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ELA 4: Planning a Performance 1 Views


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Description:

Aside from improv, most performances are carefully planned out. Even our Shmoop videos. We totally plan those. Every single one of them. Yes, even the weird ones.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

Have you ever seen a play that was…how do we say this nicely….a downright disaster? [People watching a play]

00:18

...hm.

00:19

Maybe that could've been nicer.

00:20

Anyhoo!

00:21

You know what we mean…actors forgetting their lines...

00:24

Set pieces falling apart... [Set pieces falling apart on stage]

00:25

The lights shutting off halfway through scenes…

00:27

And worst of all, the audience is laughing… and it’s not even a comedy.

00:32

Now that is a director's worst nightmare. [Audience laughing and director makes a shocked face]

00:34

Seriously, it's even worse than that one where he shows up to rehearsal in his underwear…

00:38

So what's the best way to avoid all that mess?

00:41

Planning.

00:41

Directors don't make random decisions when they turn a script into a performance.

00:45

Every choice they make is designed to make the audience feel, think, and experience the

00:49

play in a certain way.

00:51

From the first read-through to the final dress rehearsal, directors are constantly making [Director walks on stage]

00:55

decisions.

00:56

Decisions like...

00:57

How will the set look?

00:58

By making decisions about how the set will appear to the audience, who will design it, [Dino discussing the set]

01:02

how it will be constructed and what exactly it will look like, the director can greatly

01:06

influence the entire meaning of a play and how audiences interpret it.

01:10

Because, whether we admit it or not, we all care about how things look. [Newspaper article of bigfoot appears]

01:13

You have to see it to believe it, after all.

01:16

And the same can be said for costumes.

01:17

By choosing how the people look and dress in the play, a director can drastically change [Coop explaining costumes in theater]

01:21

the experience the audience will have.

01:23

Each costume tells a lot about the character and is an essential part of who they are.

01:27

Side note: the same thing goes for your everyday life.

01:30

It might be time to throw out those stained sweatpants. [Man wearing sweatpants and sandals walks on stage]

01:33

Anyway, another aspect that a director must make decisions about is the audio.

01:37

What sounds will be in the play?

01:39

Will there be sound effects?

01:40

Or background music?

01:41

Will the actors sing?

01:43

Do we need mics on the actors?

01:44

Because mimes are great and everything –but we usually want to hear the lines in a play. [Mime artist on stage]

01:48

Whenever a play rehearsal begins, directors immediately begin making countless decisions

01:52

about the kind of performance they want to build. [Director watching the play]

01:54

It's not an easy job, but the pay-off is a unique and compelling play that feels like

01:58

it belongs specifically to that director.

02:00

And hopefully, the audience will laughs when the director actually wants them to.

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