Preface+and+Introduction

Preface

Theatre is a group art. It celebrates the ability of the human community to come together in one place at one time to participate together in a common focused experience. Groups of artists speak to groups of spectators, if you will. Not that theatre neglects individual contributions. Far from it. Indeed, we often remember and celebrate the accomplishments of individual artists for their outstanding achievements just as we remember great theatre critics for their persuasive and often perceptive observations about the art and the artists who create it.

This Worktext is designed to provide students with a window into the art and craft of theatre. It puts students in the shoes of different categories of artists who collaborate to make theatre happen. The Worktext is divided into an Introduction and Two Parts. The Introduction lays out the fundamental reality of the theatre as a complicated and interlocking system of collaborative groups. It also calls attention to the significance of theatre's long and colorful history. Part I concerns the absolute essentials that are needed for any theatre event to take place. Part I is divided into four chapters each addressing a different and important aspect of theatre. Chapter 1 concerns the places where performances typically take place. Chapter 2 chronicles the content of performance – plays and alternative types of content. Chapter 3 focuses on the actors and actresses who bring the performance event to life. And Chapter 4 puts attention on what may well be the most critical ingredient necessary for a performance event to take place – the audience.

Having covered the four main ingredients which are needed for a theatre performance we then turn to other matters of importance without which performances ordinarily do not happen. Part II focuses on subjects that are of significance in today's theatre and have always been a part of the theatre experience even though they may have been called something else during different periods of theatre history. Part II begins with Chapter 5 which discusses directing and the role of the director. Chapter 6 explores the importance of designing in all its various manifestations – scene design, costume design, lighting design, and sound design. Concluding Part II is Chapter 7 which emphasizes producing and the role of the producer – the person or group of people who underwrite theatre primarily through financial resources.

Although there is an implied flow from Chapter 1 through Chapter 7, it is possible to begin your study of theatre with virtually any chapter in the Worktext since the chapters are self contained units and are meant to be read in any conceivable order according to the logical needs of the instructor and the students. For example, this study could very well begin by focusing on the audience in Chapter 4 followed by Chapter 7 dealing with the producer and continuing with a combination of virtually any number of other chapters.