The Curious Incident – Knowledge Organiser 1

Working with Script

Subtext - The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by

an actor in performance.

Duologue – A conversation between two characters

Monologue – An extended speech by one character, to an audience or to another character(s)

Stage Directions – an instruction written into the script of a play, indicating stage actions, movements of performers, or

production requirements.

Physical Theatre

PlotThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows the story of Christopher Boone, a 15 year old, who is exceptional

at Maths but finds people confusing. The play opens with Christopher discovering a dead dog in his neighbour, Mrs Shears',

garden. Despite his father, Ed, warning Christopher not to get involved, Christopher decides to investigate the death of the

dog. In doing so he discovers that his mother is not dead as his father had told him, but alive and well, living in London. He

also discovers that it was his father who killed the dog.

Christopher feels that his father is a murderer, who he cannot trust. He can no longer live with him and so he bravely

travels to London to find his mother. Christopher has difficulty settling into his new life in London and returns to Swindon to

take his A-level Maths exam. The play ends with him passing the exam and the realisation that he can do anything he puts

his mind to.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is an adaptation by Simon Stephens of the original novel by Mark Haddon.

Published in 2003, the novel quickly became a huge success. Many readers discuss and recognise Christopher as having

autism or Asperger's syndrome. This, however, is never mentioned directly in the novel. Haddon also states that he did very

little research into the topic of autism whilst writing the book.

Mark Haddon approached Simon Stephens to adapt the book for the stage. Stephens used the dialogue from the novel as the

driving force for the adaptation. He felt that its popularity was due to the play being a story about family and bravery. The

play was first staged in 2012 at the National Theatre. It was very popular with audiences and has since moved to the West

End and Broadway.

The Curious Incident – Knowledge Organiser 2

Vocal skills

Pitch

Pace

Pause

Accent

Emphasis

Intonation

Texture

Tone

Physical Skills

Posture

Demeanour

Eye contact and

its withdrawal

Gesture

Gait

Interaction

Body Language

Key Words

Synchronisation – movement or speech that happens at the same time.

Physical Theatre - a form of theatre that puts emphasis on movement rather than dialogue

Chorus - those who perform vocally in a group as opposed to those who perform singly.

Soundscape – layered voices and sounds to create a location or atmosphere

Abstract – representational and symbolic, not life-like or naturalistic

Sequence – an order of events/movements

Pattern – a repeated phrase/sequence of movements

Naturalism - ‘A slice of life’ on stage. Naturalistic performances should aim to look like real life and do not acknowledge

the audience.

Motivation - the reason a character does anything

Revelations – when information is disclosed

Thought-tracking - Actors speak the thoughts of the characters they are representing. This is a useful way of finding out

more about a character’s reactions to other characters of the events they are experiencing. Other characters cannot

hear the thought tracking, only the audience.

Forum Theatre - Forum theatre was developed by a Brazilian theatre maker called Augusto Boal. It’s a very useful tool

for exploring drama during the rehearsal process. Company members become ‘spect-actors’ rather than spectators.

This means that while watching work they can stop it and take the place of an existing performer to try out a new idea.

Sharing ideas in this improvised practical way can provide fresh insight into a role and stop the drama from becoming

stale.

‘Spectactor’ – see forum theatre

Tension - a growing sense of expectation within the drama, a feeling that the story is building up towards something

exciting happening.

Climax – is a play or a specific scene’s point of highest tension and drama

Narrative – The story

Motif – A symbolic movement that captures the essence of a character or moment

Symbol – is something which stands for, or represents something else. Symbols are often used in drama to deepen

its meaning and remind the audience of the themes or issues it is discussing.

Essence Machine – A group performance that combines symbolic movement and sound to capture the essence of a

something – this could be anything but for example, a character, a place, a feeling.

Knowledge Organiser – Theatre in

EducationWhat is Theatre in Education?

There is a clear aim and educational objective running throughout.

Typically low budget so a small cast, and actors need to be versatile as they will often have to multi-role. Actors often play instruments too.

The production must be portable so the design is simple and representational.

They explore issues from various viewpoints, so we can see the effect of an action upon a range of people.

There is some level of audience involvement.

They are rarely wholly naturalistic because direct address or narration is used to engage the audience.

The costumes are simple and representational, especially if actors have to multi-role.

They may include facts and figures to educate the audience.

They may have a strong message or moral running throughout.

Vocabulary

Artistic intention

Target audience

Engagement

Education

Logo

Ethos

Concept

Aim

Spect ‘actor’

Oppression

Joker

Hypnosis

Trust circle

Theatrical Skills

Characterisation

Narration

Thought Tracking

Marking the

Moment

Still Image

Cross Cutting

Forum theatre was developed by a

Brazilian theatre maker called

Augusto Boal. It’s a very useful tool

for exploring drama during the

rehearsal process. Company members

become ‘spect-actors’ rather than

spectators. This means that while

watching work they can stop it and

take the place of an existing

performer to try out a new idea.

History of Theatre

Knowledge Organiser

Ancient Greek Theatre

Vocabulary

Theatron

Skene

Orchestra

Parados

Chorus

Masks

WHEN

This early form of theatre

flourished between 550 and 220

BC.

The city-state of Athens, which

became a significant cultural,

political and military power during

this period, was its centre.

It was created as part of a festival

called the Dionysia, which

honoured the god Dionysus (the

Greek God of wine and fun!)

Theatres were built on a large

scale to accommodate the large

cast and about 14,000 audience

members.

THE MASKED CHORUS

In a large open-air

theatre, like the

Theatre of Dionysus

in Athens, the

classical masks were

able to bring the

characters' face

closer to the

audience.

Exaggerated facial

features and

expressions.

Enabled an actor to appear in

several different roles, thus

preventing the audience from

identifying the actor to one

specific character.

Helped the audience to

distinguish sex, age, and

social status,

Worn by the chorus, the

masks created a sense of

unity and uniformity

Playwrights

Aeschylus

Eurpides

Aristophanes

Sophocles

History of Theatre

Medieval Theatre

Medieval theatre refers to

the theatre of Europe

between the fall of the

Western Roman Empire in

the 5th century A.D. and the

beginning of the Renaissance

in approximately the 15th

century A.D.

Medieval theatre covers all

drama produced in Europe

over that thousand year

period and refers to a

variety of genres, including,

mystery plays, morality

plays, mummers plays,

liturgical plays, farces and

masques.

Vocabulary

Farce

Mummers

Mystery

Masques

Morality

Genre

Mansion

Plateau

Hellsmouth

Mystery Plays - The plot and characters were

drawn from the books of the Bible. It was

the major form of Medieval drama.

Miracle Plays - Built its plot around the lives

and the works of the saints.

Morality Plays - These dramas were based on

the spiritual trials of the average man.

Mummers Plays - The central incident is the

killing and restoring to life of one of the

characters. The principal characters are a

Hero, his chief opponent, the Fool, and a

quack Doctor; the defining feature of

mumming plays is the Doctor, and the main

purpose of the fight is to provide him with a

patient to cure. The hero sometimes kills and

sometimes is killed by his opponent; in either

case, the Doctor comes to restore the dead

man to life

History of Theatre

Elizabethan Theatre

1562 -1642

Vocabulary

Soliloquy

Antagonist

Protagonist

Tragedy

Conflict

The theatre was most popular in London, and although City leaders

disliked public performances, the Queen loved the theatre, allowing it to

gain success

The Queen commissioned plays to be performed at Court – the same

plays which were performed at public playhouses.

The upper classes would see plays at Court, while the common people

would pay to see them at the playhouse

The theatres were all three stories high and were built around an open

space in the middle. Most of them were rounded. The audience

would stand.

Initially they had an open roof, with thatching around the edge – this

made them vulnerable to fire, and the Globe burned down in 1613.

The plays had very few props or scenery and relied on colourful

costumes to give some visual appeal

Because costumes were expensive, the actors would wear Elizabethan

clothes regardless of what period the play was set in

Soliloquy

A prominent feature

of Elizabethan theatre

was soliloquy. This

was a lengthy speech

spoken by a character

to himself; usually to

debate a decision and

explore important,

philosophical themes

in depth. An example

of this is ‘To be or not

to be’ in Hamlet, by

Shakespeare, where

he considers suicide.

History of

Theatre

Stanislavski

1863- 1938

Russian Theatre Director and

Practitioner

Co-founded the Moscow Art Theatre

Pioneer of Naturalism, the style of

theatre he created as a reaction

against Melodrama.

Developed the System a training

programme for actors.

Viewed the Theatre as a great tool for

education and making social comments

Worked with many famous writers

particularly Chekov

Units and Objectives – breaking scripts down into small

sections in which an actor can determine his/her

character’s objective or purpose in the scene. E.g. “I

want to show him I’m sorry”

Given Circumstances – who, where, when, what, why

of a scene

Magic If – supposing ‘if’ character was in this situation

how would he behave?

Subtext – what is not being said

Emotion Memory – applying our own emotional

memories to the role we are playing

Faith and a sense of truth – all action must be real and

driven by objective

“If you speak any lines, or do anything, mechanically, without

fully realising who you are, where you are going, and what

you will do when you get there, you will be acting without

imagination”

History of

Theatre

Brecht

1889 - 1952

Brecht was a German

playwright and theatre

practitioner, heavily

influenced by the politics of

his era, and the rise of

fascism. He was determined

to change traditions of

performance so that theatre

and the arts could be used

to educate audiences and

challenge politics.

His theatre deliberately

turned the conventions of

naturalism upside down!

He couldn’t stand the

bourgeois (rich), classist

nature of the theatre,

which he perceived as self-

indulgent and trivial.

Verfremmdungseffekt/Alienation Devices

Strange songs, projections, actors changing

character on stage, machinations of the

theatre (set lighting costume) all visible to

audience, placards and signs, talking in third

person, direct address, an episodic or ‘Epic’

structure, spanning many years, narration

telling audience what would happen before it

happened so they concentrated on why rather

than what next. Gestic acting (exaggerated a

bit like an impersonation)

Alienation

To turn theatre upside

down Brecht used

techniques of ‘alienation’

or Verfremmdungseffekt

This was to make ‘the

strange familiar and the

familiar strange, thus

waking up his audience

and getting them to think!

Vocabulary

Verfremmdungseffekt

Bourgeois

Alienation

Placard

Epic

Episodic

Fascism

Theatre History

1950’s-60’s

Kitchen Sink

Realism

The 50’s and 60’s brought about a shocking change in the styles

of plays being performed in theatres. Instead of the well made

plays of before that centred on the lives of the middle and upper

classes, these plays were about the struggles of the working

class. They were typically set in Northern towns and exposed the

gritty reality of living in poverty in the UK. Audiences were

shocked and fascinated by the subject content and a new

generation of playwrights and plays were born. The plays were

naturalistic but also truthful, thus the description ‘realism’

Famous Plays

Josh Osborne – Look Back in Anger

John Arden – Live Like Pigs

A Taste of Honey - Shelagh Delaney

History of

Theatre

Artaud

1896 - 1948

Vocabulary

Surreal

Visceral

Cathartic

Sensory

Symbol

Symbolic

The term Theatre of Cruelty, expresses Artaud

wanting his actors to be cruel to themselves :

I. Stretching the imagination until near breaking

point, challenging the body to complete extreme

moves

II. Pushing the physical boundaries to extremes

III. the body must go beyond exhaustion into a trance-

like state where it no longer feels exhaustion or its

pain & can thus achieve extraordinary things.

By showing work that explored the dark side of humanity

he hoped the audience would purge themselves of their

own dark desires and stop them from acting upon them.

Everything the actor does on an Artaudian stage must be

larger than life. All must be in harmony – a huge acting

space, large & extensive lighting, sound, costume, acting

style, masks, giant puppets

The audience should experience a total assault on their

senses – Total Theatre.

Theatre

History

Berkoff

1968 - present

Berkoff is a British practitioner whose career has

spanned from 1965 to today.

He created In yer face drama that shocks the audience

He wanted to push the boundaries & allow the audience

to interpret the meaning. Perception is Key.

His physical, exaggerated style of theatre is both

popular & controversial, defying the norms of

naturalistic theatre

Berkoff aimed to convert what he saw as the bourgeois

theatre of realism into a dynamic, presentational "total-

theatre".

His performances are very physical actors are expected

to total immerse themselves in the process of

production & create a tight ensemble.

Features of Berkoff’s

Style

Highly exaggerated,

grotesque

characterisation

Mime

Synchronisation

Movement sequences

Gestic acting

Choral Sequences

Robotic movement

Physical theatre

Stylised use of voice

Glide- Direct, Slow, Light

Dab- Direct, Fast, Light

Flick- Indirect, Fast, Light

Float- Indirect, Slow, Light

Famous Physical

Theatre

Pioneers

Frantic Assembly

DV8

Complicite

Lecoq

Laban

Bausch

History of

Theatre

Physical Theatre

Lecoq’s 7 States

of Tension

1. Exhausted

2. Laid Back

3. Neutral

4. Interested

5. Suspense

6. Passionate

7. Tragic

Thrusting - Direct, Fast,

Strong

Press - Direct, Slow, Strong

Slash - Indirect, Fast, Strong

Wring - Indirect, Slow, Strong

Features of Physical Theatre

Lifts

Highly disciplined movement

Stylised movements

Mime

Moving to a count

Ensemble work

Synchronised/ unsynchronised movements

Masks

Exaggerated emotions expressed in non-naturalistic

ways

Actors becoming objects

Actor as dramaturg

Physical theatre is where the story

is created physically through the

body rather than solely through

text.

It is modern, exciting and provides a

visceral experience for the

audience.

It is a unique and alternative form

of performance, allowing subjects

and themes to be explored without

limitation, and when done well can

be unforgettable.

Complicite, DV8, Frantic Assembly,

Le Coq, Laban and Pina Bausch are

all pioneers of this genre!

History of

Theatre

Contemporary

Theatre

Kneehigh

1980s OnwardsIn the1980s companies began to experiment with a more physical type of theatre. These companies reacted against realistic and naturalistic drama and wanted to create a different kind of theatre. They explored a more energetic and visual style, which combined strong design, multimedia and film with choreography and physical imagery.

KNEEHIGH THEATRE

Kneehigh is a UK based theatre company with a local, national and international

profile. For over 30 years they have created vigorous, popular and challenging

theatre and perform with the joyful anarchy that audiences have come to expect

from this ground-breaking company. Kneehigh tell stories. Based in Cornwall in

breath-taking barns on the south coast they create theatre of humanity on an epic

and tiny scale. Kneehigh work with an ever-changing ensemble of performers,

artists, technicians, administrators, makers and musicians and are passionate

about their multi-disciplined creative process.