short essay

The Theatre Experience

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The Theatre Experience
T H I R T E E N T H E D I T I O N

EDWIN WILSON

Professor Emeritus
Graduate School and University Center
Th e City University of New York

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THE THEATRE EXPERIENCE THIRTEENTH EDITION

Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. Copyright © 2015 by
Edwin Wilson. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Previous editions © 2011,
2009, and 2007. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any
means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
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Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers
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Th is book is printed on acid-free paper.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wilson, Edwin.
Th e theater experience/Edwin Wilson, Professor Emeritus, Graduate School and University

Center, Th e City University of New York.—Th irteenth Edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-07-351427-7 (acid-free paper)—ISBN 0-07-351427-6 (acid-free paper)
1. Th eater. I. Title.
PN1655.W57 2014
792—dc23

2013039856

Th e Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the time of publication. Th e inclusion of a
website does not indicate an endorsement by the authors or McGraw-Hill Education, and McGraw-Hill
Education does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these sites.

www.mhhe.com

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About the Author

Edwin Wilson, as a teacher, author, critic, and director, has worked in many aspects of
theatre. Educated at Vanderbilt University, the University of Edinburgh, and Yale
University, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree, as well as the fi rst Doctor of Fine
Arts degree awarded by the Yale Drama School. He has taught at Yale, Hofstra, Vanderbilt,
Hunter College, and the CUNY Graduate Center. At Hunter he served as chair of the
Department of Th eatre and Film and head of the graduate theatre program. At CUNY
he was the Executive Director of the Segal Th eatre Center. He was the theatre critic for
Th e Wall Street Journal for 22 years and edited and wrote the introduction for Shaw on
Shakespeare. He is the author of Th e Th eatre Experience and a coauthor, with Alvin
Goldfarb, of Living Th eatre, Th eatre: Th e Lively Art, and a coeditor of Th e Anthology of
Living Th eatre, all published by McGraw-Hill. He has served as president of the New
York Drama Critics’ Circle, as well as a member of the selection committees of the
Pulitzer Prize in drama and the Tony awards. He is currently on the board of the Susan
Smith Blackburn Prize and the John Golden Fund, and for many years was on the
board of the Th eatre Development Fund, of which he served as president. Wilson
served as assistant to the producer for the fi lm Lord of the Flies directed by Peter Brook
and the Broadway play Big Fish, Little Fish directed by John Gielgud, was resident
director for a season at the Barter Th eatre in Virginia and the executive producer of the
fi lm Th e Nashville Sound. He co-produced the Broadway play Agatha Sue, I Love You,
directed by George Abbott.

v

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To my wife, Catherine

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vii

PART 1 The Audience 2

1 Th e Audience: Its Role and Imagination 7
2 Th e Background and Expectations of the Audience 27
3 Th eatre Spaces: Th e Audience Views the Stage 45

PART 2 The Performers and the Director 66

4 Acting 71
5 Th e Director and the Producer 95

PART 3 Setting the Stage: The Playwright and the Play 120

6 Creating the World of the Play 125
7 Dramatic Structure and Dramatic Characters 143
8 Th eatrical Genres 169

PART 4 The Designers 194

9 Scenery 199
10 Stage Costumes 221
11 Lighting and Sound 241

PART 5 The Theatre Today 262

12 Musical Th eatre 267
13 Global Th eatre Today 285
14 Contemporary Th eatre in the United States 309

Plays that may be Read Online 335
Glossary 338
Notes 346
Index 347

Contents in Brief

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PART 1

The Audience 2

Chapter 1 The Audience: Its Role and Imagination 7

Th e Contrast between Th eatre and Film 9
Th eatre Is Transitory and Immediate 10
Human Beings—Th e Focus of Th eatre 10
Th e Chemistry of the Performer-Audience Contact 11
Th eatre as a Group Experience 11

of Groups 11
How Audience Composition Aff ects the Th eatre Experience 12

Th e Separate Roles of Performers and Spectators 14
How Should the Audience Be Involved? 14
Audience Participation through Direct Action 15

Th e Imagination of the Audience 16
Tools of the Imagination: Symbol and Metaphor 17
Th e “Reality” of the Imagination 20

Th e Imaginary Worlds of Th eatre 20
Realism and Nonrealism 20
Distinguishing Stage Reality from Fact 22

Summary 24

Chapter 2 The Background and Expectations

of the Audience 27

Background of Individual Spectators 28
Background Information on the Play or Playwright 28
Background of the Period 29

Th eatre and Society 30
Greek Th eatre and Culture 30
Elizabethan Th eatre and Culture 31
Modern Th eatre and Culture 32

Expectations: Th e Variety of Experiences in Modern Th eatre 34
Broadway and Touring Th eatre 34
Resident Professional Th eatre 34

ix

Contents

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Alternative Th eatre: Off -Broadway and Elsewhere 35
Young People’s and Children’s Th eatre 36
College and University Th eatre 36
Community and Amateur Th eatre 37

Th e Critic, the Reviewer, and the Blogger 37
Th e Critic/Reviewer 37
Preparation for Criticism 38
Fact and Opinion in Criticism 38
Critical Criteria 40

Th e Dramaturg or Literary Manager 41
Th e Audience’s Relation to Criticism 41

Th e Audience’s Independent Judgment 41
Summary 42

Chapter 3 Theatre Spaces: The Audience Views

the Stage 45

Creating the Environment 45
Th eatre Spaces 46

Proscenium or Picture-Frame Stage: History and Characteristics 47
Arena Stage: History and Characteristics 49
Th rust Stage: History and Characteristics 52
Created and Found Spaces 57
All-Purpose Th eatre Spaces: Th e Black Box 63

Special Requirements of Th eatre Environments 64
Summary 65

PART 2

The Performers and the Director 66

Chapter 4 Acting 71

Acting in Everyday Life 71
Social Roles 71
Personal Roles 72

Acting in Life versus Acting on Stage 72
Th ree Challenges of Acting 73

Making Characters Believable 73
Physical Acting: Voice and Body 80
Th e Actor’s Instrument: Voice and Body 81
Training for Special Forms of Th eatre 85
Synthesis and Integration 86

Judging Performances 89
Summary 92

x Contents

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Chapter 5 The Director and the Producer 95

The Theatre Director 95
The Traditional Director 96

The Director and the Script 96
The Director and the Dramaturg 101

The Auteur Director and the Postmodern Director 103
The Auteur Director 103
The Postmodern Director 104

The Director and the Production: The Physical Production 105
The Director’s Work with the Performers 106

Casting 106
Rehearsals 106
The Director as the Audience’s Eye 107
Movement, Pace, and Rhythm 108
Technical Rehearsal 109
Dress Rehearsal 109
Previews 110

The Director’s Power and Responsibility 111
The Audience’s View 112

The Producer or Managing Director 113
The Commercial Producer 113
Noncommercial Theatres 115

Completing the Picture: Playwright, Director, and Producer 117
Summary 117

PART 3

The Playwright and the Play 120
Chapter 6 Creating the World of the Play 125

The Subject and Verb of Drama: People and Action 126
Structural Conventions: The Rules of the Game 127

Limited Space 128
Limited Time 129
Strongly Opposed Forces 129
A Balance of Forces 130
Incentive and Motivation 131

Creating Structure 132
Plot versus Story 132
The Opening Scene 132
Obstacles and Complications 133
Crisis and Climax 133

Point of View 134
The Dramatist’s Point of View 136
Society’s Point of View 137

Summary 140

Contents xi

Chapter 7 Dramatic Structure and

Dramatic Characters 143

Dramatic Structure 143
Characteristics of Climactic Structure 143
Characteristics of Episodic Structure 145
Combinations of Climactic and Episodic Form 150
Rituals as Dramatic Structure 151
Patterns as Dramatic Structure 152
Serial Structure 152
Structure in Experimental and Avant-Garde Th eatre 152
Structure in Musical Th eatre 154

Dramatic Characters 155
Extraordinary Characters 155
Representative or Quintessential Characters 158
Stock Characters 160
Minor Characters 162
A Narrator or Chorus 162
Nonhuman Characters 163
Th e Audience and Character Types 164
Juxtaposition of Characters 164
Orchestration of Characters 165

Summary 166

Chapter 8 Theatrical Genres 169

Types of Drama 169
Tragedy 170

Traditional Tragedy 170
Modern Tragedy 172

Heroic Drama 173
Bourgeois or Domestic Drama 176
Melodrama 177
Comedy 178

Characteristics of Comedy 179
Techniques of Comedy 179
Forms of Comedy 181

Tragicomedy 186
What Is Tragicomedy? 186
Modern Tragicomedy 186

Th eatre of the Absurd 188
Absurdist Plots: Illogicality 189
Absurdist Language: Nonsense and Non Sequitur 190
Absurdist Characters: Existential Beings 190

Summary 191

xii Contents

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PART 4

The Designers 194

Chapter 9 Scenery 199

Th e Audience’s View 199
Th e Scene Designer 200
A Brief History of Stage Design 201
Scenic Design Today 201

Th e Scene Designer’s Objectives 202
Elements of Scene Design 208
Th e Process of Scene Design: Steps in the Design Process 214

Th e Scene Designer’s Collaborators and the Production Process 216
Designing a Total Environment 218

Summary 219

Chapter 10 Stage Costumes 221

Costumes for the Stage 221
Objectives of Costume Design 222
Th e Process of Costume Design 222
Th e Costume Designer at Work 228

Related Elements of Costume Design 231
Makeup 231
Hairstyles and Wigs 234
Masks 234
Millenary, Accessories, and Crafts 238

Coordination of the Whole 238
Summary 239

Chapter 11 Lighting and Sound 241

Stage Lighting 241
A Brief History of Stage Lighting 241
Objectives and Functions of Lighting Design 243
Th e Lighting Designer 248

Sound in the Th eatre 254
Sound Reproduction: Advantages and Disadvantages 254
Th e Sound Designer 256
Understanding Sound Reproduction and Sound Reinforcement 256
Sound Technology 258

Special Eff ects in Lighting and Sound 259
Summary 260

Contents xiii

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xiv Contents

PART 5

The Theatre Today 262

Chapter 12 Musical Theatre 267

Th e Appeal of Music and Dance 267
Opera 268
Types of Musical Th eatre 269
Th e American Musical 271

Antecedents 271
Th e 1920s and 1930s: Musical Comedies 271
Th e 1920s and 1930s: Advances in Musicals 272
Musical Th eatre of the 1940s and 1950s 274
Musicals from the 1960s through the 1980s 275

Musicals from 1990 to the Present 278
Summary 282

Chapter 13 Global Theatre Today 285

Th eatres in India, China, and Japan in the Modern Period 287
Th eatres in the Middle East 291
African Th eatres and Drama 293
Russia and Eastern Europe 296
Western Europe, Britain, and Ireland 297
Latin American Th eatres 303
Canada and Australia Since World War II 305
Summary 307

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Contents xv

Chapter 14 Contemporary Theatre in the United States 309

Nontraditional, Alternative Th eatre 312
Happenings, Multimedia, and Environmental Th eatre 313

Postmodernism 315
American Th eatre Today: Traditional and Nontraditional 316
Th eatre of Diversity 316

African American Th eatre 317
Asian American Th eatre 320
Latino-Latina Th eatre 322
Native American Th eatre 323
Feminist Th eatre and Women Playwrights 325
Gay and Lesbian Th eatre 328

Political Th eatre 330
Performance Art 331
Today’s Th eatre: Global, Eclectic, Diverse 332
Summary 334

Plays that may be Read Online 335
Glossary 338
Notes 346
Index 347

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xvi

ACTIVE AUDIENCE PARTICIPANTS, ACTIVE CLASS
PARTICIPANTS

Th e Th eatre Experience prepares students to be well-informed, well-prepared theatre audience
members. With an audience-centered narrative that engages today’s students, a vivid photo
program that brings concepts to life, and features that teach and encourage a variety of skill sets
students master core concepts and learn to think critically about theatre and the world around
them. As a result, students are better prepared for class, and better prepared for theatergoing.

Engage with Your Role

• True to its original vision—to focus on the audience’s experience of attending a
live theatre performance—the 13th edition of Th e Th eatre Experience opens with
three chapters that focus on the student as an audience member. Topics
include: the diff erence between being at a live performance and watching a dra-
matic performance on fi lm, TV, or an electronic device; the enhancement of the
experience aided by the proper preparation and background; and the awareness of
the role of the audience in live theatre.

Preface

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Preface xvii

• Dynamics of Drama features illustrate some of the more challenging theatre con-
cepts in a way that is easier for beginning students to understand and apply as
audience members. For example, topics include realism and nonrealism (Chapter 1),
and climactic and episodic forms (Chapter 7).

• NEW Play Links, a feature in Th e Th eatre Experience, 13th edition, allows you to
read many of the plays mentioned in the text online. Any play referenced in the
text that can be found online is highlighted in blue typeface when fi rst mentioned
in a chapter. Should you want to read one of these plays, you can refer to the list
that precedes the Glossary at the end of the book and fi nd its URL. Titles are listed
alphabetically.

Th e plays can be used to highlight key concepts and to complement the discussions
found in Th e Th eatre Experience, 13th edition. In addition, many of the new Th ink-
ing about Th eatre and Experiencing Th eatre exercises can also be supplemented and
enhanced with examples from these plays.

Master the Basics

• Parts 2, 3, and 4 cover the important elements of theatre: acting, directing,
playwriting, and design. Th e authors’ effi cient structure and succinct style set
students up for a clear understanding of the basic concepts, freeing up valuable
class time for deeper discussions and more personal engagement with course
concepts.

• Photo Essays and a dynamic art program allow students to visualize the core
theatrical concepts introduced in each chapter. Topics include modern domestic
drama (Chapter 8), forms of comedy (Chapter 8), costumes and masks (Chapter 10),
uses of stage lighting (Chapter 11), and others.

Think Critically and Engage Actively

• NEW “Playing Your Part” is a feature in each chapter that includes two distinct
sets of questions and activities that emphasize thinking and engaging critically.

• “Experiencing Th eatre” activities help students actively to engage with the
concepts of the text. Th ese exercises ask students to undertake activities within
the classroom or to understand how aspects of their everyday lives connect to
core concepts discussed in the text.

PLAYING YOUR PART: EXPERIENCING THEATRE
1. If you were to write a play about your life, what would you choose as your opening scene?

What would some of your complications be? Would there be a climactic moment?

2. If you were to write a play about a family you know (your own or another), what point of view
would you take? Why? Are there strongly opposed forces or balanced forces in this family?

3. If you were told you were going to have to attend a play that lasted over four hours, what
would your reaction be? Why? What are your traditional expectations about the space and
time of a play?

4. After watching a popular fi lm, describe how the opening scene aids in setting the action.
Describe one or two of the complications in the fi lm. Can you discuss the fi lm’s point of view?

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• “Th inking about Th eatre” questions challenge students to analyze and
examine elements of a theatre experience.

xviii Preface

PLAYING YOUR PART: THINKING ABOUT THEATRE
1. Think of a play you have read or seen where the main character encounters one impedi-

ment or roadblock after another. Describe the various obstacles that must be overcome
before the end of the play.

2. Think of a play or musical you have seen or read where two major characters are in confl ict
with one another. Describe the two characters and explain the source of their confl ict. How
does it play out?

3. Think of a situation some people saw as very serious, but another person viewed as
humorous. Explain what you believe led different people to see it so differently. What was
your own feeling—was the incident funny or sad?

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• NEW “In Focus” features include two categories:
• “Global Connections” present the global reach and infl uences of theatre from

various cultures. Topics include Augusto Boal’s “Th eatre of the Oppressed”
(Chapter 1), Asian infl uences on the playwrights Brecht and Wilder (Chapter 6),
and global infl uences on Julie Taymor (Chapter 12).

• “Historical Perspectives” features bring relevant topics about the past to life:
women in Greek and Elizabethan theatres, performers’ status at diff erent
points in time, the evolution of the director.

• NEW Marginal Defi nitions For the fi rst time in Th e Th eatre Experience,
defi nitions of boldface words or terms in the text are provided in the
adjacent margin.

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Selected Chapter-by-Chapter Changes
Chapter 1 begins with a new section on the great diversity of contemporary theatre,
fi rst in terms of the variety of places in which theatre can be viewed: from the largest
auditoriums or Broadway houses to regional, college, and community theatres, as
well as small, informal spaces, and second, in terms of the extraordinary range of
subject matter as well as ethnic and cultural material. Th e chapter then turns to the
unique experience of live theatre that diff erentiates it from all other media. In this
and all subsequent chapters, when a play is mentioned for the fi rst time, it is set in
blue type to signal its inclusion in the new “Play Links” feature. Th is indicates that
the script of the play can be retrieved by means of a URL, which is provided at the
end of the text.

Chapter 2 retains the core content about audience involvement, including
background information and preparation that makes attending the theatre more
meaningful and enjoyable. Th e chapter’s coverage of critics and reviewers has been
extensively updated, now including new discussions of bloggers, social media’s impact
on audiences, and audience behavior.

Chapter 3 has a new Dynamics of Drama feature, “Popular Performance Spaces,”
which extends the coverage of venues where live performances take place. Material on
stage spaces has been edited and updated.

Chapter 4 features minor updates to keep the content as current and engaging as
possible. Information on the training, preparation, history, and techniques of acting
have been retained from previous editions.

Chapter 5 expands anew the auteur director and the postmodern director. Th e
material on the artistic director and managing director of nonprofi t theatres has been
revised.

Chapter 6 features a new introductory section on the playwright’s role in the
creation of a script, explaining the playwright’s relationship to ancient storytellers.
Also, information has been added on the context in which the playwright works, the
demands and challenges of developing a script, and the unique requirements of a
work for the stage.

Chapter 8 has been substantially edited and revised. Th ere is a new opening section
on the mood, tone, and point of view of a production that are conveyed to an
audience in the opening moments of a production.

Chapter 12 features a new discussion of recent trends in stage musicals, together with
up-to-date examples.

Chapter 13 features refi ned listings of playwrights and plays, updated with the latest
names and productions from around the world. Material that was previously in
Chapter 1 has been incorporated into this chapter.

Preface xix

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TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCES

Support for Instructors
Th e Th eatre Experience off ers a wealth of supplemental materials to aid both students
and instructors. Th e Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/wilsonte13e is a
resource for students and faculty. Instructors’ resources are password-protected and
include:

• Instructor’s Manual.
• Test Bank.
• EZ Test Computerized Test Bank: McGraw-Hill’s EZ Test is a fl exible, easy-to-use

electronic testing program that allows instructors to create tests from specifi c items
in the text. It accommodates a wide range of question types, and instructors may
add their own questions. Multiple versions of the test can be created, and any test
can be exported for use with course management systems. Th e program is available
for Windows and Macintosh.

Student Resources
Th e Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/wilsonte13e is a robust tool for stu-
dents, providing a wide range of material to enhance learning and to simplify studying.
Resources are keyed directly to this edition and include the following:

• Chapter-by-chapter quizzes for testing students.
• Essay Quizzes that can be e-mailed directly to instructors.
• Th e Th eatre Goer’s Guide is an excellent introduction to the art of attending and

critiquing a play. Th is guide will assist students in everything from making theatre
reservations and knowing when to applaud to evaluating a performance and doing
web research.

• Detailed explanations and examples of Major Th eatrical Forms and Movements.
• Synopses of Plays.
• Select Bibliography.

Craft your teaching resources to match the way you teach! With McGraw-Hill Create,
www.mcgrawhillcreate.com, you can easily rearrange chapters, combine material
from other content sources, and quickly upload content you have written, like your
course syllabus or teaching notes. Find the content you need in Create by searching
through thousands of leading McGraw-Hill textbooks. Arrange your book to fi t your
teaching style. Create even allows you to personalize your book’s appearance by select-
ing the cover and adding your name, school, and course information. Order a Create
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Preface xxi

Anthology of Plays
Anthology of Living Th eater (978-0-07-351413-0) off ers 18 plays for use with Th e Th eatre Experience.

CourseSmart ebook
Th e Th eatre Experience is available as an eTextbook at www.CourseSmart.com. At CourseSmart, students can take
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost I wish to thank Professor Alvin Goldfarb for his invaluable contribution to this edition of Th e
Th eatre Experience. My coauthor on Living Th eatre and Th eatre: Th e Lively Art, Al’s ideas, his research and writing
skills, his originality and imagination, and his persistence have been indispensible in completing this, perhaps the
most audience-oriented and insightful version of Th e Th eatre Experience of the entire series.

I fi rst developed many of the ideas in this book while teaching a course in Introduction to Th eatre at Hunter
College of the City University of New York. To my former students and colleagues at Hunter, I express my con-
tinuing appreciation. …