Genre is another word for style. Comedy is a genre, as is Ballet. They are different to each other though they have things in common. Each needs rehearsal time, for example, but different activities will happen in those rehearsals. This area introduces students to the scale and range of performance genres in the Theatre & Performance collections.
The main display case contains objects that represent, among other things, stand-up comedy, ballet and puppetry.
— What other genres can you see?
What do you think might be the differences between the style of performance in each genre? Are characters trying to be ‘real’ or not? Are performances meant to be funny or serious?
— What kind of performance space you would expect to see each genre performed in? Would it be a big indoor arena, a small studio theatre space or a London West End theatre?
— How might the audience react to each style?
Would they react with wild applause, silent concentration or would the audience join in?
— What are the similarities between each genre?
What are the basic elements that make up a live performance?
In this area, students can learn about the steps that go towards putting on productions. A display on producing looks at ways of financing, casting and choosing a venue for a production and explores the history and practice of censorship.
— Find the Casting section and read about the process. Think of a play or film that you are familiar with and re-cast it.
— What affects your decisions? Is it the suitability of the performer, their looks or physical appearance, 0r are they a ‘star’ name?
— Find the Censorship section. What might be the reasons for censoring performances?
— What reasons might there be to challenge censorship?
On display in this area are highlights from the Theatre & Performance poster collection spanning the last 250 years.
— Look at the posters. How has their ‘look’ changed over the years? Think about the number of words used compared to the number of images in the early and the contemporary posters.
— Choose two 0r three posters to look at in detail.
What do they tell you about the genre of the performance?
— What do they tell you about the kind of audience the show is aimed at (rich or poor, old or young)?
— How does the main image grab your attention?
Are the colours important?
— Do the posters tell you anything else about the period they were made, for example the manners of the day or what people wore?
This section looks at the process and history of stage make-up. It leads into the performance costume displays.
— Choose one costume from the gallery and draw a suitable make-up design that complements the costume.
— Think of a performance you have seen where the make-up was important. What did the make-up design add to your experience of the show? What did the make-up tell you about the age and status of the character?
This section features costumes worn on stage by leading performers.
Choose a costume to study in detail.
— What type of performance is this costume designed for? Is the design naturalistic or non-naturalistic? What tells you this?
— What clues does the costume give you about the importance of the character or performer wearing it?
— What clues does it give you about their gender and age?
— How would the peformer’s movement onstage be affected by the costume?
— What effect would the stage lighting have on the costume? Think of colours in particular
Stage models, sketches and paintings explain the role of design and its processes.
Choose two or three set model boxes to look at and consider the following questions.
— What type of performance space would the model appear to fit? Would it be a proscenium arch, like in a cinema? Or would it be one that puts the audience in-the-round, surrounding the action?
— Does it look like a realistic or non-realistic piece of performance?
— Do you think this setting would need a large or small amount of money spent on it and why?
— How would you feel as a performer on this stage?
— What does the set model box indicate about the time the piece is set in and the status of the characters? Are they rich or poor, young or old? What does it say about the general mood of the performance?
This room explores the role of the audience. Students can also watch clips from the National Video Archive of Performance (NVAP).
— Look at the photographs and prints of various audiences. What do they tell you about the audiences of the time? Are they old or young, rich or poor, or a mixture?
— In what ways do you think an audience can affect the success of a performance?
Theatre & Performance Teachers’ Resource
Victoria and Albert Museum