GUIDE TO BASIC ELEMENTS OF THEATRICAL PRODUCTION Sce.docx

GUIDE TO BASIC ELEMENTS
OF THEATRICAL PRODUCTION


Scenery * Acting * Lighting * Costumes * Spatial Relationships * Sound * Audience


By Dr. Barbara Clayton


Successful writing about theatrical performance relies on the writer's ability to identify, describe,
analyze, and evaluate specific elements of production. Usually shaped by a director, designers,
and actors in response to dramatic text, these production elements create the meanings
spectators take from theatrical performance. All of these elements interact, so the planning of a
production is usually a collaborative endeavor by the director, designers, and actors to create a
specific theatrical experience.

Intended to aid students in analyzing production elements in performance, the following
Guide briefly summarizes the primary production elements.


Scenery
Scenery provides the physical environment in which the dramatic action comes to life. Two
important functions of scenery are to create a visual world for the dramatic action and to provide
an interesting space for actors and director to use in creating physical action onstage. Scene
designers use style, color, mass, form, line, and texture within a defined space (usually a stage)
to create the world of the play. When analyzing scenery in a production, consider the following
topics:


● Environmental conditions: What does the scenery convey about time of year,
weather, geography, or other environmental conditions?

● Movement potential: How do actors enter and exit the stage? Are there staircases,
spiraling ramps, large open spaces, or other features that suggest specific movement
patterns?

● Style: Does the scenery create a realistic sense of time and place? Or is the space
symbolic or abstract? Does the scenery employ scenic conventions from a different
time or place? Japanese Kabuki staging, for example, or painted scenery in the style of
18th century England?

● Color, texture, line, and rhythm: Does the scenery use bright or subdued colors?
Rough, jagged, soft, or silken surfaces? Smooth, undulating lines or rectilinear forms?
One door or many doors? What atmosphere or mood do these choices create? Size and
scale? How large or small are the scenic elements in relationship to the actors and the
audience? What might scenic scale imply about the action of the play?

● Scene changes: Does the scenery change, how often, and why or why not? How do
the scene changes influence the overall rhythm of the action?

● Relationship to audience: What relationship between the audience and the
performance does the scenery suggest? Do scenic elements blend into audience space?
Is the audience separated from the performance space by a spatial or physical barrier?



2
 

Acting
Actors bring the characters to life, investing them with movement, voice, passion, intellect, and
desire. Voice and body are the actor’s primary tools, but other production elements often assist
the actor in representi.

1. GUIDE TO BASIC ELEMENTS
OF THEATRICAL PRODUCTION


Scenery * Acting * Lighting * Costumes * Spatial Relationships
* Sound * Audience


By Dr. Barbara Clayton


Successful writing about theatrical performance relies on the
writer's ability to identify, describe,
analyze, and evaluate specific elements of production. Usually
shaped by a director, designers,
and actors in response to dramatic text, these production
elements create the meanings
spectators take from theatrical performance. All of these
elements interact, so the planning of a
production is usually a collaborative endeavor by the director,
designers, and actors to create a
specific theatrical experience.

Intended to aid students in analyzing production elements in
performance, the following
Guide briefly summarizes the primary production elements.


Scenery
Scenery provides the physical environment in which the
dramatic action comes to life. Two
important functions of scenery are to create a visual world for

2. the dramatic action and to provide
an interesting space for actors and director to use in creating
physical action onstage. Scene
designers use style, color, mass, form, line, and texture within a
defined space (usually a stage)
to create the world of the play. When analyzing scenery in a
production, consider the following
topics:


● Environmental conditions: What does the scenery convey
about time of year,
weather, geography, or other environmental conditions?

● Movement potential: How do actors enter and exit the stage?
Are there staircases,
spiraling ramps, large open spaces, or other features that
suggest specific movement
patterns?

● Style: Does the scenery create a realistic sense of time and
place? Or is the space
symbolic or abstract? Does the scenery employ scenic
conventions from a different
time or place? Japanese Kabuki staging, for example, or painted
scenery in the style of
18th century England?

● Color, texture, line, and rhythm: Does the scenery use bright
or subdued colors?
Rough, jagged, soft, or silken surfaces? Smooth, undulating
lines or rectilinear forms?
One door or many doors? What atmosphere or mood do these
choices create? Size and
scale? How large or small are the scenic elements in
relationship to the actors and the

3. audience? What might scenic scale imply about the action of the
play?

● Scene changes: Does the scenery change, how often, and why
or why not? How do
the scene changes influence the overall rhythm of the action?

● Relationship to audience: What relationship between the
audience and the
performance does the scenery suggest? Do scenic elements
blend into audience space?
Is the audience separated from the performance space by a
spatial or physical barrier?



2


Acting
Actors bring the characters to life, investing them with
movement, voice, passion, intellect, and
desire. Voice and body are the actor’s primary tools, but other
production elements often assist
the actor in representing characters. Costume, including hair
and make-up, is especially
important. Also important is an actor’s ability to shape his or
her performance in relation to the
ensemble (the other actors). Different production styles (for
example realism, epic theatre, or
theatre of the absurd) call for varying acting styles. When
analyzing acting in a production,
consider the following topics:

● Voice: Does the actor use specific pitch, range, volume,
quality, or vocal rhythms to

4. create the character? Does the actor use dialect or accent? Does
the actor use any unusual
vocal mannerisms to create character (for example, a cough or
other repetitive sound)?
How do these vocal choices create character?

● Body: How does the actor stand and move? Does she crouch
and creep about the stage?
Or does she stand tall and walk with stately grace? What
rhythms does the actor use? Is
his movement abrupt and unpredictable or smooth and flowing?
Does the actor use any
physical mannerisms (for example, constantly straightening
objects on a desk or picking
lint from clothing)? How do these physical choices create
character?

● Ensemble: Does the actor seem to listen to the other actors
and respond accordingly? Is
there a real sense of give-and-take on stage? What does the
actor do when not speaking?

● Style: Does the actor attempt to believably embody the
character? Is the actor’s goal to
“show” a character’s actions without fully embodying them?
Does a character’s
believability seem less important than the playwright’s or
director’s specific vision?
What specific choices in voice, body, and ensemble create the
sense of style?


Spatial Relationships
The term "spatial relationships" (sometimes called "blocking")
refers to the physical positioning
of actors on the stage relative to other actors, scenic elements,

5. the playing space, and the
audience. A director usually
works with actors to establish patterns of movement and
physical positions that illuminate
characters, character relationships, and the dramatic action.
When analyzing spatial relationships
in a production, consider the following topics:


● Areas: Are specific areas on the stage associated with specific
characters or actions?
● Levels: Does the scenery permit actors to appear on different
levels? What

implications about character relationships emerge from the use
of levels?
● Distance: Do characters appear close together or far apart
when they interact? What

information about their relationship is implied by physical
distance?
● Rhythm and line: Do actors move quickly or slowly? Do they
approach others

directly or indirectly? What do these patterns of movement
convey about the
characters, their intentions, or their relationships?

● Change: Does the actors' use of areas, levels, distance, or
rhythm and line change
during the performance? What does the change imply?

● Relationship to audience: Do the actors speak and interact
with each other as if the
audience weren't there? Do the actors speak or physically
interact with the audience?

6. What does this imply about the style of the performance?



3


Costumes
A character's costume includes his or her clothes, makeup, and
hairstyle, and might also include
personal items such as a handbag or umbrella. While a costume
may convey external aspects of a
character such as his/her profession and social class, it also
suggests inner elements of character
such as mood and personality. Costume designers use color,
texture, pattern, weight, as well as
historical period, to create a character's costume. When
analyzing costume choices in a
production, consider the following topics:


● Socioeconomic class: What does the costume convey about
the character's position in
society? How is this information conveyed through texture,
style, color, pattern,
weight, or fit of clothing?

● Environmental conditions: What does the costume convey
about time of year,
weather, geography, or other environmental conditions? How is
this information
conveyed through texture, style, color, pattern, weight, or fit of
clothing?

● Occupation: What does the costume convey about how the
character spends his/her

7. time? How is this information conveyed through texture, style,
color, pattern, weight,
or fit of clothing?

● Culture: What does the costume convey about cultural origins
or affiliations? How is
this information conveyed through texture, style, color, pattern,
weight, or fit of
clothing?

● Mood and temperament: What does the costume convey about
the character's state
of mind, preferences, habits, and way of life? How is this
information conveyed
through texture, style, color, pattern, weight, or fit of clothing?

● Relationship to the play and other characters: What does the
costume convey about
the spirit and style of the play and the character's relationship to
other characters in the
play? How is this information conveyed through texture, style,
color, pattern, weight,
or fit of clothing?

● Costume changes: If a character changes costume, what does
the change in costume
convey about the character's actions or state of mind?

● Movement potential: How does the costume facilitate or
constrict the movement of
the actor? To what effect? Do the fabric and cut of the costume
create movement when
the actor moves? Consider a heavy robe, a long train on a dress,
or a silky, flowing
gown, for example.

8. 4


Sound
Sound effects and music generate meaning, create mood, and
enhance atmosphere or feeling in a
theatrical performance. In addition, directors and sound
designers often use preshow music to
establish the initial mood of a performance or postshow music
to prolong the final mood of a
performance. When analyzing sound in a production, consider
the following topics:


● Environmental conditions: What does the sound convey about
time of year, weather,
geography, or other environmental conditions?

● Style: Does the sound create a realistic sense of time and
place? Or is the sound
symbolic or abstract?

● Mood: Does the sound contribute to establishing the mood of
the dramatic action?
Spooky sounds on a dark night, for example, might suggest a
mysterious atmosphere,
or wind rustling the leaves of an aspen tree might suggest a
cool, relaxing summer
afternoon.

● Rhythm: Does the sound work with movement of the actors

9. and the lighting to create
a specific pace for the dramatic action?

● Volume: Is the sound a soft, background noise or a loud jolt?
Why?
● Live or recorded: Does the performance use live sound,
recorded sound, or a mix? To

what effect?




Lighting
Theatrical lighting serves not only the important practical
purpose of making actors visible on
stage, but also the artistic purpose of conveying information and
atmosphere about the dramatic
action. Lighting designers use the color, texture, intensity
(brightness or dimness), direction, and
movement of light to help create the world of the play. When
analyzing lighting choices in a
production, consider the following topics:


● Focusing attention: How does the light focus attention to
particular areas of the
stage? Are some areas more brightly lit than others? Is light
used to provide scenic
transitions? Is absence of light important?

● Texture and pattern: Does the light use texture or pattern to
suggest scenic location
or environment? Leafy texture, for example, might suggest an
exterior location, or a
window pattern an interior location.

10. ● Direction and color: Do the direction and color of the light
mimic real life sources
such as the sun? Do the direction and color convey a mood or
atmosphere? Is the color
warm or cool? Does the source of the light appear to move or
change?

● Style: Does the light create a realistic sense of time and
space? Or is the light more
abstract, disobeying "real world" rules about the way light looks
and behaves? Are
there lamps, chandeliers, or candles on the stage? What effect
or mood do they create?

● Rhythm: Does the light change quickly in texture, pattern,
color, direction, intensity,
or movement? Or do the variations in look or feel of the lights
happen slowly?





5


Audience

Though often overlooked, the audience is a critical element of
theatrical production. In fact,
many theories of theatre are founded upon the assumption that
the basic minimum requirements
for performance to occur are the presence of at least one
audience member and at least one
performer. Theatre practitioners must take the audience into

11. account in many ways in planning
and executing a production, including:

• Presentational/Representational Style: Do the actors
acknowledge the audience and
sometimes speak directly to them (Presentational style) or do
the actors construct a
fictional world that the audience looks in on voyeuristically
without the actors
acknowledging their presence (Representational style)?

• Motion: Does the audience remain seated throughout the
performance, or does the
audience move from place to place as part of the performance?
Physical arrangement:
In theatres with flexible seating, how is the audience arranged?
(On all sides of the
action? On three sides of the action?) Are there unusual seating
choices, such as audience
members seated on the stage? Does the performance extend into
the audience’s seating
area, with performers directly interacting with audience
members physically?

• Emotional relationship to the action: Is the audience meant to
be emotionally engaged
by the scenes unfolding onstage, or does the production take
steps to keep the audience at
a critical distance? Is the audience meant to feel safe and
comfortable, or does the
production confront the audience with uncomfortable or
disorienting experiences?

• Dramaturgical materials: What, if any, materials are provided
to the audience to
contextualize the play, and how do they prepare the audience

12. for the theatrical
experience? Is there a director’s note? Historical background on
the play? Images?
Special instructions to the audience?

• Audience makeup: Is the audience made up largely of a group
that knows one another
(school groups, for instance) or has special needs that must be
taken into account (groups
with multiple language capabilities that require translation)? Is
the audience required to
be here for a class? Is the group diverse in terms of age, socio-
economic status, gender,
race, familiarity with the play in question, etc.? Has the
production taken diversity into
account in its approach to the audience?




Assessment 3: Reflective Essay

The third assessment task for this unit is a reflective essay
[1000 words]. Each student will write a reflective essay based
on his or her experience of engaging with a cross-cultural
community. Student can use example from their previous or
current experience of working with a community group and
reflect on communication and cultural challenges they
experience. Students should then discuss learning they achieved
from this experience and how they will apply that knowledge to
improve their current or future public health practice.

The reflective essay will be assessed on the following criteria.

The essay shows evidence of understanding of cross-cultural
community engagement: 25%

13. Reflection demonstrates use of appropriate language, personal
learning and change in practice: 25%

Reflexivity in linking personal experience, practice examples
and evidence: 25%

All work is the student's own, all information is properly
referenced, and essay is written according to academic
convention: 25%

Students must achieve 50% in this assessment to pass the unit.

PBHL20002 Assessment 2 Case Study
You are a public health and systems expert who has been
consulted by a local council government in the suburbs of a
major Australian city. There are various ongoing problems with
a local shopping centre in the council’s jurisdiction, and they
have decided to seek outside advice about the problems’ source
and possible courses of action.
The shopping centre is a relatively new development by the
standards of this city, originally being constructed in 1981. It
is, however, on the larger side, with 100 shops laid out in the
manner of an American-style shopping mall. These shops
include major supermarkets, small retailers owned by members
of the community, medium-sized budget retailers that employ
large numbers of people from the council’s area, and local
outlets of a major national electronics retailer and a major
national toy retailer. At the time it was built, it was considered
advanced and progressive, and rapidly became an integral part
of the community. It has been a hub for grocery shopping and
discretionary purchases for a large area of the suburbs, and has
hosted local events for schoolchildren and older people.
Eight months ago, a cluster of cases of legionnaires’ disease
was identified, and soon connected with the shopping centre. An
investigation determined that it was the result of contamination

14. to the air conditioning system, and the centre was shut down for
a week so that the air conditioning system’s reserve tank and
ductwork, and the individual stores’ systems, could be
decontaminated and further testing carried out. This was
accompanied by extensive discussion in the city’s newspapers,
given the centre’s significance to its community.
In the last three months, issues related to the centre have
become more and more prominent. The centre’s vacancy rate
has risen to 10% - in the shopping centre management field, a
vacancy rate in this range is considered a sign of a mall in
trouble. There has been a range of discussion about the centre’s
problems in the community, and within the council, including
both anecdotal evidence and data-based content. This discussion
culminated in a call for submissions to the council, and its
members have summarised five of the key points as questions
for you to address.
You may respond to them with any position you want to take –
but remember that you are a professional and should conduct
yourself accordingly. Make use of your knowledge about
systems theory and public health to provide advice to the
council. If any of your responses recommend interventions or
policies, you do not need to address specific monetary costs or
Australian building standards – you can assume that the details
of this will be worked out by the council once they make a
decision, so you can make general comments (“relatively cheap”
vs “relatively expensive”, etc). If you make use of any outside
sources or articles, please include a bibliography at the end of
your responses.

Before presenting any of the specific issues raised, some of the
council members have a more general question they wish to
have addressed. These members admit to confusion as to what is
going on at the shopping centre – they state that the
investigation and cleanup processes were transparent and
involved extensive communication with the public, particularly
via city and local newspapers. Why is the shopping centre

15. having problems? (10 points)


One of the submissions comes from a member of the council
who deals with public health issues. This submission claims that
the shopping centre’s problems are primarily the concern of its
management and the operating company, and that the way it has
been brought to the council is an attempt to avoid responsibility
and deflect attention away from management problems. Do you
find this argument plausible? Why or why not? (10 points)


Another submission comes from the shopping centre’s
management. It comments on the significant decline in
attendance at the centre since the completion of the
decontamination process. Not only is foot traffic down
compared to this time last year, but the management has run
several events for schoolchildren and senior citizens, which
they were not as well attended as similar ones in the past. The
submission blames the council for this, specifically stating that
they have failed to address the change in the risk situation since
the completion of the decontamination process. Assuming that
this is the case, how would you address it? (10 points)


There is a submission from local business interests, specifically
an association that represents small businesses like the ones that
account for many of the shopping centre’s tenants. According to
this association, the council failed to communicate adequately
with small businesses when the outbreak was discovered. They
claim that the council gave very short notice that the centre was
going to be closed for decontamination, causing disruptions
from which the businesses are yet to recover. The council, in
turn, claims that the disruption was unavoidable considering the
seriousness of the public health issue. Which of these positions
do you most agree with? If you agree with the small businesses,

16. how could the council have handled it better? If you agree with
the council, what is more likely to be the cause of the small
businesses’ problems, and how can they address them? (10
points)


One submission comes from a member of the public, who
describes themselves as “a long-time shopper and friend of the
centre”. They state that the centre was advanced for its time but
is less so now, and has needed renovations and updates for a
long time. They mention that the centre’s management has plans
for expansion and attracting larger retailers, including luxury
brands, which have not been discussed as much since the
legionnaires’ disease outbreak. They go on to claim that
renovations and upgrades “could solve both its public health
problem and its business problems”. What do you think the
person means by this? How could this be achieved? What other
impacts might it have on the centre and the community, and
should it be done anyway? (10 points)



Intro to Theatre and Dramatic Literature (ENGL/TD120), Fall
2022
Writing Assignment One: Observing Elements of Production
Due: 10/11 on Canvas by 11:59 PM CST.


RESPONSE OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES


Writing Assignment One is designed to help you observe how a
single element of production
works both descriptively and analytically. To do well on this
assignment, you’ll need to push yourself
to carefully observe the choices made by designers in ways that

17. you may not have noticed prior
to taking this class. The assignment asks you to report
objectively (without personal opinion or bias)
in Observation Sections #1 and #2 before coming to your own
assertive conclusions in the Analysis
Section.

Expectation: Demonstrate ability to describe and critique one
element of theatre production
the National Theatre’s adaptation of Treasure Island (dir. Polly
Findlay) [available through Drama
Online Database on the UW-Madison library website]. Your TA
will tell you which Production
Element you will be considering. To succeed on the assignment,
you must:

1) Closely observe how one specific production element in the
performance is being used to help
create meaning in production.
2) Report observations with clarity and specific detail.
3) Draw clear conclusions grounded in observations.


PRODUCTION ELEMENT
RESPONSE STRUCTURE


Note: Each section should start on its own page. IE) Section 1
Should begin on Page 1; Section 2
on Page 2; Section 3 on Page 3.

Section 1. Observations from Production: The production
Element in the entire production (250-
300 words)

Using vocabulary from Barbara Clayton’s “Guide to Basic

18. Elements of Theatre Production,
make observations about a single production element in a single
production. How do you observe
the production element working across the production? Are
there repeated patterns used by the
designer? Specific sections that have more production element
density than others? Successful
responses will describe the overall use of the production
element in the production objectively and
support the description with cited evidence.

Section 2. Observations from one Scene: The production
Element in a single scene (250-300
words)

How does the production element work in a single scene?
Choose one brief window of time
between 180-300 consecutive seconds in length to specifically
observe. Watch this scene
repeatedly until you are confident in the use of the production
element in this scene. Successful
responses will use cited example to describe how the element
functions in this scene.




Section 3. Analysis: Insights into how the Production Element
choices make meaning for
audience (200-250 words)

1) What meaning can you make from the designer/director’s
production element choices in the
scene[add specific scene language]?
2) How do the specific choices impact the audience’s
experience of the narrative and the theatrical

19. event?
3) Did you find the designer’s choices effective?

Successful responses will support claims with specific evidence
and avoid generalizations.


GRADING CRITERIA
Observations #1: 25%
Observations #2: 25%
Analysis: 30%
Properly Cited Evidence: 10%
Logistics, Grammar, Spelling, Mechanics: 10%


LOGISTICS
Citation:
-Cite evidence by either video time stamp (hour: minute:
second). For example, if the lighting
changes drastically one hour and 30 minutes into the
productions for a duration of 30 seconds you
might write:

Designer Mike Smith used a pinpoint spotlight on actor Jane
Doe (1:30:00-1:30:30).

-This level of citation specificity is essential for letting your
reader understand your observations and
eventual analysis.
-You should mention the directors, actors, and designers
responsible for the choices being made by
name at least once whenever possible.
-I do not expect you to use outside sources for this assignment,
but if you do so, you must cite them
properly.

20. Word Choice:
-You are not allowed to use first person singular pronouns (I,
my, me, mine) except when quoting
the text. The reason? Pushing subjective reactions to the
sideline for this essay will help you focus
on objective evidence.

Logistics:
-To receive full credit for “Logistics,” your heading should
follow this template:
[Your Name]
ENGL/TD120- [Your Section] / [TA’s Last Name]
Scene: [Indicate your focal scene]
Word Counts: 222 / 215 / 199 [Indicate word counts for each of
the 3 sections]

Use standard formatting: 12 point Times font with 1” margins
and double spacing. PDF
submissions only.