What I've Learned from Thtr. 101

Since I have never been exposed to the theater industry before, I have learned a lot of new material. Theater was something I never thought I would take a course in. After enrolling in the class and learning the new material, I am glad that I’ve been open to the elements of theater. One learns something new every day, and I was one that learned something new every time I sat in the class auditorium. From stage crew to theater etiquette, I have learned enough to appreciate the art form.

“All that is needed for theater to take place is an actor who walks across an empty space while someone else is watching…” –Peter Brook

This quote by Mr. Brook sums up exactly what theater really is. Theater happens every day in life. Theater has three main functions: theater unfolds in the present, there is a performance space, and exchange of energy between audience and performer must occur. Without these three main ingredients, theater would not take place in life. For example, theater is in our everyday life when we watch live sports or listen to live music. We the viewers are the audience and the composers or actors are the performers who unfold present actions. The classroom is another form of theater. Theater impacts us every day without us ever realizing it.

Role playing was another key point put across in class. We as people play different roles every day. Writing a discussion post was an exercise assigned to us so we could see what roles we play. Personally, I role play as a student, a friend, a brother, a son, a relative, etc. Role playing goes on forever in life. Role playing starts young and develops gradually as one ages.

Another subject covered in class was storytelling and the different ways we tell stories. We tell stories because they are ritualistic. In these stories, universal ideas are portrayed. All stories include three basic elements: protagonist, antagonist, and super-objective. Without having these main elements, no point would be put across and the storyline would not make sense. How these stories are told is one thing, but how they are classified is another. Stories are classified in genres. Genres focus the stories concept on a set of themes. Genre ranges from comedy to melodrama. Some include funny stories while others are sad stories. Storytelling has been around as a way of custom for thousands of years, and will continue for thousands more.

Learning the roles of theater was a something that interested me. I could relate theater roles to film roles. The stage or film crews of either film/theatrical productions are very similar. If I was going to work on drama productions, I would like to be a playwright. After hearing the statistics how many actors don’t make it I would be skeptical. A playwright has an interesting job because they use their imagination and personality for their career. Watching my own work on stage as it unfolds would be a moment that I would not forget.

Theater is an interesting subject of study. I learned a lot of new material on the subject-matter. I have conquered the basics of theater by taking this class. The interesting fact of theater is its occurrence around us every day and not ever knowing it. I will take the skills I learned in the class and use them later on in life.