Outline of theatre

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to theatre:

Theatre (also theater) – branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, mime, puppets, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. Bernard Beckerman defines theatre as what "occurs when one or more human beings, isolated in time and/or space, present themselves to another or others."

Essence of theatre

Main article: Theatre

Forms or categories of theatre

• West End –
• Broadway –
• Off-Broadway –
• Off-Off-Broadway –
• Theater of the United States –
• Regional theatre –
• Summer stock theatre –
• Dinner theatre – combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical.
• Repertory theatre –
• London fringe –
• Fringe festival –
• Improvisational theatre –
• In-yer-face theatre –
• Physical theatre –
• Street theatre –
• Community theatre –
• Postmodern theatre –
• Proletcult Theatre –
• Vanguard-style theater –
• Reader's Theatre –
• Non-western theatre –
• Temple dance –
• Theaters for Dance –
• Opera house – s
• Art Deco style theatre –

Types of theatrical productions

• Play –
• Musical –
• Opera –
• Operetta –
• Revue –
• Variety show –
• Vaudeville –

Genres of theatre

There are a variety of genres that writers, producers and directors can employ in theatre to suit a variety of tastes:

• Domestic drama –
• Comedy –
  • Black comedy –
  • Commedia dell'arte –
  • Comedy of errors –
  • Comedy of manners –
  • Comedy of situation –
  • Farce –
  • Romantic comedy –
• Drama –
• Epic theatre –
• Experimental theatre –
• Fantasy –
• Grand Guignol –
• Historical theatre –
• Improvisational theatre –
• Mainstream theatre –
• Meta-theatre –
• Morality play –
• Musical theatre –
• Natya –
• Pantomime –
• Physical theatre –
• Political theatre –
• Popular theatre –
• Puppet – ry
• Radio drama –
• Rock opera –
• Theatre for social change –
• Theatre of the Absurd –
• Tragedy –
• Tragicomedy –

Styles of theatre

There are a variety of theatrical styles used in theatre and drama. These include

• Absurdism – presents a perspective that all human attempts at significance are illogical. Ultimate truth is chaos with little certainty. There is no necessity that need drive us.
• Expressionism – anti-realistic in seeing appearance as distorted and the truth lying within man. The outward appearance on stage can be distorted and unrealistic to portray an eternal truth.
• Melodrama – sentimental drama with musical underscoring, often with an unlikely plot that concerns the suffering of the good at the hands of evildoers but ends happily with good triumphant. Featuring stock characters such as the noble hero, the long-suffering damsel in distress, and the cold-blooded villain.
• Modernism – a broad concept that sees art, including theatre, as detached from life in a pure way and able to reflect on life critically.
• Naturalism – portraying life on stage with close attention to detail, based on observation of real life.
• Postmodernism – there are multiple meanings, and meaning is what you create, not what is. This approach often uses other media and breaks accepted conventions and practices.
• Puppetry– an ancient form where performers/puppeteers manipulate performing objects. Puppetry has many variations and forms.
• Realism – portraying characters on stage that are close to real life, with realistic settings and staging.

History of theatre

Main article: History of theatre

Chronologically

• Greek theatre –
• Roman theatre –
• Elizabethan theatre –
• Theatrical Syndicate –
• Revue –

Participants in theatre

• Playwright –
• Actor –
• Audience –
• Chorus line –
• Director –
• Producer –
• Scenic Design – er
• Lighting Designer –
• Sound Designer –
• Costume Designer –
• Stage hand –
• Technician –
• Puppeteer –
• Stage Manager –

General theatre concepts

• Acting –
• Cold reading –
• Curtain call –
• Drama therapy –
• Everyman –
• Footlights –
• Prop (short for "Theatrical property") –
• Stage –
• Stagecraft (Technical theatre) –
• Theatrical constraints –
• Theatrical scenery –
• Theatrical superstitions –
• Ticket –

See also

Theatre portal

• Chronology of Shakespeare plays
• List of Canadian plays
• List of films based on stage plays or musicals
• List of plays made into feature films
• Outline of performing arts
  • Outline of film
  • Outline of opera

External links

• New York Times Theater section Theater reviews.
• University of Bristol Theatre Collection
• Theatre Archive Project (UK) British Library & University of Sheffield
• American Society of Theatre Consultants
• Theater Wikia - An editable database dedicated to all aspects of theatre.
• Music Hall and Theatre History of Britain and Ireland