Theater of the Opressed
History of Theatre of the Oppressed: Critique of the Community Theatre as a Means of Empowerment in Social Work: A Case Study of Women's Community Theatre
Similar to institutional and professional theatre, community theatre uses a combination of mime, ritual dance, song and drama as a means of communicating messages, knowledge and ideology to the audience (Mulenga, 1993). Nonetheless, community theatre does not purport traditional theatrical components and professional stage production. Rather, this kind of theatre reportedly takes inspiration from the community's life story (Erven, 2001; Mda, 1993; Miller, 1979). In this way, common communal issues are brought to the forefront bringing those who participate as actors or audience members into the "socio-political arena" (oehm & oehm, 2003).
Critique
In oehm and oehm's 1993 article, "Community Theatre as a Means of Empowerment in Social Work: A Case Study of Women's Community Theatre," the authors posit the general acceptance of empowerment…...
mlaBibliography
Boehm, A., & Boehm, E. (2003). Community theatre as a means of empowerment in social work: A case study of women's community theatre. Journal of Social Work, 3. 283-300.
Erven, e. (2001). Community theatre: Global perspectives. London: Routledge.
Gutierrez, L. (19940. Beyond coping: an empowerment perspective on stressful life events. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 21(3), 201-219.
Itzhaky, H., & Gerber, P. (1999). The connection between universal values and empowerment: implications for social work practice. In W. Shera and L. Wells (eds). Empowerment Practice in social work: Developing richer conceptual foundations. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.
Theatre of Dionysus: Athens, Greece
General history about the theater itself and the history of theater in Greece
The evolution of theater in Greece, and therefore, theater's evolution as an art form over the course of early estern history, may be directly linked to the festivals of Dionysus of the land. Dionysus was the Grecian god of wine and misrule. Over the course of performances of tragedy and comedy written and designed to honor this God, all of Athens essentially shut down to observe the literary performed works of its greatest dramatists and judge them in competition, as well as the ribald satyr plays designed for the populace's enjoyment. Much of the history of the earliest period of Greek drama has been lost. But the earliest theater probably took place in the Athenian marketplace or agora. Eventually this became fixated as a site on the southeast slope of the Acropolis. This site…...
mlaWorks Cited
Theater of Dionysus. CUNY Classical Website accessed on March 30, 2004 at http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/comedy/intro7.htm
Bongie, E. "Heroic Elements in the Medea of Euripides." Transactions of the American Philological Association 107 (1977) 27-56 / full text
Brown, L. "The Erinyes in the Oresteia: Real Life, the Supernatural, and the Stage." Journal of Hellenic Studies 103 (1983) 13-34 / full text
Connor, W.R. "Tribes, Festivals, and Processions." Journal of Hellenic Studies 107 (1987) 40-50 / full text
Theater
Dimly lit prison kitchen. It is after hours, and only a skeleton crew is on hand: RAY and ANGELA. They are inside the kitchen, but the spotlight is on TOM and GARY, who sit across from each other in the dining room just outside.
Characters
TOM: Inmate at Phoenix Prison Complex, serving a life sentence for murder.
GARY: Inmate at Phoenix Prison Complex, serving 15 years for assault and battery.
ANGELA: Kitchen worker, 30-year-old female
RAY: Corrections officer, 28-year-old male
Scene 1: Pizza Night
TOM: Tonight's the night.
GARY: Tonight?
TOM: Tonight. You remember what we talked about, right?
GARY: Right.
TOM: What do you mean, "right"? Well? What did I tell you?
GARY: We wait until 2AM.
TOM: Well what time is it, genius?
GARY (looking at a watch that doesn't exist, as his wrists are bare): I don't know.
TOM (exasperated): What time do you get off work?
GARY: What time did I get off work? Uh, today's Friday, right?
TOM: No, it's Saturday. (shouting)…...
William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Moliere, brought us so many masterpieces not only valuable as works of art, but also as very important sources of understanding the society in the Renaissance. More important, when reading or wathching these plays, we can understand today the universality of Man.
We are not allowed to forget the Asian theater which bears the stamp of the philosophical and religious ideas and beliefs of the times when it was created.
Up to the 20th century, theater continued to play an important role in every society around the world.
Stages and performers and costumes have constantly changed in theater during the ages, but its role in educating people hasn't. It is one of the best ways be make children understand the "surroundings" worldwide, the best way to entertain them, but also the best way to make the very young start asking questions about civilizations and cultures and history. Once…...
mlaBibliography
1. Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia. Sophocles. On the Internet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles
2. Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia. Western Theatre History. On the Internet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_theater
Elizabethan Theater
Theater in the Elizabethan Age
The Elizabethan period in England was dominated by intrigue at court (which was a constant) and the willpower of Elizabeth herself, but the various people formed a strata that looked more similar to today than most would guess. Throughout recent history, going back a thousand years or so, society is simplistically divided into three groups: wealthy, merchants/artisans, poor. These three can be further delineated, but for these purposes it is not necessary. During Elizabethan times, leisure became more common for the two lower classes and there was more for everybody to do that was meant for pleasure rather than work. Researchers into the period agree that the theater was a major source of entertainment for all of the different groups, but they do not agree how that was structured. This paper will look at the different classes of Elizabethan theater goers and try to determine…...
mlaWorks Cited
Adams, Robert M. The Land and Literature of England: A Historical Account. New York: Norton, 1983.
Bowles, Samuel C. "Shakespeare's Elizabethan Audience." Amalgam 2 (2007).
Forse, James H. Commercial and Political in Elizabethan Theater. Bowling Green, KY: Bowling Green State University, 1993.
Howard, Jean E. The Stage and Social Struggle in Early Modern England. New York: Routledge, 1994.
theater order variety fortunate today. Because Shakespeare the Globe Theater great
It was quite an experience to watch Shakespeare's Globe Theater Production of Othello in 2007. There are quite a few elements of Shakespeare, and of dramatic works in general, that take on different connotations when they are acted out and presented to the public vs. simply being read. These connotations had both positive and negative effects for both of the media in which a play may be absorbed, either by watching it in person or by reading it. As such, they certainly contributed to a unique viewing of Othello.
One of the several aspects of a dramatic work that is enhanced by watching a play is humor. The laughter of the audience, indeed, the audience's very participation in the Globe Theater's 2007 production of Othello, helped to heighten the viewing experience. Whereas in reading a play one merely laughs at…...
Phantom of the Opera" -- Recent theater performance
What is all the fuss about? For many years, ever since this reviewer was a child, stories have been spun about the wonders of this tale, of Erik, the lonely and murderous phantom of the Paris Opera tunnels, who falls in love with a lovely orphaned ballet dancer and soprano, named Christine. He mentors her in her music through the mirror of her dressing room until she falls in love with a man named Raul. Erik, the phantom, tries to steal her away forever, but only after Christine takes the starring role in the opera he has been writing for the stage for many years. At the end of the play, he allows Christine to live her own life and leaves the theater.
Since this play has been running for so long, much of the cast's chorus is seasoned, and all of the…...
Clybourne Park
Most theatergoers are familiar with the poem by African-American writer Langston Hughes, which asks "What happens to a dream deferred?" One of the possibilities offered in Hughes's poem is "Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?" This gives the title to Lorraine Hansberry's legendary 1959 drama A Raisin in the Sun, about the attempts of an African-American family to purchase a house in a largely-white suburb. Bruce Norris's 2011 Pulitzer Prize winning play Clybourne Park is, in many ways, a contemporary rewrite of Hansberry's play -- but it seems to explore the possibility that Langston Hughes hinted at in the last line of his poem: "What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it explode?" Certainly Grant Mudge's production of Clybourne Park, now running at Notre Dame University, is an explosive event -- the fireworks fly onstage in the lively impassioned performances by the ensemble…...
Theatre in Antiquity:
The Romans and the Greeks in a Quest for Entertainment
Entertainment in antiquity was often found at a theater, in the form of a play. Due to the efforts of the Romans and the Greeks in this particular area, we have a rich dramatic culture today. However, as mentioned in the paper, there are basic differences between Roman and Greek theaters. Though both provided forms of entertainment, they did so in different ways. The Roman Theater was often used to prove prowess and authority. Though it included some dramatic plays, this theater, which was in the form of a structure such as the Coliseum, with arches and seating for thousands of people, was often utilized for non-entertainment purposes, such as punishments, combat and executions. This was, again, due to the fact that the Roman society was very hierarchical, and Romans utilized a lot of propaganda to keep this kind…...
(Philadelphia Theater Company)
This year, the magic and the splendor of the Holiday Season would be welcomed by the Philadelphia Dance Theater, which would perform with a hundred artistes, the ever popular holiday season play, the 'Nutcracker'. It must be noted that the very first Nutcracker Ballet performance was given in the year 1892, and it is the story of a young and lonely orphaned German girl named Laura, who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince. This particular production by the Philadelphia Dance Theater Company was choreographed by the 'Artistic Director', Joy Delaney-Capponi, and a very important feature of the play is the profusion of lavish Victorian hand made costumes that the actors on stage wear during their renditions. (100 dancers to welcome the Holiday Season November 12 when The Nutcracker comes to Horsham stage)
One costume in particular is certainly eye catching, and this is the eight feet by ten feet…...
mlaReferences
About Dance Theater of Pennsylvania. Retrieved at 14 November, 2005http://www.dancetheatreofpa.com/other.php?cid=aboutAccessed
100 dancers to welcome the Holiday Season November 12 when The Nutcracker comes to Horsham stage. Retrieved at Accessed 14 November, 2005http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:_hreq6BwCkkJ:www.hhef.org/The%2520Nutcracker.doc.
Dance Theater of Pennsylvania. Retrieved at Accessed 14 November, 2005http://www.dancetheatreofpa.com/.
Group Motion Press Room, Kick up your Heels. The Philadelphia Inquirer. 25 November, 2003.
The theater of the 1930s often saw strategies that wanted to expose the tragedy of American life at the time, but did not want to keep the audience in a state of depression, because after all, that was their everyday experience. As such, many theater productions began implementing multi-faceted strategies which included the combination of several genres in order to provide a flexibility that would both sadden and humor. Here, the research suggests that these plays prompt "us at one moment to objectivity and laughter and at the next moment to empathy and profound sad feeling; or in which the clauses are written to multiply, on top of one another and having an equal or near-equal weight, producing that suspenseful, odd, grotesque response of neither happy-nor-sad, a twist, a painful wringing" (Fearnow 52). The productions of the Mercury Theater definitely embodied that style, as Orson Welles often included in…...
mlaReferences
Classical TV. "Harold Clurman: A Life of Theater." Youtube. 2011. Web. Retrieved 5 Jun 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLqUPpSVMGM
Fearnow, Mark. The American Stage and the Great Depression: A Cultural History of the Grotesque. Cambridge University Press. 1997.
Odets, Clifford. Waiting for Lefty. Dramatists Play Service. 1962.
Rice, Elmer. The Adding Machine. Samuel French Inc. 2011.
Perhaps there is something deeper to Twilight than anyone is willing to admit. So, then, we must ask ourselves: hat are these films about? Is there not something revealing even about the reflections seen in popular culture? Cannot pop culture, therefore, be considered part of high culture? Must it be discarded simply because it is popular? I don't think that it must. And yet there is something distinctly different about the Tree of Life that Twilight simply does not have. One might call it vision or purpose. Perhaps this is the difference between high culture and popular culture. Needless to say, however, at a cinema one may often choose either/or.
Still, Umberto Eco states that "according to traditional standards in aesthetics, Casablanca is not a work of art, if such an expression still has meaning" (Eco 197). This is an interesting observation by Eco for a number of reasons. First,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1990.
Johnson, Paul. Art: A New History. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.
Serper, G. "Smackdown of the Week: Stephen King vs. Twilight's Stephanie
Meyer." 2009. Web. Sept 25, 2012.
Live Theater's Financial Struggles
Live theater is one of the most enduring art forms. In older times, traveling troops performed at different locations, providing one of the more consistent forms of entertainment through much of history. Eventually, cities and larger towns began building buildings that were devoted to players, and theater became a common form of entertainment. However, as movies became popular, the theater began to lose its common appeal. This decline has continued as electronic entertainment has grown more popular. However, in addition to facing competition from other forms of entertainment, the theater is very vulnerable to changes in the economy. As a result, many live theaters seem to perpetually struggle with their finances. This has even led to speculation that, outside of the Broadway context, live theater is destined to fail. hile that hopefully is not true, it is certain that live theaters are struggling.
In September 2010, in Bristol,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Brown, Roger. "Theater Bristol Struggling Financially." TriCities.com. N.p., 9 Sep. 2010.
Web. 28 Dec. 2011.
Globe Theater is the place where most of illiam Shakespeare's major works including his famous four tragedies were first staged. This fact alone makes it a fascinating subject for students of literature and history to explore. Although the original building was destroyed in the mid-seventeenth century, a new "Globe Theater" has been built near the site of the old theater in London. The building replicates many of the original features of Shakespeare's Globe Theater and still stages some of the bard's plays to give the modern theater going audience the original 'flavor' of the bard's masterpieces. This paper traces the history of the Globe Theater, describes the original building's main features, and covers the recent re-building of the new Globe in the vicinity of the old theater.
Origins
Cuthberg Burbage, an associate of Shakespeare and brother of the most famous Shakespearean actor of the time, Richard Burbage had inherited a London…...
mlaWorks Cited
Malvasi, Meg Greene. "Shakespeare's Globe Theater." Suite101.com. April 20, 1999. October 10, 2003 http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_for_children/18004
Moore, R. "Shakespeare's Globe Theater." Enotes.com. n.d. October 10, 2003 http://www.allshakespeare.com/globe.php
The Old Globe -- A general introduction." University of Reading, UK. Last modified on June 2003. October 10, 2003 http://www.rdg.ac.uk/globe/siteinfo/Globeintro.htm
Pressley, J.M. " The Globe." Shakespeare Resource Center, October 2, 2003. October 10, 2003. http://www.bardweb.net/globe.html
In the Hollywood Pictures Backlot one can take part in an "I want to be in pictures" moment. The Disney Animation attraction provides an insider's view exhibiting the number of Disney's animated movies and characters were created. The Hyperion theatre hosts Aladdin -A Musical Spectacular that is a 45-minute live performance with brilliant visual effects for which one has to wait for nearly an hour. The latest attraction of the park is the Tower of Terror after a 1930s hotel which was shown in The Twillight Zone. The most frightening part of this attraction is the service elevator ride which transports one from the basement of the Hollywood Tower Hotel to the 13th Floor and returns back once again at speeds where people scream loudly. (Sights and Activities: Disney's California Adventure)
Bug's Land, which comes inspired from the film A Bug's Life shows an insect's point-of-view. At the Princess Dot…...
mlaReferences
Cinema Treasures. Retrieved at Accessed 24 October, 2005http://cinematreasures.org/theater/830/ .
Game Experts, Technologists, Artists and Scholars Explore the Rise of Digital Games and their Impact on Entertainment in the 21st Century. USC Annenberg Center for Communication and IDSA to Host Entertainment in the Interactive Age. Retrieved at Accessed 25 October, 2005http://www.idsa.com/releases/1_8_2001.html.
Gardiner, Debbi. Anime in America: Japan's animated movies have risen from cult status to cultural force in U.S. Next up for the moviemakers: wining approval from Mom and Dad. Japan. Inc. January, 2003. Retrieved at 25 October, 2005http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NTN/is_2003_Jan/ai_104732914Accessed
Sights and Activities: Disney's California Adventure. Retrieved at Accessed 25 October, 2005http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=&cur_section=sig&property_id=183305
One of the most interesting issues in international relations is the role that nuclear weapons play in the effort to obtain peace. Many people suggest that nuclear weapons can preserve peace. The United States was the first country to actively deploy nuclear weapons in an effort to shorten a war by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The widespread destruction, which was unlike anything ever experienced in a war up to that point, is often credited with ushering in the end of World War II, at least in the Pacific....
Shakespeare may be the most popular broad topic for essays in English classes. He wrote some of the most well-known works in the English language and, while he is known for his plays, he is also known for poetry. English essays may focus on his works, but it is also possible to write compelling essays about Shakespeare’s life, including the enduring popular topic of whether Shakespeare was the true author of the works credited to him.
Here are some essay title suggestions:
Ballet is a classical form of dance that originated in the 15th century during the Italian Renaissance. It is a highly technical and artistic dance style that emphasizes precise movements, grace, and elegance. Ballet dancers undergo rigorous training and follow a structured technique that includes specific positions of the arms and feet, intricate footwork, and fluid body movements. The dancers often wear pointe shoes to perform on their toes and create an illusion of weightlessness. Ballet includes various styles, such as classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and contemporary ballet, each showcasing different choreography and music. It is widely performed in professional....
**Literary Analysis and Criticism**
* **Compare and contrast the literary techniques and themes employed by two or more authors in their works.**
* **Analyze the structure, language, and symbolism in a literary work to uncover its deeper meanings.**
* **Examine the historical and cultural context that influenced the creation and reception of a literary text.**
* **Explore the psychoanalytic or feminist perspectives on a literary work and discuss their implications.**
* **Evaluate the significance and lasting impact of a particular literary movement or genre.**
**Rhetorical Analysis and Argument**
* **Analyze the persuasive techniques used in a speech, essay, or other persuasive text.**
* **Evaluate the logical reasoning and....
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