Grva Module 3 - Unit 1

Similar to other visual artworks, theater and film have several components
that are primarily visual. This module explores visual components of theater and film
and how they are evaluated.
UNIT 1 Theater Analysis
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Apply the different concepts of theater in analyzing a play and
performing a monologue.
2. Illustrate the steps in analyzing theater.
You have experienced theater through the school plays you have
seen or performed in, through the religious dramas in church,
through video recordings of theatrical performances, etc. Based on
what you already know about theater, answer the questions.
1. In your opinion, what does this two-faced

symbol for theater mean?
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Source: cleanpng.com
2. What do the lines below mean?
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances…”
– William Shakespeare from As You Like It, spoken by Jaques
______________________________________________________________________________
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Let’s delve into the what, who, why, and how of theater and
explore how such components are used in analyzing theater or
play.
Theater Defined
Joseph the Dreamer, 2019

SLU Center for Culture and the Arts
Source: kmaltomonte.blogspot.com
Theatre is derived from the Greek theaomai, “to see” or theasthai,

JL “behold” the performance itself may appeal either to the ear or to the
eye, as is suggested by the interchangeability of the terms spectator
(which derives from words meaning “to view”) and audience (which
derives from words meaning “to hear”).
In dramatic arts, theater is an art concerned almost exclusively with live

JL performances in which the action is precisely planned to create a
coherent and significant sense of drama.
Theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live

JL performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a
real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often
a stage.
Theater refers to the actual production of the written play on stage. Its
JL basic element is the script as it is the raw material from which the
performance is created. In general, a truly memorable theatrical
experience is a performance in which the script has revealed its
meanings and intentions through skillful acting in an environment
designed with the appropriate measure of beauty or visual impact.
2

Theater Team
The Playwright þ selects the subject that

the play will revolve on
þ establishes the purpose
of the play
þ develops the dramatic
structure of the play
þ revises/rewrites
The Performers þ give body, voice, and

imagination to what
was only a shadowy
indication in the script
Ang Huling El Bimbo is written by Filipino
þ performs (act, sing, playwright Dingdong Novenario, who is
dance) in the play; an Eraserheads fan.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
most visible element of
theater
The Design and þ creates the costume design which also includes
Production Team makeup (costume designer)
þ manages the lights and sounds (lighting and sound
designer)
þ builds the set (set designer)
þ designs and directs the dance or stylized movement
in musical productions (choreographer)
þ directs the musical performances in a play (music
director)
The Director þ decides on the interpretation of the script

þ casts and rehearses actors
þ collaborates with everyone in the production
þ coordinates all elements
Four Reasons to Study Theater
1. Theatre as a humanity/liberal art
Like how the other humanities/liberal arts help us understand the world
and our place in it, theatre reflects and possibly affects its society's view of
the world: its history, philosophy, religious attitudes, social structure,
theoretical assumptions, its way of thinking about humanity and the world
and nature. Therefore, theatre can be a medium for us to know more about
our own society, other societies, and the world.
3

2. Theater as a social force
Theatre is perhaps the world's second oldest profession and has been
praised and damned throughout history.
• Plato, in The Republic, stated poetry (including drama and art was
fiction/lying/morally suspect, and thus advocating the banning of
poets.
• Aristotle stated in his Poetics, that tragedy (a kind of play) came from a
natural tendency of humans to imitate.
• Justinian, the holy Roman emperor, married Theodora only after she
denounced her profession (actress).
• Molière, a famous French playwright, was denied the sacrament after
collapsing on stage during one of his plays (1673) -- King Louis XIV had
to intervene to grant Molière a Christian burial.
Theater as education, a social force. Throughout history theatre has

often been a primary means of teaching:
• medieval theatre taught about the Bible and Christianity
• the Blue Blouse troupes in Russia taught about how to be a good
communist
• Shakespeare's histories can be seen as defending the Elizabethan
monarchy
Theatre as influencer and reflector of social values. Theater sometimes

does not intend to have a social purpose or effect but has caused riots:
• Victor Hugo's Hernani (1830) caused riots because it was not a true
"neoclassical" play.
• When an aristocratic Englishman Shakespeare's Macbeth in New York
in1849, anti-English and anti-elite rioters clashed with militia, known as
the Astor Place Riot.
From these few examples in history, we can see that theatre is a

cultural phenomenon that demands that society examines itself in the mirror.
We can study societal problems and attempt to find solutions.
3. Theater as a personal force
Being able to participate or perform in a stage play can have give an

individual several advantages:
• personal commitment to preparing a show
• concern feeling of community in endeavoring to do a job well
• personal satisfaction
• build and develop character interpersonal skills, teamwork
• creativity / critical thinking
• self-direction and a part of life-long learning
4

4. Theater as an art form, an entertainment
Just like watching a film is a form of entertainment, theater is also

another form of entertainment to many people. Experiencing theater can stir
up sheer excitement or amusement from the spectacular events that unfold
in person. The unique characteristic of theater that contrast to film is its live
performance. Audience feel a different satisfaction from the relationship the
performers build with them – the feeling of being part of the performance.
Moreover, theater is a combination of many art forms.

Elements of Theater
1. Performers are the people on stage presenting the characters in the

dramatic production. These are the actors and actresses who take note of
their dramatic actions which involves movement and motivation. They portay
these through their diction, vocal expression, projection, gestures or
movement, and facial expressions.
Ang Hiwaga ng Ibong Adarna, 2013

SLU Center for Culture and the Arts
Source: facebook.com Source: iamastagedirector.wordpress.com
2. Audience consists of people who watch the play and who are an essential
element of theater. The essence of theater is the interaction between the
performer and audience. There is a "call and response" atmosphere that can
not be witnessed in a movie theater. As theater is experienced live, the
performers respond to the energy or reaction of the audience.
3. Theater space is the space in which performers or audiences come together.

It is essential to have a stage, or some equivalent area, where actors and
actresses can perform. Set designers consider the entrances and exits and
the shape of the space. It is also essential to have a place for audience
members to sit or stand.
5

4. Design aspects consist of visual and non-visual component in a stage

production. These contribute to the story. They enhance the entire
production: setting the scenes on a time and place, helping the performers
play their roles more adequately, and making the plot more relatable.
visual design aspect non-visual design aspect
• costumes (including make up) • sound
• lighting • music
• set and props
Source: facebook.com
Costume - can denote character,

historical era and the style of the
production (naturalistic or abstract). If
a play is naturalistic then costume
needs to be authentic and
appropriate for the character, their
status and the play’s setting. Costume
is often used to help communicate a
character’s personality. A flamboyant
character might wear brightly
coloured clothing while a more
sombre or serious character would
dress in dark coloured clothes. Source: bbc.co.uk
Bright stage lighting can wash out facial features and make performers
appear pale, so make-up is used to enhance features and make sure that
the audience can see the actors’ facial expressions. Make-up can also be
used to age an actor who is playing an older character or to create fantasy
characters
Lighting - can be useful for defining different locations on the stage, creating
mood and atmosphere, highlighting key moments of action and directing
the audience’s focus. Lighting can denote time of year or day and can also
be used in an abstract or symbolic way, such as using a red light to symbolise
danger or passion. There are different types:
6

Spot has a hard-edged effect, used Fresnel is used for a softer edged
to light characters or elements on effect, with a diffusing lens in front of
the stage. the lamp.
Flood produces a clear wide-angled Strobe is a flashing light, used for

light, but there’s little control over the special effects. It’s often used to give
spread of the light. the effect of old movies.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Set - means the scenery and furniture onstage. Craeting the set involves
creating multiple locations, sightlines for the audience and entrances and
exits for the actors. Props - are the items held or used by actors onstage to
make the action more realistic. The set and props should be designed to
support the performers and the plot rather than for design’s sake.
Music and sound – can be live or recorded. Music and sound effects can
create mood and atmosphere, build tension, strengthen an emotion, help
set the scene, indicate a change orf time or location, and focus attention on
to a particular character. When music is played beneath a scene and used
to help create mood, this is called underscoring. Not all plays have
incorporate music.
7

5. Text consists of the plot and dialogue that are performed. It can also be
called the script. It is the (written) play or the work of the playwright.
When reading a play, a reader should seek to experience the

depiction of a total coherent action unraveling through a series of
subordinate actions. Since the playwright always has an eye on some ideal
performance in a theater, the reader should allow his or her imagination to
supply some of the details of the performance just as the playwright has
done. As the reader, you should be asking the ultimate question: “What is it
about?”
Source: Source: Source: Source:

goodreads.com goodreads.com bookdepository.com penguin.com.au
What, specifically, does a reader do?
a. Read the play thoroughly for story and plot. Your first reading should
concentrate on continuity, mood, and impact.
b. After reading the play, review the plot and story in your mind. Really get to
know the total action of the play. Consider the following to understand the
plot:
• create a summary to identify major events and their sequence
• make brief notes about key features or problems of the story
c. Reread the play (perhaps at a slower pace) and concentrate on the

scenes/events noted earlier. This is to ensure thorough comprehension which
is crucial in the analysis.
d. Make your intial analysis:

• Why is a certain character there?
• What does his or her presence contribute?
• How does he or she deliver language and tone?
Consider the audience as well since the differ in time and place, reactions,
and preparations.
8

Aids in Interpreting the Play (text)
Literary history and biography. Literary history, broadly construed, is the

study of literature as an extended body of material with innumerable
interconnections among its constituent parts (individual works) and innumerable
influences and parallels that exhibit a continuity and pattern over time.
Literary history is that discipline concerned with establishing the context

in which a work appears, that is, the shifts in taste and practice that have
exerted influence on writers at different times.
Plays can frequently be better understood when we know something

about their literary context.
Political and social history. Knowledge of the political and social

conditions of the time of the play can be so important as to be indispensable to
an understanding of an individual work.
Generally, the more one knows about life and society during the
period in which a play was written, the greater will be one’s comprehension of
the work itself.
Other disciplines. Plays do touch on human psychology, social

dimensions, certain religious tenets or philosophical beliefs, other arts or literary
types, etc. Hen ce, psychology, sociology, religion, philosophy, and arts other
than theater can be used as aids in examining plays, but making sure that a
proper perspective on the literary work is maintained so that it does not result in
a favored theory or doctrine—Marxist, feminist, post-colonial, and the like.
When watching a play, not only must you see and understand
what are explicitly said and shown, but you should also be
aware of all that is left unsaid or implied. This will lead to a
better understanding of a play. Think of a play you have seen,
and ponder on the approach below to analyse it.
A Step-by-Step Approach to Play Analysis
Analysis of Plot and Action

1. What are the given circumstances of the play’s action? Geographical
location? Historical period? Time of day? Economic environment? Political
situation? Social milieu? Religious system?
2. From what perspective do we see the events of the play? Psychological?

Ethical? Heroic? Religious? Political?
9

3. What has the dramatist selected of the possible events of the story to put into
actual scenes? Which events are simply reported or revealed through
exposition?
4. Drama is action and the essence of action is conflict. Insofar as a situation

contains conflict, it is dramatic: no conflict, no drama. Drama is the process
of resolving conflict, and what is most important in dramatic analysis is to
perceive the conflict inherent in the play. Conflict creates characters, or
characters—their opposing desires or needs—create conflict. What, then, is
the conflict in the play in terms of opposing principles? What kinds of qualities
are associated with either side, or with all sides? Or, considering the principal
characters as “ideas” or ethical/moral agents, into what sort of conflict can
you convert the plot? What is opposing what?
5. Where has the dramatist pitched the emphasis in his story, as an unfolding
action? What has happened before the play, and what happens during the
play?
6. How many acts and scenes are there? Did the play’s author note them or
were these divisions added later? What motivates the divisions of the play
and how are they marked (curtains, blackouts, etc.)?
7. Are there subplots? If so, how is each related to the main action?
8. What alignments, parallels, or repetitions do you notice?
9. What general or universal experience does the plot seem to be dramatizing?
Analysis of Characters
1. Assuming that each character is necessary to the plot, what is the dramatic
function of each?
2. Is there a wide range of character “positions” respecting such antitheses as

innocence-guilt, good-evil, honorableness-dishonorableness, reason-
irrationality, etc.?
3. What qualities or aspects of character are stressed: the physical, the social,
the psychological, or the moral or ethical?
4. How is character revealed? By symbols and imagery? By interaction with

various other characters? By what the character says? By what others say
about the character? By what the character does? (the most important). By
descriptions of the character in the stage directions?
5. Do several characters participate in the same “flaw” or kind of fallibility?
10

6. How do character traits activate the drama? (Note how a character’s traits
are invariably involved in his or her acts as motives for, or causes of, those
acts.)
7. What evidence of change can you detect? What seems to have been the
source of this change, and what does it signify for the play’s theme or the
final nature of the character’s identity?
8. How is the character’s change expressed dramatically? (For example, in a

“recognition” speech, in a newfound attitude, in a behavioral gesture, etc.)
Analysis of Language
1. The dialogue is the primary means by which a play implies the total makeup
of its imaginative world and describes the behavior of all the characters that
populate that world. For any one passage of dialogue in a play, ask yourself
the following questions:
• What happens during this dialogue and as a result of this dialogue?
• What does this passage reveal about the inner life and motives of each
character?
• What does this scene reveal about the relationships of the characters to
each other?
• What does this section reveal about the plot or about any of the
circumstances contributing to the complication or resolution of the plot?
• What are the most notable moments or statements in this dialogue?
• Are there any implicit or unspoken matters in this scene that deserve
attention?
• What facial expressions, physical gestures, or bodily movements are
implied by the dialogue?
• What props or set pieces are explicitly or implicitly called for in the
dialogue or the stage directions?
• What vocal inflections or tone of voice does a line suggest?
• Where might the characters increase or decrease the volume or speed of
their delivery?
• Where might the characters pause in delivering their lines?
• Where might the characters stand on stage and in relation to each other
at the beginning of the scene and at later points in the same scene?
2. Do all the characters use language in much the same way, or does each
have his or her own verbal characteristics?
3. What are the dominant image patterns? Do characters seem to share a

particular pattern, or it exclusive to one character?
4. What combinations or conflations of image patterns can you detect?
11

5. Explain the presence of such rhetorical devices as: sudden shifts from verse to
prose; rhymed couplets; “set” speeches that give the appearance of being
standard or conventional; choral speeches; formal “debates”; etc. These
devices are often used to emphasize, or italicize, certain aspects of meaning
and theme.
6. How, generally, would you distinguish the use of language and imagery in
this play from that of other plays?
7. In what ways does the language of the play—its imagery; style; tempo or
rhythm; tone; descriptive, informational, or ideational content; and level of
probability or internal consistency—help to create the sense of a unique
“world,” or circumscribed space, appropriate to this play and no other?
General
1. What is the dramatist’s attitude toward the materials of his or her play?
(Skeptical? Critical? Ironic? Sympathetic? Neutral or objective? Etc.)
2. What features or elements of the play seem to be the source of the

dramatist’s attitude?
3. What is the nature of the play’s world order? (Fatalistic? Benign? Malignant?
Just? Neutral?) Another way of asking this: Are there operative gods, and
what share of the responsibility for events do they hold? What is the source of
your impression of this world order?
4. Remember that meaning in drama is usually implied, rather than stated

directly. It is suggested by the relationships among the characters; the ideas
associated with unsympathetic and sympathetic characters; the conflicts
and their resolution; and such devices as spectacle, music, and song. What,
then, is the source of your impression of the play’s meaning?
5. If the play departs from realism or representationalism, what devices are used
to establish the internal logic of the action?
6. Are changes in the dramatic action paralleled by changes in visual elements

such as lighting, costume, make-up, and scenery? How important is such
visual detail to the dramatic action?
7. For what kind of theatrical space was the play intended by its author? Are
some of the play’s characteristics the result of dramatic conventions in use at
the time the work was written?
8. How extensive are the stage directions? Were they written by the author or
interpolated by someone else? What type of information do they convey?
12

Are they important to the dramatic action?
9. Is the play a translation? Can you compare it to the original? Can you
compare it with other translations? Are there significant differences between
the source and a translation?
10. Is there any difference between playing time (the time it takes to perform the
play) and illusory time (the time the action is supposed to take)? What is the
relationship between the two, if any?
11. Does the play clearly fall into one of the major dramatic categories (tragedy,
comedy, etc.)? What conventional features of its type does the play exhibit
(subject matter, situations, character types)? Does knowledge of the genre
contribute to an understanding of this play?
Visit the site below and read the script of “New Yorker in Tondo” by
Marcelin Agana Jr.
http://literature1newyorker.blogspot.com/p/manuscript.html
1. Answer the following questions: (bullet-style answers)

a. Who are the characters in the play? What are their specific roles?
b. Why did the characters meet at the house of Aling Atang?
c. What were the experiences of Kikay in New York?
d. What were the changes in behavior and attitude of Kikay after coming
from New York?
e. What were the reactions of the other characters to these changes in
Kikay?
f. What is the dominant contrast of the settings, Tondo and New York?
g. How is the image of two trees used to represent the two places?
h. What dramatic action showed the realization of Kikay about her drastic
change
in attitude?
i. What reflection about nationality/race can be derived from the play?
j. Why did Kikay choose to belong or associate herself to another race?
Recording a One-Minute
Commercial Monologue
TASK 4
Guidelines and evaluation tool/s for this task will be
posted on the Classwork page.
13

References:
Cardullo, R. J. (2015). Play Analysis: A Casebook on Modern Western Drama. Netherlands: Sense
Publishers. Retrieved from https://www.sensepublishers.com/media/2469-play-analysis.pdf
Davis, T. C., Chaillet, N., & Guthrie, T. (2020, April 28). Theater. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/art/theatre-art
Roche, M. (2009). Elements of theatre. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/a/penncharter.com/roche-website/7th-grade-drama/aspects-of-
theater
Theatre design - GCSE Drama Revision - BBC Bitesize. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zx2mn39
https://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/spd130et/whystudytheatre.htm
Images Sources:
https://www.cleanpng.com/png-stock-photography-4-pics-1-word-mask-theatre-royal-5843339/
http://kmaltomonte.blogspot.com/2009/10/realizing-dream-of-vibrant-baguio.html
https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/03/20/ang-huling-el-bimbo-musical-to-be-available-online-for-48-
hours
https://www.facebook.com/KamiAngTanghalangSLU/photos/a.501241756580463/501242496580389
https://www.facebook.com/theccaofslu/photos/2516857558638778
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z39x34j/revision/4
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Grva Module 3 - Unit 1

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UNIT 1 Theater Analysis

1. In your opinion, what does this two-faced

Joseph the Dreamer, 2019

Theatre is derived from the Greek theaomai, “to see” or theasthai,

In dramatic arts, theater is an art concerned almost exclusively with live

Theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live

The Playwright þ selects the subject that

The Performers þ give body, voice, and

The Director þ decides on the interpretation of the script

Four Reasons to Study Theater

1. Theatre as a humanity/liberal art

2. Theater as a social force

Theater as education, a social force. Throughout history theatre has

Theatre as influencer and reflector of social values. Theater sometimes

From these few examples in history, we can see that theatre is a

3. Theater as a personal force

Being able to participate or perform in a stage play can have give an

4. Theater as an art form, an entertainment

Just like watching a film is a form of entertainment, theater is also

Moreover, theater is a combination of many art forms.

1. Performers are the people on stage presenting the characters in the

Ang Hiwaga ng Ibong Adarna, 2013

3. Theater space is the space in which performers or audiences come together.

4. Design aspects consist of visual and non-visual component in a stage

Costume - can denote character,

Flood produces a clear wide-angled Strobe is a flashing light, used for

When reading a play, a reader should seek to experience the

Source: Source: Source: Source:

What, specifically, does a reader do?

c. Reread the play (perhaps at a slower pace) and concentrate on the

d. Make your intial analysis:

Aids in Interpreting the Play (text)

Literary history and biography. Literary history, broadly construed, is the

Literary history is that discipline concerned with establishing the context

Plays can frequently be better understood when we know something

Political and social history. Knowledge of the political and social

Other disciplines. Plays do touch on human psychology, social

A Step-by-Step Approach to Play Analysis

Analysis of Plot and Action

2. From what perspective do we see the events of the play? Psychological?

4. Drama is action and the essence of action is conflict. Insofar as a situation

8. What alignments, parallels, or repetitions do you notice?

9. What general or universal experience does the plot seem to be dramatizing?

2. Is there a wide range of character “positions” respecting such antitheses as

4. How is character revealed? By symbols and imagery? By interaction with

5. Do several characters participate in the same “flaw” or kind of fallibility?

8. How is the character’s change expressed dramatically? (For example, in a

3. What are the dominant image patterns? Do characters seem to share a

2. What features or elements of the play seem to be the source of the

4. Remember that meaning in drama is usually implied, rather than stated

6. Are changes in the dramatic action paralleled by changes in visual elements

Are they important to the dramatic action?

1. Answer the following questions: (bullet-style answers)

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