concept Musicals. After research on the life of Prince from his book “Contradictions” and biographies, I have learned about his major influence within the world of theater. His work producing and directing created an entire new genre of musicals. To understand this theory I had to understand the man behind it. Milton A. Prince adopted Harold Prince. Rightful upbringing led him to finish school and serve in the military After WWII in Germany. The...
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...An over view of the Broadway Musical, up to and including Show Boat. Early 1900’s New York City and the operetta was becoming quite popular; a mix of music and drama, it’s influences stretched back as far as Greek theatre and other types of European opera. No doubt at the time it held some sort of retro appeal. In London a similar movement was taking place, more influenced by a vaudevillian styling, it was more comedic; designed specifically for soldiers on leave (the idea was to bolster morale, hence why theatres stayed open during the course of World War One) This style of musical comedy was also characterised by the incorporation of popular song and dance styles. Fast forward to 1920’s/1930’s and, much like the emigration of disco in the 90’s in reverse, these styles combined to form the precursor to the known Musical. The Term ‘Musical’ itself was used in generality to describe the form and, obviously, stuck. This emerging form featured the use of contemporary song styles, primarily Jazz and Rag-Time, Jerome Kern’s incorporation of syncopation and Jazz-like progression into many of his songs. Popular Dance element in any production and thusly, dance bands influenced the traditional pit orchestra; jazz elements again more prominent with the use of muted brass and Jazz style piano. The rising popularity of radio broadcasting was instrumental in the expanding appeal of the musical from 1920’s-40’s. Probably the most important development of this new form was...
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...Dance historians and theorists have often examined the question of “why dance?” in musical theatre. The purely danced constructs of dream ballets can be used to examine this question very specifically. Dream ballets came along with the creation of the book musical, which helped create musical theatre form we know today. Thus, dream ballets played a significant role in shaping the function of dance on the musical stage. In their original iteration, dream ballets served to expose the internal lives of the characters that could not be expressed by words alone. Even though over time dream ballets have fallen out of popularity in favor of new forms and technologies, the purpose of externalizing the internal when words are not enough persists in...
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...Joop van den Ende (born 1942). Stage Entertainment is the result of a merger of several other entertainment companies owned and run by Van den Ende and was incorporated in 1999. It has seen rapid international expansion and is now active in 9 countries, employing 4000 people. The turnover is €600 million (Nispen, M. van, Jaekele S. and Charrington, J, 2009). Van den Ende describes the strategy of Stage Entertainment as a strategy consisting of three elements (Nispen et al 2009): 1. Venues: programming and managing a network of venues across Europe (i.e. theatres) 2. Productions: presenting a wide range of existing, leading international content. These productions are owned by other parties, but produced for a specific country by Stage Entertainment (e.g. the theatrical distribution rights of ‘My Fair Lady’ are owned by Paramount Pictures and CBS). 3. Creative development: creating and developing original new musicals. Stage Entertainment also develops and owns new theatrical works, such as the Dutch...
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...This short clip depicts the opening scene from the musical The Lion King with singing and dancing to the song The Circle of Life. As the sun slowly rises many different animals celebrate the start of a new day, or the circle of life. This Lion King scene is a very visually appealing musical and makes use of not just the stage but the full arena and actors in costumes and using props are shown walking down the aisles of the theatre. While in the clip that was viewed had a very limited amount of a scenery the use of costumes, characters and puppets told this part of the story very well. In fact for some of the costumes you would need to look hard for the actor controlling the puppet as your mind you not even realize that there is an actor under the costume. Overall the costume design along with the choreography makes for a visually stunning opening scene. One gets a sense of a three ring circus where so many things are happening that there is no way you could take it all in at once as your eyes and head swivel from side to side in an attempt to capture it all. The Lion King musical is a classic coming of age story along with a good versus evil aspect. The opening scene shows the sun rising and the musical number The Circle of Life playing. The sun symbolizes the pattern of night to day and day to night, the same pattern of life to death and death to life. Simba along with his father share the protagonist role in the musical and represent good. Simba is the king’s son, the perfect...
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...remains a universal form of self expression, stirring passion and creativity within human minds. Richard rogers, a 20th century musical compose, represents as a single instance of music’s impact on an individual. In turn, the music that Rogers created lives on even decades after his death. Richard Rogers’s name doesn’t mean much on its own, usually requiring a pairing with Lorenz Hart or Oscar Hammerstein to ring any bells. Meryle Secrest, in her book Somewhere For Me: a biography of Richard Rogers, illustrates the finest details of Rogers’s life and career, highlighting highs and...
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...Sharon Bellingeri English III: 1 Mrs. Sledden 25, May 2011 Sounds of a Nation The loud, ringing sound of a trumpet’s blare, the fresh rhythm of guitars, and the clear crisp voices uplifted in song; these were just a few of the common sounds that could be heard during the 1920s. The Jazz Age incorporated more than just jazz, with blues booming, ballads and ragtime filling the air, and show tunes enrapturing audiences on and off the stage, the 1920s were alive with all kinds of music. The 1920s brought significant changes to music in America with new musicians, styles, and innovations, all of which would influence music around the world for years to come. Jazz music was a significant source of music in the 1920s, a style which originated in New Orleans and had spread throughout the country by the 1920s. Large cities such as Chicago, and New York City become epicenters for jazz music. People of all backgrounds embraced the music which would become synonymous with the time period becoming known as the Jazz Age, named by author F. Scott Fitzgerald (Bruccoli ix). Jazz music was characterized mainly by syncopation and improvisation along with techniques to alter the sound of instruments such as mutes and slides, and the overall swing feel of the music (Tyle). An abundance of jazz musicians became well known for their various techniques, styles, and the instruments they played. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential jazz Bellingeri 2 musicians of the 1920s. Hailing...
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...Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board approves of community-based charter schools. All Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD) Charter School programs are open to student’s applications who reside within the school district. Starting a charter school is truly a community effort. However, the rewards we may find by creating a new educational option for children are well worth the effort. The first question we want to answer is why do we want to start a charter school? As a charter developer, we need to have a clear answer to this question. Matanuska-Susitna Valley residents desire a school that provides a rich and comprehensive educational program for students with talents and potential in dance, instrumental music, vocal music, theatre, and visual art or media arts. This school will provide students and parents with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system to maximize each student’s special talents. Our graduates will increase the quality of their life, the lives of people who surround them, and the respective communities of the Valley. There are many people interested in helping to start our charter school waiting for recruitment. These founders will include parents, teachers, school principals, lawyers, business entrepreneurs and accountants. Our founding group needs to have expertise in a variety of areas, including: • Curriculum & instruction • Public school financing • Real estate • Human...
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...Lecture 1 July 4, 2012 • Popular Music in the United States: o Lies in the African-American Population o West African music was brought into America and was thrown into a mixing pot that the slave population count themselves as Americans. o Blues is the beginning of Jazz, Rock and R&B • Congo Square –Passage from book: History of Jazz o An eligible black man sits with a large cylinder drum using his fingers and edge of his hand he jams repeatedly on the drum head which is around 14 diameters and probably made from animal skin. ____________________ with rapid sharp strokes. A second drummer holding his instrument between his knees joins in, playing with the same ______ attack. A third black man seated on the ground _________ instrument the body of which is rashly fashioned from the calabash. Another calabash which has been made into a drum and a woman beats at it with two short sticks. One voice then another voice, then other voices join in a dance of scene contradictions __________ give and take ___________ one handed performance spontaneous yet on closer inspection ritualize and precise is a dance of massive proportions, a dense crowded _________ performed in circular groups perhaps five or six hundred individuals moving in time to the pulsations of the music some swaying gently and others aggressively stumping their feet. A number of women in the group begin chanting. This scene could be Africa, in fact it is 19th century in New Orleans scattered first handed...
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...In June 2022, I found out about an award-winning, American hip-hop musical and movie called Hamilton. The show is about America’s Revolutionary War and is more specifically based around its founding father and first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator, writer, lyricist, composer, and original actor of Alexander Hamilton in the play, was inspired to write this musical after reading Ron Chernow’s biography of the life of Alexander Hamilton. I decided to write this about Hamilton because I think it’s an interesting idea to make a musical about a founding father who, as Lin-Manuel Miranda says, “embodies hip-hop by the strength of his writing.” Not a lot of people would’ve read a biography and thought about how it would make for a great musical, but now that I've listened to Lin-Manuel Miranda go over his thought process when coming up with the idea of Hamilton in a musical form, I agree, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton lived a very eventful life,...
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...Phil Theater Arts In many forms, theater was and still an effective medium to promote social awareness, as a means of entertainment and a liberal way to express one’s opinion. Most places in the Philippines have their own town fiestas flaunted with festivities and shows. During holy week, people stage the cenaculo- a theatrical presentation of the passion of Christ, and the moro-moro or comedia that relates to Christian and Muslim conflict. Some towns perform zarzuela, a Philippine version of Spanish light operetta, others present their poetic debate called duplo and karagatans. Another theatre form, the carillo, a shadow drama is usually shown after harvest. Cavite has Sanghiyang, Batangas has Subli and Laguna presents their Turumba and Pasyon. These traditional plays exemplify the union of folk religion and Catholicism. On the first Sunday of January, Marinduque present its Three Kings’ Pageant and during the Lenten season, the same town performs its famous Moriones Festival. In the streets of Baliwag, Bulacan and Kawit, Cavite, Panunuluyan is staged on Christmas eve- a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s struggling search for shelter for the birth of Christ. http://www.camperspoint.com/spip.php?article249 Philippines Dula: Musing on Philippine Theater and Drama “Scene 1, Act 1. Lights focus on center stage. Enter actor from corner left of the stage.” People involved in theater arts know this as typical stage lingo. Whether you are talking about Shakespeare, Shaw...
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...“Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasize a world we aspire to”. Transitioning from underdeveloped theaters to molded theaters, the introduction of the twentieth century brought about a heightened age for Broadway. Broadway in the twentieth century has impacted the lives of Americans by instilling hope and taking part in the advancement of technology, shaping American culture, and acting as a social influence. With the birth of a century came changes and New York City became most prominently known for its development of Times Square. People were found near Times Square and the Theater District, bustling to and from theaters, restaurants, and stores. Electricity began to light up advertisement marquees...
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...The Globe * Shakespeare (1564-1616) * Theatre (part owner 1599) Basics * 2,500 years old * most likely much older as a means to relate information or tell a story * eric bentaky: someone performing something for someone else * Elements of theatre * Actors * Audience * Place to perform * What is performed: script (not always) Brochet simplification * What is performed * The performance (all elements) * The audience * It is the interaction of rhe elements that make the Experience happen Purpose of theatre * Entertain * Provoke thought * Enlighten * Educate * Provoke response * Influence * Audience reacts to actors * Actors feed off audience * All are influenced by other elements Script: what is said Setting and treatment of elements light, sound, effect Qualities of theatre * Lifelike: actors have to transport you to their reality * Ephemeral: here today gone later today * Objectivity – (everything is written for a point of view) * Complex in its means * Theatre is Immediate: happens to us now and never again the same way. Neo classic * Genres cannot be mixed * Tragedy about nobility, comedy about commoners * Characters act in a manor consistent with the status, gender, ethnicity * All plays have 5 acts * Plays must observe unity of time, action, (one plot) and place * 24 hour – one location * up- hold poetic justice (good...
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...EVENT: Black Vace newspaper – in the library 2pm on Friday 4/27 Donations to PFAU library. HBCU – groups all over the world to come together. • Mixed races – either intentional or unintentional. o Mulatto – ½ black (this is an offensive term which the root word is mule) o Quadroon – ¼ black o Octoroon – 1/8 black Video – Fisk singers and early white gospel video • Literacy was a problem – acapella singing. • Gospel – “Good news” • Fisk = HBCU in 1866 Video: the history of gospel music 02 • In the African heritage it had to be the music, the preacher and the religious. o Had to be the preacher and the response • Music was to be free but then brought Christianity which was pulled out from that they say. • Involving percussion tones • Melees tone – not singing the tone right to but to shape it. We wear the mask poem: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 – 1906) • Mask – façade, disguises you, hides you, masquerade, protection, performers. Performance v. rituals • Ritual o Gospel • Performance o For others/benefits o Entertainment o Image Video: Education on Minstrel – goes into the Images topic • Developed in 1820. • T.D. Rice • Jim crow presents himself as an African (black face) by performing how the Africans perform. Performance within a performance. • Compromise of 4, etc. o Paid performances • Call and response Images: • Co-opted • Corruption of the history image • Massive available – were everywhere. • The images like...
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...created because it celebrates human life and dealt with it and it became powerful. People from all over the world came to New Orleans because it was known to be the “Musical City” in America. Jazz bands played to entertain the rich folks. Slaves had to improvise to survive. African Americans were the only slaves and became introduced to the entertainment industry. In 1817 slaves were allowed to dance every Sunday in a place called “Congo Square”. New Orleans theatre that had minstrel shows and played plantation songs written by black and white song writers. Minstrel shows were the biggest way to spread music and whites painted their faces black to portray slaves. Dadty Rice was the first white man that write and performed a minstrel however, he originally he heard it from a black man named Jim Crow and named the song after him. New Orleans was forced to surrender slavery in 1862. In 1980 there were two styles of music which Jazz reach in New Orleans which were Ragtime pioneered by Scott Joplin and the Blues call and response. Ragtime and the Blues combined together made Jazz music. The Blues was could be about anything and it use to make the listener feel better not worse. This is how Gumbo can along because everyone came together and performed to tell stories. Wynton Marsalis Burns quoted “Blues was the roux in the musical gumbo that produced jazz and every other form of American popular music. People sang out their feelings. Some were hurt and this was a way they could express their...
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