CURRICULUM GUIDE TOPICS
DCPS THEATRE 4
Theatre 4 Topics (In no particular order)
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Research for costume designs
Important people
a. Christopher Marlowe
b. Constantin Stanislavski
c. Rudolf Laban
d. Tennessee Williams
Components of a critique
a. Production vs. aesthetics
b. Actors’ performances
c. Unity of costumes, set, lighting, and sound
Costume design considerations
Explore marketing strategies for a production.
Breakaway props and their function
Budgeting for production and ways to raise funds
Preparing a role for a play that takes place prior to 1900
Discuss challenges related to setting a play in a different time and place.
Discuss history and culture in theatre and the other performing arts.
Important plays
a. Miguel Cervantes’ s Don Quixote
b. Shakespeare’s Cymbeline
c. Other classical works
Miracle, Mystery, and Morality plays
Knowledge of tools used in set construction
a. Jigsaw
b. Hacksaw
c. Table saw
d. Hand saw
e. Reciprocating saw
Process of mounting a production
a. Design
b. Build
c. Paint
d. Light
Lighting instruments
a. Safety
b. Shutters
c. Gobos
Discuss healthy vocal production and ways to avoid damaging the voice.
Discuss healthy eating habits for performance.
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CURRICULUM GUIDE TOPICS
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DCPS THEATRE 4
Vocabulary
a. Subtext
b. Beat
c. French scene
d. Noh theatre
e. Mechane
f. “Magic if”
g. Script scoring
h. Pantomime
Compare eastern and western theatrical conventions, with regard to casting.
The goal of dance choreography for a musical is to create dances reflecting the character and style of the overall
play.
Sequence of play structure – inciting incident, rising action, climax, denouement
The Harlem Renaissance (1920 – 1934) and its effect on the development of American theatre
Types of stages/scenery and their functions
a. Arena
b. Thrust
c. Black box
d. Proscenium
e. Periaktoi
f. Unit
g. Backdrop
h. Scrim
i. Cyclorama
Special effects in theatre
a. Connected to knowledge of art, chemistry, or physical science
b. Safety
c. Innovation
Styles of theatre
a. Absurdism
b. Expressionism
c. Impressionism
d. Realism
e. Epic theatre
f. Neoclassicism
Character analysis – determining the reason for a character’s actions
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