Dramatic Irony and Alienation Effect

Study Notes

Alienation effect: techniques designed to remind the audience they are watching a play, distancing them from emotional identification with characters and events.
Examples of alienation effect: use of placards, back projections, actors addressing the audience directly.

Apron: part of the stage that extends past the proscenium arch and into the audience or seating area.
Arena stage: type of stage without a frame or arch, surrounded by the audience on all sides.
Thrust: stage that extends into the audience area, with seats on three sides of a 'T'-shaped acting space.

Articulation: clarity or distinctness of speech.
Aside: lines spoken by an actor to the audience, not supposed to be overheard by other characters on stage.
Characterisation: how an actor uses body, voice, and thought to develop and portray a character.
Business: physical activity used to show character, fill a pause in dialogue, or establish a scene.

Catharsis: feeling of release experienced by the audience at the end of a tragedy, described by Aristotle.
Choral speech: group or ensemble speaking together in one voice.
Chorus: group of performers who sing, dance, or recite in unison, often used in Greek drama.
Naturalism: style of drama that portrays reality on stage, developed in the late 19th century.

Non-naturalistic theatre: forms of theatre that avoid representing reality on stage, often using symbolic design, stylised performing, and audience interaction.
Non-verbal expression: communicating feelings or attitudes through gesture, physical movement, facial expression, or sounds.
Pace: rate of movement or speed of action, or vocal delivery of the text.
Parody: mocking or satirical imitation of a literary or dramatic text or genre.
Pause: short period of silence or stillness in a performance, communicating drama non-verbally.
Subtext: what a character is really thinking or feeling when they say particular words, linked to motivation.
Symbolism: use of symbolic language, imagery, set design, or colour to evoke emotions or communicate ideas.
Tableau: technique in creative drama where actors create a frozen picture, as if the action were paused.
Tempo: speed at which the action on stage proceeds.
Theme: basic idea of a play, binding together a work of art.
Theatre of the Absurd: theatre that grew out of existentialist philosophy, characters often unsure of their location and identity, with no sense of purpose.
Theatre of Cruelty: dramatic philosophy developed by Antonin Artaud, expressing intense feelings of pain, suffering, and destructiveness through non-verbal techniques.
Theatre of the Oppressed: umbrella term for theatrical forms developed by Augusto Boal, aiming to use theatre for political and social change.