TiP Chapter 8 Notes (Technical Theater Unit)

• If the play is set in a different culture and/or time period, do research to find references for costumes and set
• You can make a simple model of the set with figurines to represent the cast (held to make it to scale)
• Mark out the “stage floor” in the rehearsal room, as well as where any large furniture will be, with tape
• Have everyone involved come up with an idea for what the essence/message/main theme of the play; can help you figure out color pallets, which moments that tie into that theme should be highlighted with lights or sound, etc.
• Pick out moments where you can afford to get extra creative with staging without distracting from the scene
• If you’re going to have music, make sure it fits the setting and tone of the play; the music you play before the show starts and during intermission should also fit with the play to keep the audience from being pulled out if it
• Set should help express the story; functionality > flashiness
• Consider where you cha use special effects (again, to enhance the story, not distract from it)
• Make sure the light and sound operatives know the power cues before the technical rehearsal
• Have sound effects saved in order, all in one place
• Position lights before actors arrive at rehearsal to save time
• Try running through just the cues so that the light and sound operatives have time to practice and get used to it
• Consider visual and audio motifs that can be used to tie the whole play together

Rakugo Presentation Reflection

Having worked on my World Theater Traditions research project for two or three months at this point, it’s somewhat difficult to step back and look at the full picture. While I am satisfied with my final presentation, there are certainly areas where I could have improved it, had I made better use of my time up until that point. I’ve been fortunate enough to rarely suffer from stage fright in my many years of performing, but I think my nerves did get to me somewhat when recording my final presentation. Part of it was because I hadn’t fully memorized the script, so I ended up skipping over some of the more repetious lines of setup at the start. I also made the notecards late in the process of preparing for the presentation, so I wasn’t as comfortable using them as the could have been. The rest of my nervousness came from knowing that this will make up a significant portion of my IB grade for this class.
While the presentation could have gone a bit better, I am proud of what I accomplished with the project itself. Other than talking about my time physically practicing my convention, which I forgot to mention, I feel that I covered all of the required topics sufficiently, and in good time. If I were to do this project over from the beginning, I’d try to narrow the focus of my research more from the start, and make the notecards alongside the slides, so that I’d have more time to practice presenting and performing.