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Theatre of the Absurd

Theatre of the Absurd. What the Heck is it?. It has a non-realistic premise The plays represent the qualities of the ideas, and the action does not resemble a real life situation It still has a story and characters, and follows a regular story structure

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Theatre of the Absurd

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  1. Theatre of the Absurd

  2. What the Heck is it? • It has a non-realistic premise • The plays represent the qualities of the ideas, and the action does not resemble a real life situation • It still has a story and characters, and follows a regular story structure • It is supposed to make people feel the emotional complexity of the subject by presenting it in an abstract and powerful way • It is called absurd because it mixes moments of extreme comedy with extremely dramatic moments. A good Absurdist play feels like an emotional rollercoaster.

  3. Waiting For Godot Two dudes wait for their mutual acquaintance by a dead tree. Godot never shows up, and never appears in the play. The message? God is Dead

  4. Never Swim Alone Two guys in suits, a girl in a bathing suit, a lifeguard chair, and two boxing stools. The three characters have a history in the real world. The truth comes out through a non-relalistic premise: A competition The Message? Capitalism destroys people

  5. Developing a Story Idea • Choose a statement theme or issue that you care about. • Think of a setting that would help to bring out the quality of the idea • Design your main character/ ensemble cast • Figure out what happens to him/her/them using standard story structure (Establishing moment, R.A. 1 &2, Climax, Resolution)

  6. Brainstorming Activity • Try to think of a scenario that will show what drug addiction is like, as opposed to how it looks. Example: A parasitic relationship Set: A table, a chair, a phone, a bed. Premise: A love affair that is damaging to the person. The lover is literally attached to them by the play’s end, and the strain of it kills him What else could represent this experience?

  7. Acting Style and Dialogue • There are no rules, except that you must choose something that helps to convey your theme in a stronger way. • Dialogue can be natural, nonsensical, choral, stylized, or even better, a mixture of them all. • Awkward pauses are frequent, because they heighten emotional tension. • Movement on stage, and the blocking patterns of the actors convey meaning

  8. Zoo Story

  9. ENDGAME

  10. SET INFO • IT HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING • It could be symbolic, or it could be an interpretation of an actual space

  11. The set makes no attempt to be realistic. This is very obviously a drawing of a tree.

  12. The Sandbox

  13. Set Possibilities and Meaning • McDonalds bag suspended from a piece of rope= The apple from the tree of knowledge The Message? Materialism replaces religion. • A Jungle Jim/ playground is used as a set in a play about an office. The boss sits on top, the workers swing on the swings. The Message? Society is a hierarchy.

  14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joj4Akj_rPo&feature=player_detailpagehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joj4Akj_rPo&feature=player_detailpage

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