Magical realism (sometimes referred to as magic realism) is a term first used in the art world by German critic Franz Roh (1925) and later in literature by Cuban author Alejo Carpentier (1949). Characteristics of the genre typically include the coexistence of the real and the fantastical, the natural and the supernatural, the normal and magical worlds. In magical realism, elements of fantasy are accepted.
Theatresports is a form of competitive improvisational theatre game first introduced in the 1970s by Keith Johnstone. Games structures are known as handles and usually played in teams of four with scoring based on players demonstrating technique, narrative and entertainment. Theatresports are an effective tool for building improvisation skills in the drama or theatre classroom.
Vaudeville arrived in America in the 1880s and became a hugely popular form of cultural entertainment for the next fifty years. Consisting of a series of short, non-related acts on a single bill, vaudeville’s eclectic list of variety performances involved anything from live animals, jugglers, magicians and singers to comedians, dancers, clowns, and female and male impersonators. The form gradually died out due to the competing medium of motion pictures. This page contains a collection of curated resources on the history and characteristics of vaudeville.
Annotated theatre lighting design resources including links to designer websites, examples of lighting plots and plans, lighting design videos, lighting theory, plus the role and duties of the stage lighting designer.
Often considered a sub-genre of the crime and mystery genres, the whodunit play is a thrilling plot-driven detective story. Suspenseful throughout, the aim of a whodunit is to discover who committed the murder? The audience normally witnesses the perfect crime, while suspects are then wrongly accused. Agatha Christie’s whodunit The Mousetrap ran continuously on London’s West End from 1952 to 2020, making it the longest first run of any play in history. J. B . Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls (1945) is another fine example of the genre.
In the theatre, a monologue is a speech delivered by a single character. “Monologue” is derived from the Greek words “monos” (single, alone) and “logos” (speech, word). Monologues are typically performed in the presence of other characters and are often directed towards them. Monologues from plays are typically used for acting auditions.