The Mystery of Irma Vep: Day 2; Review for Marking Period Exam

Please turn in your analysis reviews for the Charles Busch play you read. 

Charles Ludlam is best known for the theatrical movement: The Theatre of the Ridiculous.

"The Theatre of the Ridiculous" made a break with the dominant trends in the theatre of naturalistic acting and realistic settings. It employed a very broad acting style, often with surrealistic stage settings and props, frequently making a conscious effort at being shocking or disturbing. "Ridiculous" theatre brought some elements of queer performance to avant-garde theater. Cross-gender casting was common, with players often recruited from non-professional sources, such as drag queens or other "street stars." [We see this trend as well with the plays of Charles Busch].

Plots in these "ridiculous" plays are often parodies or re-workings of pop-culture fiction, including humor and satire to comment on social issues. Improvisation plays a significant role in the plays, with the script acting as a blueprint for the action.

The Mystery of Irma Vep (Buffalo Theater Ensemble; The Art of the Quick Change)
The Mystery of Irma Vep (Kansas Repertory Theater; preview)
The Mystery of Irma Vep (Arizona Theater Company; clip)
The Mystery of Irma Vep (Arizona Theater Company; clip, act 2)

We will continue reading The Mystery of Irma Vep. As you read, notice the use of theatrical conventions.

REMINDERS: The marking period ends Nov. 8. No late work will be accepted after that date. Your play drafts are due Nov. 6. There will also be a marking period test on the material covered this marking period on Nov. 6.

HOMEWORK: Your play script drafts are due Wednesday, Nov. 6. There will also be a quarter exam on that date. Please study for your exam.

The plays & playwrights: [we read 13 plays so far during this course]

• The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe
• The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
• Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry
• Spic-o-Rama by John Leguizamo
• 'Night Mother by Marsha Norman
• Oleanna by David Mamet
• "The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year" by John Guare
• "Words, Words, Words"; "Arabian Nights"; "Variations on the Death of Trotsky"; "Sure Thing" by David Ives
• The God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza
• The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam
• "The Play That Goes Wrong" by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, & Jonathan Sayer
• The Vampire Lesbians of Sodom by Charles Busch
• Red Scare on Sunset, Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Psycho Beach Party, The Woman in Question by Charles Bush

Proper script format
How to create characters/characterization; tips about writing effective characters, plots, themes, and writing effective dialogue; etc. See handouts in particular!
Techniques to motivate and gather ideas (from the blog, articles, and class advice)

Play Vocabulary:

• Playwright
• Play
• Premise: a deeply held belief by the playwright which shapes a script.
• Conflict & the basic types of conflict
• Structural Unity: all parts of the plot (exposition, rising action, turning point, climax, resolution, etc.) should work and fit together.
• The classical unities: the unity of time, place, and action. A well-written play should encompass only a short amount of time, use one main setting, and have only one main plot (subplots can occur, but only one plot should be the main plot). 
• Inciting Incident: the point of attack, the inciting incident forces the protagonist into the action of the play's plot.
• Events
• Major Dramatic Question (MDQ): the hook that keeps an audience interested in a play; a dramatic question that a reader/viewer wants answered by the end of the play.
• Major decision: A decision a character makes in the plot that creates the turning point for their character.
• The main event: the main plot or action of a play.
• The three C's: Conflict, crisis, complication: obstacles characters must face for an interesting and dramatic plot.
• Rising Action
• The dark moment/crisis: the lowest moment of a character's struggle--when all the world seems lost, the fight unbeatable, the "darkest hour before dawn" -- a stunning reversal of fortune and sense of failure.
• Deus ex machina: a contrived ending. Often one in which the characters did not have a hand in solving. (It is more interesting to see a character deal with their own problems rather than an outside force solving it for them.) literally, a "god from a machine"
• Enlightenment: When the protagonist understands how to defeat the antagonist. A revelation that begins the movement toward a climax.
• Climax
• Catharsis
• Roots of Action; Dramatic Triangle(s)
• Developing character, plot, and theme in a script (tips & advice) 
• Ten-minute play format
• One act plays
• Full-length plays (2 or 3 act)
• Monologues/Soliloquies; internal/dramatic monologues
• Theatrical conventions
• Commedia d'ell Arte 
• Cross-dressing; pantomime
• Generating ideas for plays 
• Farce
• The Event: a uniquely significant moment in the character's lives
• Time lock: setting up a time limit or specific deadline characters have to meet in order to spur them into action (for example having a script project due...)
• irreconcilable needs
• Obstacles, motivation and desires: the roots of action
• Universal truths/lies
• The vise
• Mono-dramas
• Place & setting
• Realistic vs. suggested set designs (realistic sets and suggested sets & the use for each type)
• Theme
• Scenario: an outline for a writer to identify major/minor characters, plot, and setting used BEFORE writing a script
• Catalyst: the event in the play that causes a character to take action
• Character flaw or tragic flaw
• Creating credible and well-developed characters
• Subtext: what is not said in a character's line. The subtext are the subtle details or clues used by the actor to develop their character.
• Beat: a short exchange of dialogue
• Different types of beats: physical, behavioral, inner-life
• Scene
• Time lock: a deadline for a character to achieve his/her goal in a scene or play
• Signpost/Pointer: foreshadowing or hints that something will happen in a play
• Backstory
• Character types: major/minor, flat/round, dynamic, ally, foil, mentor, protagonist/antagonist, sympathetic/unsympathetic, etc.
• Confidante: a character the protagonist or antagonist can talk with to reveal necessary backstory
• Dialogue (tips and advice) 
• Play development (advice & instruction on how to create a dramatic scene/play)
• At Rise: indicates the beginning of the play or act or scene
• Exit/Enters: directions to indicate a character/actor entering or exiting the scene in a playscript.
• Cross: indicates how a character moves from one place to another on stage. 
• Curtain: indicates the end of an act or scene break
• Lights: indicates lights coming on or off stage. 
• End of Play: indicates the play is over
• Motifs: repeated objects, symbols, or actions that hold significance or meaning in a story
• Theater of the Ridiculous
• Contributions of various playwrights: (see list above)
• Titles, characters, and plots of various plays we read (see list above)