Hey, what are you doing? Warming up for the Scottish play. Oh, Macbeth, I love that play!
Sh, you can't say look Macbeth in a theater, it's bad luck! Oh, my bad. Well good luck and the play
that shall not be named. Sh, you can't say that either! That's bad luck! Wait, so you can't say
Macbeth because that's bad luck but you can't say good luck because that's also bad luck? Yes!
I'm so confused right now. Oh, oiy vey. Come on, let me teach you some theater
phrases. You're going to need them. Hello! Welcome back to the magical world of theatre!
In the last lesson we explored how to better nurture your imagination as a performer. I hope
you were inspired to watch a play or maybe even sign up to be in one in the future. That being
said, before we move on to the next V.I.B.E. videos we thought it would be wise to provide
you with some general theatre knowledge which will give you a head start next time you're in a
production. Let's check it out. In today's lesson, we'll go through some important phrases that you
need to know if you're in a theater. Make sure to check out the PDF for all of the terms that are
not included in the video. We will also go through a list of important people to know and their
specific functions in the theatrical process. Now without further delay, let's get cracking! Action!
The first thing you should know about the theatre community is that it is superstitious.
For example, whenever the stage is empty, theaters always leave a single light on in
center stage called the Ghost Light. Besides shining an otherwise super dark space,
it allows theater ghosts to perform so that they don't interfere in live productions. That sounds
kind of spooky, right? Well so does our next phrase which you might have heard in the past;
break a leg. Saying good luck to an actor is considered a bad omen so instead we say break
a leg. There's no real certainty where this phrase came from. Some believe it comes from
ancient Greece where audience members would stump their feet inside of approval instead of clapping.
Others believe it comes from Elizabethan England when audiences would stump their
wooden chairs inside of approval. If an audience member would stomp hard enough they would break
a leg of the chair hence the term. And we're not alone in this superstition. Other theatre
cultures around the world use interesting phrases to avoid saying good luck. Germans say Toi, toi,
toi, Australians say chookas! and Italian say In bocca al Lupo, into the wolf's mouth.
I really like that one. Any of these terms are acceptable to use as long as it's not good luck.
Another two big no-no's when you're in the theater are whistling and saying Macbeth.
Back in the early days of theatre, fly systems were operated by sailors because of
their knowledge with pulleys and counterweight systems. Sailors would communicate backstage
through whistling so if a distracted actor would whistle backstage it could mess up an entire
entrance or worse, accidentally get a stand back dropped on their head. [Whistles] Uh-oh!
Oh sorry, force of habit. Ever since those days it's been considered bad
luck to whistle in a theater so avoid doing that.
Now there are a few words that strike more fear in the theater community than Macbeth.
There's a bunch of theories why saying Macbeth is bad luck. Check out the PDF to learn about
them. Right now all you need to know is that it's commonly referred to as the Scottish play.
If you ever accidentally say the m word like I have many times this might happen.
Oh look, Macbeth! What did you say? Nothing? You know what to do. Ugh, not again!
Can I come back in now?
Just save yourself the trouble and call it the Scottish play. You'll thank me later!
Now to show you that theater is not all about crazy superstitions, here are some technical
theatre terms that you will definitely hear if you're ever in a theatre production.
Many times a director will ask you to read aloud
from the script without any previous rehearsal like this.
"I want you to read this scene and imagine you're speaking to your long-lost sister!" Action!
Would you like a cup of coffee? Brilliant! You're hired!
That's called a cold read. Don't be panicked if a director asks you to
do a cold read. Most of the time they just want to see how well you take directions.
During the rehearsal process, actors have to figure out when and where to move during their
scenes. That process is called blocking. Blocking is an essential part of the theatrical process.
The goal here is to make movements appear natural and spontaneous even though they're rehearsed.
That's where the actors and directors artistry comes into play.
Most of the time characters perform in a show as if you're not there. The audience
is an invisible spectator; however, there are times when characters acknowledge and speak
directly to the audience like this. Why haven't you been answering my texts? I didn't see them.
That's not true, I did see them! I was just watching videos about puppies and all of a
sudden five hours had passed so I forgot to text back. Oops! Maybe the messages got lost
on the way. That's called breaking the fourth wall and it's a really cool thing to watch.
Most professional theaters play six days a week with one day off. The day
off is known as the dark day. That's because the
theater is closed and all of the lights except the ghost light are turned off.
Once a play has finished its run, the set needs to be disassembled and left the stage empty for
the next play in the season. This process is called striking the set, or simply strike.
Now that we have covered some superstitions and technical theatre phrases, let's look at
the people that you should know in the theatrical process and their functions.
Let's begin by stating the not so obvious; putting up a play is really really hard work!
A lot of it begins months before rehearsals even start with the production team.
The production team is the group responsible for taking a script and creating a visual concept that
will eventually become a live theatre play. It's composed of... The director is the captain of the
ship. All major creative and production decisions come through them. I want more fire people,
more energy. Let's go again from the top! Don't just stand there, chop chop!
The right hand of the director, they manage the actors and keep note of everything that happens
in rehearsal and in production meetings. Rehearsal starts at five o'clock. Thank you five! Do not
be late because I will find you. The designers lend their expertise in specific areas to help
the director create their vision of the play and there's many of them. We have the set designer,
you want three houses in an inverted bridge that connects all of them? I can do that in my sleep!
The lighting designer, let there be lights! The sound designer, get ready for the beat!
The costume designer, I'm thinking a combination between corduroy and silk. I call it quarter silk.
The makeup designer, your face is my canvas. And finally we have the dramaturg. Think of
the dramaturk as a play historian. They provide research for the actors and make sure that all of
the elements of the play match the time and place where the play is supposed to be set.
Now alongside the production team there is another group that plays a massive role in the success of
a play and that is the cast and crew. The cast and crew are the people that perform and run the
play. The main difference between the cast and the crew is that while the cast is on stage the
crew works behind the scenes; however, both are equally important for the success of the play.
Now I want to talk about the crew for a moment. While most of the time the cast gets all of the
praise from the audience, the crew is just as important. They handle dozens of duties
that ensure a play is successful every single night. They call out entrances, assist with
quick changes, focus lights on performers, change set pieces, and the list goes on and on and on.
They are the soldiers who ensure the show goes on no matter what so just a quick reminder,
always be nice to your crew! Now before we strike for today let's do a quick review.
First, we learned about some theatre phrases based on history and superstition like break a leg or
the Scottish play. We also learned some technical theatre phrases like blocking and breaking the
fourth wall. Finally, we looked at the people that you need to know when you are working in a theater
production which are the director, stage manager, designers, dramaturk, and the cast and crew.
That's it for today's lesson folks! Make sure you check out the PDF before moving on to the next
V.I.B.E. video. Until then remember in theatre like in life, the limit is your imagination!