We're almost at the finish line now! Here's your final question Year 10...
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
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How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
Yay last question!!
Studying theatre of the Absurd has actually helped my understanding of drama quite a bit. i found it hard to understand at the start, but once I got the hang of the illogical and wacky stuff its actually quite fun.
The absurdist conventions made me really think. I've been thinking about what makes these things absurd, and why Ionesco uses them where he does in the Bald Prima Donna.
Im sure everyone has experienced awkward silences before, and the next time i experience it, im going to brake the silence by saying something like, 'Id rather lay an egg, then steal an ox.' hmm.... maybe not.
Theatre of the Absurd is really different to anything i had done before.
oops. i hadnt finished that..
as i was saying, Absurdism is really different to anything ive ever done. i like it though because it is so different. it makes you wonder why people like Ionesco published these plays, because i would have thought people would think they are crazy!!
I think it has taught me how to look at things in a different way too. i think ill be more accepting of silly little mistakes, and less concerned about stupid little issues in life.
I had fun studying theatre of the Absurd, but i dont think it was my favorite topic this year. i really liked melodrama.
Adios amigos xx
Studying Theatre of the Absurd has definitely enhanced my understanding of drama. I have realised drama can be used in any context and in any way.
After the initial confusion of absurdist theatre I began to enjoy it, however, now getting ready to perform it, I am finding it a lot harder.
While we write an absurdist performance, I am seeing how hard it is to actually get away from the realistic theatre. My group and myself continually want to do things that make sense - we want specific characters and features and don't seem to think it will work without this. I think Theatre of the Absurd is actually one of the harder topics we've learned. It may seem so simple because you can just be random and do anything. However, absurdist theatre often seems to have a deeper meaning, and we like to stick with that and try to find that deeper meaning, rather than just seeing it as weird and illogical as a theatre of the absurd play should be. As humans, absurd theatre not having any meaning isn’t always enough for us. Reflections and discussions have actually made us feel more satisfied with the play because we realise there is more and it is realistic in a different way. But is this how we’re meant to see it?
I think also Theatre of the Absurd, like Emma said, has really made us think. We see all the deeper meanings, symbols and imagery in the play and have analysed them to see the play in a new light.
I hope that all made sense and actually answered the question!
Studying Theatre of the Absurd through the play The Bald Prima Donna has enhanced my understanding of a different type of theatre. It has shown me that stories and important messages can be portrayed in a variety of dramatic ways, direct or indirect. Although there are some similarities between this topic and the other topics we have studied this year, for example, random things (non-realistic) and messages through indirect language (Shakespeare), there are obviously far more differences. Theatre of the Absurd incorporates random phrases and events in order to convey a deeper meaning, this has helped me understand drama more over all because it shows that messages can be shown through an indirect approach instead of saying the moral of the story or clearly having a character refer to it in order for the audience to understand. This theatre mixes the realistic side of our lives with exaggeration and random moments to create plays which not only satirise our lives or another aspect of humans but also point out important things to us that we may not have otherwise realised. An important element of Absurdist theatre is that every prop in a play, every line spoken and every event occurring has a meaning and relates back to a sub-topic of the main theme. The sheet we did in drama that had us explaining the point made by each of many things in the play (e.g. clock chiming, maid’s poem, fireman’s stories etc.) showed me this because there are two pages filled with things involving a deeper meaning that is not apparent on the surface. As I have said Theatre of the Absurd has enhanced my understanding of drama by showing me many ways in which messages can be portrayed and the unique and varied ways through which this can be done. I really enjoyed this topic and hope that what I have learned through it about a unique type of theatre and also about drama in general will help me in my future, boring, pointless-conversation-filled, door-bell-ringing life.
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
I think Theatre of the Absurd has enhanced my understanding because i have learnt so much about drama and dramatic performaces from studying it.
The main thing i have learn is that not all dramatic plays have to make sence. The things you act dont always have to fit in place with what the audience understands. Not only does it leave wiggle room for the audience to fill in the blacks of the illogical parts but it also creates a sence of pointlessness in life and the tipical, boring sercumstances everyday life brings.
Theatre of the Absurd is completely different to anyrthing we have ever done. It allows you to really use your imagionation and run with anythign that comes into your head. Its entertaining and different which keeps the audience interested by it.
thats pretty much all i have to say
seeeeeee ya
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
Studying theatre of the Absurd has enhanced my understanding of a different type of theatre. Although there are some similarities between Theatre of the Absurd and other topics we’ve studied this year such as Shakespeare, Theatre of the Absurd focuses strongly on the themes and messages of a performance. When i first read the Bald Prima Donna i thought it was a comical play about boring enlglish people, but as we explored the text more thoroughly in class i saw that Ionesco had logic behind his play. Theatre of the Absurd is random and indirect but at the same time is logic and meaningful. This has taught me that any drama performance, whether it be Melodrama or non-realistic, dialogue and events together can bring a strong meaning to a performance.
I have really enjoyed studying Absurdist theatre because it was so unique to anything we've ever studied in drama.
Theatre of the Absurd definately showed me a different side of drama. Before this year I barely knew anything about Theatre of the Absurd and so this was a new experience for me.
It definately broadened my understanding of drama. The Theatre of the Absurd was so different to the Shakespeare, Meldodramatic and Non Realistic performances and activities we had done previously.
The main thing Theatre of the Absurd showed me was that it was really useful to be absurd if you want to symbolise a deeper meaning. For example, the clock chiming symbolised time doesn't matter etc.
It was fun to act out the most ridiculous things and not have to follow any rules. In other stykes of drama you would have to make sense in your performances but what I liked about Theatre of the Absurd was that you can just say whatever pops into your head. Before Theatre of the Absurd you wouldn't think that there would be a play with people fighting over if someone is ringing the doorbell or not, with a whole community featuring people with the same name and I definately wouldn't have thought of a Maid claiming she is Sherlock Holmes in a momologue.
As Liv said, Theatre of the Absurd is also fun to watch as it always keeps the audience entertained, as well as keeping them guessing what will happen next.
Another thing that was well used in Theatre of the Absurd was the silences. In class when we were acting out the Hmmm scene, when there was a silence we would 5-10 seconds before the next line was said. This made the scene extremely awkward but also random, especially when Mrs Martin says "Oh really!" after no one has said anything.
Overall, Theatre if the Absurd was fun to work with. It will be great to see the different perspectives of the Bald Prima Donna performed and all the Absurdist conventions in use.
the first time i looked at the blog page before starting my first entry, i looked at the bottom to find a quote.
"theatre of the absurd does not provoke tears of despair, but the laughter of liberation"
it confused me at first, that sentence. but now, as we are finishing up the unit, i think i finally understand.
theatre of the absurd isnt there to make us feel a certain way, like the theatre of melodrama, realism and non realistic theatre is. we arent meant to go out in sympathy for the people on stage, or the events that occur.
we are simply meant to be coming to a realisation that the things we experience, in the big picture, dont mean anything. we are in fact laughing at ourselves and our human race without noticing it.
in absurdist theatre, when the non established characters are saying things, we dont feel for them like we would with our favourite character in a drama tv show.
we dont connect with them. they are just there, strangers to us.
from this, i have learnt that drama is more than just words and people standing on a stage. words dont HAVE to provoke emotion, because if they did, we probably would have been bawling our eyes out over the belated realisation that bobby watson was dead, rather than sitting there, utterly confusion, in hysterics of laughter.
to provoke a certain emotion, the words need to connect with the characters feelings, and the actor needs to literally step into someone elses shoes and feel the way they think that the character feels. the character and his/her dialogue needs to not only come out orally, but through the way they look in costuming and physicality, and the expressions on their faces need to go into the minds of the audience.
through all of this i have also learnt about performing. as an actor you need to adapt to every situation in every part of theatre. in realistic theatre, you focus on engaging the audience, whereas in absurdist theatre you work at blocking out the audience.
absurdist theatre is very different to everything i have studied over the last year and three quarters, and although i have found it quite a challenge, it has led me to loving drama even more by making me think rather than just do.
Outstanding responses, as always Year 10. Thank you for sharing your insights and being responsive to this blog. I'll continue to read it over the next week or so!
See you all soon, and thanks again.
Mr R.
hmmm...well well well
i actually do thaink that studying theatre of the absurd has expanded my understanding of drama. i never knew that it was posible to have a performance where there is no storyline, no realistic characters, no meaningful dialogue and no apparent reason fo any actions that occur on stage. It is also a lot more commedic than the other types of theatre that we have previously studied. It has showed me that there is a world of different ways of conveying a message through performance. Once you have finnished watching an absurdist performanec you come to reflect and recognise the hidden meanings behind the fascade of a commedic performance.
i have really enjoyed this topic miss mac and look forewared to performing our assessment task.
Studing Theatre of the Absurd has broadened my view on Drama. It has opened up new ways of expressing ourselves.For example the play doesnt have to meke sence, i can still use humour, there are many ways of communicating to the audience not justwith dialogue, physicality and symbols used in the play are ver significant and charaters that dont always have to be people.
It is really mocking the silly things wew do everyday. I found this very amusing especially in the Bald Prima Donna. I think it lightens up the aspects of routeen and drerey conversations we have everyday.
Studing Absurd thetre after the more traditional thetres was really exciting because thetre of the absurd is a whole new concept. It is a challenge to perform but it allows your imagination to run wild.
I used to think drama was like the seven colours of the rainbow but now i can see the shades in between.
xxx
Theatre of the Absurd has enhanced my understanding of drama because it has allowed me to expand the many ways that we are able to express ourselves and our ideas. Studying this particual style of theatre has allowed us to see a very different perspective of life inside and also outside the drama room.
I would agree with the many people who have admitted to noticing aspects of Theatre of the Absurd within their own life and i think this is because Theatre of the Absurd has made us think about the deeper meaning of things we do and see in our own life and we have begun to see that what we learn in drama is bigger than just the classroom but can be found in the world around us.
Through studying Theatre of the Absurd we have been able to further understand many techniques in drama. like many people have written over the last few weeks, we have become more aware of certain technuiqes such as silences which can create an awkward or heightened atmosphere.
I think studying Theatre of the Absurd has enhanced our understanding of Drama because we begun to see a new perspective, and the techniques and ideas we have learnt throughout this topic can now be incorporated and considered in all performances we may do in the future.
Hello everyone…
I have learnt so much during the topic of Absurd theatre about dramatic symbols and techniques…yet the main thing that I have really learnt is that in drama….the possibilities are ENDLESS! Drama can be in any form, in any place, at any time and in any state of mind. Drama doesn’t even have to make sense! As long as the play engages its audience and takes them on a journey.
I have also learnt from our studies of the Bald Prima Donna that even the simplest things may have a lot of meaning. At a glance, the Bald Prima Donna seemed like just a script of random phrases and words put together…but after really analyzing the script and discussing its various meanings…we can get a lot out of it because we develop a greater understanding for drama and we also learn more about life!
I now understand that we can use dramatic symbols as a way of conveying a message or meaning to our audience and that the dialogue we use does not necessarily have to connect with our emotions. This may be very different to other forms of drama such as Shakespearian performance which greatly relies on feelings and emotions to tell a story because the language is sometimes difficult. I also understand that parody, non-sequitur and truism can be used within a play to make it more amusing and very humourous. Additionally, I now know that repetition may be effective and silences may also be very effective even though nothing on stage may be happening!
Well I have really enjoyed this term’s work on Absurd theatre! Every lesson has been really enjoyable and some what absurd! I can take away a lot from the classes and discussions we have had and it has really broadened my ideas about the possibilities within drama!
Thanks so much Mr. Rutherford for a great term!
X bec
studying the theatre of the absurd has helped my understanding of drama quiete sufficiently.
as laura lynch mentioned, reading an absurdist play with what seems meaningless and contains no structure of any sort, does not seem to be enough. our human nature of searching for more deeper meanings is really quiete ironic, because that exact aspect of nature is precisely what absurd theatre explores. i do believe that absurd theatre contains more purposeful meaning, but the performance needs to be at face value in order to convey this meaning.
Theatre of the absurd, in my opinion, is a saitre of human society and the way we live life on earth. What is interesting about theatre of the absurd, is that the characters are one dimensional, however opposites, doubts, the battle between the heart and the head, the emotions and the logicality are demonstrated and PHYSICALISED on stage.
Theatre of the absurd pinpoints between the internal world of our being and the external world. Both of these worlds are bought to life on stage. the blantent contrasts between these both worlds are acted by one character and perhaps that is what makes it so confusing.
The themes of absurdist plays may be similar to other theatrical themes in melodrama and shakespeare, but it is the way the theme(s) are conveyed is what makes it different. conventions such as randomness, inconsistency, non sequitures, exaggeration, repitition and how people listen to words not the meaning behind the words, is what segregates it from any other type of theatre, making it thus unique and absurd.
i interpret drama as different techniques of expressing life, and life is relationships.Theatre of the absurd has helped me in my understanding of the confinities that society has caged us in, in terms of our mannerisms, and thoughts. in saying this, because absurdism has helped me in my understanding of human society, it has helped me in my understanding of drama.
sup chickens!
theatre of the absurd has enchanced my understanding of drama by teaching me that drama is not all about the actors on tv shows its more the history and different types of drama that you can succceed in e.g. ABSURD shakespeare melo and non-realistic.
To be honest with you all absurd is one of my favourite types of drama because even though it was hard to get my head around at first its actually quite easy and fun to play with. Theatre of the Absurd is great in that you can do what you like and have the audience laugh e.g. silences
i cannot wait until the performances are due:)
tata
oh oops sorry
i also think that theatre of the absurd is more fun to do practical work but i have found it hard to get started on our assessment but once we started acting all these ideas popped into my head :)
its so much different to all the other types of drama we have studied its GREAT
well, from the start I always enjoyed theatre of the absurd, but began to realise how it actually has a deeper meaning. Like Iris said, absurdist theatre is a satire of human society and the way we live life!
I mentioned before in a previous blog, how Absurdist theatre mocks us and our very odd mannerisms. But because everyone does something absurd like this in life, we just laugh it off. But people dont realise that absurdist theatre has a meaning under all the fun and laughter. That is, a meaning of life, the way we live it and how our time is spent.
I have begun to understand and notice these absurd ways of life throughout the term. In class, at school and even at home. Somtimes i start to laugh at myself because its like an inside joke...thats when i realise how retard, random and absurd that really is...and stop straight away.
But i see drama and life in a new light. Like Laura mentioned, it is extremely hard to pull yourself away from realistic theatre, almost like pulling youself away from reality. We find Absurd theatre so new and inviting but we dont want to change our style of acting and preforming.
Everything I see in drama now, even the small meaningless pinpricks are seen as deep and meaningful. This is also reflected throughout our lives. And I am starting to understand that whatever we do, whenever, where-ever, we have a purpose in doing so.
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
Studying Theatre of the Absurd has enhanced our understanding of Drama through the meaningless babble but yet deeper meaningful themes, ideas and techniques. Theatre of the Absurd represents the meaningless and incomprehensible routines and ways of our day-to-day lives Theatre of the Absurd is very different from all of our previous studies. I have found that over the last few weeks it has been hard acting non-realistically because we have been so adapted and used to reality. I have found this topic to be the hardest of all the topics that we have studied this year but I have found it to be interesting.
Theatre of the Absurd has showed me that there is more to acting and drama than realistic characterization, dialogue, and storyline. When we first got our assessment task all of the ideas rushing into my head were realistic but I slowly realised that this is not meant to be realistic, it’s meant to be absurd! I agree with Lauren in saying that one of the main things that I have learnt, enhancing my understanding of drama, is that as an actor you need to be able to be put into many different situations, realistic or not, in every part of theatre. As strange as this sounds, acting ‘absurd’ is hard.
Theatre of Absurd performance style is so different to what we have previously studied in class; Shakespeare, melodrama (this year)
Shakespeare and Melodrama are realistic and therefore use realistic performance conventions. A realistic performance represents characters that are believable, understandable, realistic and convincingly motivated. It has meaningful dialogue, gesture physicality and a logical storyline (beginning, climax and ending). While an absurdist performance has unrecognizable characters with unmotivated/random actions, meaningless dialogue and starts and ends at random points.
Therefore Absurdist Theatre has been a very different topic to study. Although I have found it hard to step away from reality and realism, the theatre of Absurd has allowed me to experience a new ‘random’ world, held in Drama.
Morning all! I'm really pleased to read all of the amazing positive responses to theatre of the absurd. It is certainly one of my favourite performance styles. There is some great rehearsing being done for the assessments starting (insert awkward silence and possible random act of violence) this Friday and next week and I know we are all really looking forward to seeing what you can all come up with. Jess, I absolutely LOVED your rainbow comment! Great stuff Year 10 - it's been a great term's work.
Well done to all the wonderful Year 10 absurdists
miss mac :)
Jess, I loved the rainbow comment too - so much so that I emailed it to Miss Mac last night with a big grin on my face!
Mr R.
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama?
Studying this type of drama has definitely broadened my understandings and opinions of drama. Previous topics including Shakespeare, melodrama, and non-realistic drama are all so different from each other and theatre of the absurd, but I can still see some links between them all. Underlining morals in the story, use of symbolism and being a little over the top and melodramatic are all conventions evident in many types of drama.
With theatre of the absurd when you first read it you just thought it random and weird but after finishing the topic we can now see that there are so many meanings and messages apparent in the play. We might not have noticed these without studying the topic.
I really like theatre of the absurd.
Thank you so much Mr Ra-Ra for teaching us you were great!
vovo and out
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
THeatre of the absurd has relaly broadened my mind about the limitations of drama....its shown me that there are none! of course i knew that before, but during our absudist unit, i felt like i relaly understood then.
This unit has shown me that drama can be anything, from highly strung melodrama, to sitting around going 'hm'.
I agree with some people here, that absurdism was a bit hard to grasp at first! i was like "what? you mean NONE of it has to make sense?! yipeee!'" later i found out more, and how akward, random, suspenceful, aggitating, annoying, aimless, purposless, poinless, thoughtless, careless, rambling, accidnetal, unplanned and fickle it can be!
I found theatre of the absurd to be quite fun, once i got the hang of responding "fish" to "how are you?" haha =]
well g2g now but i found TOTA quite the fun! but i must say, i prefered shakespeare!
xx
studying theatre of the Absurd has shown and point out pointless rountines of life and how they veiw everyone the same, living through the same day over and over again. It's very different from plays with set characters and scenes with a timeline of events. It has enhanced my understanding of drama by showing me that you dont need to stick to any rules, you can show your point of veiw on different subjects through plays and that you can make it original and not make sense and it'll still be called a play.
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
Initially theatre of the absurd really confused me (and to be honest The Bald Prima Donna still remains somewhat of a mystery to me) but I can definitely pick out many messages displayed throughout the Bald Prima Donna and throughout Absurd theatre itself.
I like that we can get a message across to an audience without having to use realistic acting techniques and that there are more ways that one of telling a story. Studying Theatre of the Absurd has widened my appreciation for a greater range of theatrical techniques.
The disjointed characters of Bald Prima Donna interest me very much and the line "she always wears her hair the same way" never fails to make me laugh.
The theatre of absurd has given me a much better understanding of frama as it has opened many doors in things we are aloud. Most of our performances are normally more serious and if u do use things like the Bald Prima Donna all the random things if we were to use that in our everday life people would think we were crazy as it is just about NOTHING.
it will be intresting to see everyones performances to see what everyones different points of view on the Bald Prima Donna.
Yay last question!!
thanks Mr Ra Ra.. uve been a legend!
Theatre of the absurd has changed my perseption of drama a lot.
to begin with i found it confusing and boring. throughout the topic i have grown to understand and appreciate abusurdist theatre. It was very interesting to see how my class reacted to the play " the bald prima donna" and all the different observations we all made about what the play was trying to sugguest.
compared to the other dramatic styles we have studdied the concept of this style was much harder to grasp and much harder to create a peice.
Having said that, this has been an enjoyable topic.
STudying theatre of the absurd in drama this term had really opened up new doors on how i view different perceptions and made me really think into what certain plays are really about. AT first it was quite hard to get into becuase of all the different techniques. But now after spending time on understanding the illogical and weird things its really fun and enhoyable.
This topic has definately enhanced my understadning of drama and its little ways. And it was definately a new experience for me and tohers im sure. Most of the time in drama we just get up and et involved and dont necessarily think about it. But with theatre of the absurd it was completely differnet, it really engaged my thinking and made me think deeper into what was actually going on on the surface. It has definately opened up new ways of how we can express ourselves and get more involved.
At first it was jsut meaningless and illogical and kind of ridiculous but then when yuo really search for the deeper meaning you find so much more. I have learnt so much so far from theatre of the absurd but i know that there is yet so much more to learn.
Theatre of the absurd has enhanced my understanding of drama because it has shown me how many different ways drama can be performed. Theatre of the absurd is completely random and illogical which shows that drama doesn’t necessarily have to make sense for it to be able to convey a meaning or message. Right throughout the bald prima donna the characters say lines which would seem completely out of place in today’s world and would probably get them locked up in some insane asylum whereas as they are in the play the lines all come together to form some sort of very illogical purpose.
This style of drama is completely different to any other style we have studied, yet in a way it kind of has some connections to all of them. In Shakespeare we had to look for the meaning behind the very complicated and emotive dialogue he used. This is quite similar in theatre of the absurd because it is not the words themselves we are listening to, it’s what the words represent. The individual lines in absurd theatre can mean nothing at all when they are by themselves, it takes all the lines in a scene together for us to be able to see what they are trying to say. Absurdist theatre is also similar to non realistic theatre in the way symbols and hidden meanings count for more than the dialogue itself.
Studying theatre of the absurd has shown me how to look past what first seems like a completely illogical random and meaningless play and to see the hidden meaning the writer is trying to show through the nonsensical dialogue, silences, repetition and symbols. It is able to show the normal, boring routine of everyday life in a very far from normal way. Another thing about absurdist theatre is it doesn’t have to mean the same thing to everyone. Each person that reads the bald prima donna, for example, could pick up on another little hidden meaning that no-one else has ever really noticed before. I think this is a good thing because it makes you think about it a lot more and because it shows that the meaning doesn’t have to all be completely spelled out for you in black and white like it is in melodrama.
Studying Theatre of the Absurd this term has enhanced my understanding of drama a lot.
I now realise that there are many different types of drama and studying absurdist has definitely made me more aware of the wide range of ways in which drama can be performed.
I also thought that there was no meaning behind absurdist drama but now I realise that there is, and that this type of drama probably has more meaning behind it then the other types we have studied.
I have found this the hardest type of drama because the storylines in absurd drama do not have to make sense, in a way this was harder because we were not used to it.
I found out that with absurdist drama meanings are portrayed through them, although when we started leaning about it I didn’t really understand what these meanings were. There are deeper meanings in it which we have to try and understand. We have learnt that symbols that are used can portray these meanings for example the clock, indicating that time doesn’t really matter.
Absurdist drama is very different from the other types of drama we have studied, like Shakespeare, melodrama, and non-realistic drama.
A reason for this is that you do not have any rules to stick by which broadened our ideas for our group performances. I have really liked this part of absurdist drama.
But it is hard, as Laura said, to break away from realistic theatre when we try and make our play make sense. In our group performance, sometimes we have found ourselves trying to make our storyline make sense.
I have really enjoyed studying this type of drama but I have also found it very challenging. It is so different to what we have previously studied and it is really funny to watch. I can’t wait to watch the other group performances to see what ideas they have come up with.
Studying Theatre of the Absurd has most definetly opened and enhanced my understanding of dramaa.
Shakespeare was a topic i really loved looking into and performing because i liked all the old fashioed language and era its set in.
Melodrama was loads of fun because you got to be silly and over exaggerated all the time. Playing a hero was always one of my favourites.
Non realistic wasnt one of my favourites but it also helped give me a better understanding of the drama around today.
Absurdist theatre i have found to be a more deeper messaged and politically informed topic.
It has helped enhance my understanding in drama by the fact that it has shown me how drama can make a statement. It has shown me that messages and opinions on the world can be expressed in a form of art and creativity with a splash of hunour. I like that this play plays with many different concpets that go from the relationships between human beings to how individuals have their own personal race against time each and everyday.
Absurdist theatre i believe in some ways in a controversial and informative form of drama and it has definetly enhanced my knowledge of drama this year!
thats all from me everyonee =]
ok last question.
Theatre of the Absurd has really changed my understand of drama.
It's so different, I love it!
I sort of see elements of Melodrama and non-realistic theatre in absurdism.
I love it because every it has no significant meaning. For example, for my Melodrama performance of Captain Planet, the audience understood that Earth turns evil, world is in danger, captain planet comes and saves the day and everyone is happy, whereas in my absurdist play of Absurdist High, yes you understood that we were at school, but what we were saying sometimes did not make sense, and everyone most likely interperetted what we were REALLY saying on the inside in different ways. Thats what I love about Absurdism, you do not have to rely on dialouge to show emotion or deeper meaning, you can act it, and show it.
However, I do not really see Absurdism as something new to me, as after studying it in Drama, I actually felt that I am in an Abusdist play. For those who know me, they know my randomness, but it hasn't really kicked in until year 10. Maybe it's being in that lunatic upstairs corridor having m locker next to Miss Mac's- i mean, the Director Of Performing Arts' office.
Theatre of the Absurd has changed my understanding of drama. I have learnt that it does not always have to make sense to be a successful play. Who knew people would pay to see the Bald Prima Donna, something that makes absolutely NO SENSE. At least Shakespeare (despite the tricky language) and melodrama make sense. I don't question why plays like that are successful. Even non-realistic makes more sense than Theatre of the Absurd!
Yet now that i understand what Theatre of the Absurd encompasses I can see why the Bald Prima Donna was such a good play. And it had a lot of funny lines in it! I remember our class laughing a lot at "The cock aped the dog"
Theatre of the Absurd has shown me the importance of symbolism and how it can get a message across without saying words.
It has also taught me the importance of gestures and facial expressions, which can change the whole meaning of what is being said.
Theatre of the Absurd has made me realise the importance of the dramatic conventions in the world of drama.
I have enjoyed Theatre of the Absurd because it's been so different to anything else and you can do pretty much anything you want as it doesn't even need to make sense!
Well this year we studied documentary drama and shakespeare which are COMPLETELY different to absurdist theatre.. and i love that it is something so different!
It has enhanced my understanding of drama, it has been a great unit and i have discovered that how a play with a jumble of random mixed up lines, absurd actions, random acts of violence, made up words.. and all around just pretty much doesn't make sense.. can actually have some great messages though it about the way that we live our lives.
It is still a relevant play today, even though it was written over 50 years ago which is amazing, and it is still so popular.. a play that has been going on for that long has obviously got alot to tell you and i love that in all it's randomness it cans till somehow manage to make sense
Studying the theatre of the absurd has enhanced my understanding of drama as at the start of this unit I was thinking how does learning this going to help me. Its so weird and pointless but getting suck into it this then changed my perspective of absurd theatre. I like it how I has a underlying meaning and in the play it show has in relationships people don’t listen to each other I think that’s really cleaver and we can learn a lot me on life.
I found doing this was hard because there is no real storyline but I got used to it after a while. Making up little skits in class were fun as you can do anything really as the possibilities are endless as its absurd. One of the drama conventions I loved was the award silences as in life when were talking we hate to have silences and have to keep on talking and having to put the convention in was really nice.
And that’s it from me thanks.
Its strange to me, because before we started studying theatre of the absurd, i thought that most types of theatre had some kind of plot or story line that made relative sense. So I guess that studying Theatre of the Absurd has helped me to understand just how diverse theatre is and how there are very few constrants to which a performance has to follow. I like knowing where i stand in a performance, like what direction the performance is going, when it is going to end, and that it is going to make sense, like in a shakespeare play. Or how in a Melodrama the dynamics of it the performance dicated how it would end, but in Absurd theatre i like not knowing, i like the randomness and i think that it is the fact the you don't know or understand much of it at first glance that makes it appealing and a brilliantly funny performance style.
This term, i learnt that there was a lot more to drama than i had previously believed. Last year if someone had to tell me that the Bald Prima Donna was a famous play, i would not believe them to be quite sane. But now that ive studied Absurdism, i find it easy to relate too, and really deep (lots of hidden meanings). It deals with everyday problems, but not directly. I think thats the beauty of it, its subtle, and not too full on. Absurdist theatre is not like any other play ive ever read or acted out in the sense that there is no... well... sense! It has no point, no climax, no begining and no end. There is no point to it, and yet, it deals with very realsitic situations, but i'd say their slightlyover-exaggerated.
Comparing Melodrama to absurdism:
There really is no comparison. They are polar opposites on the drama field. Melodrama is typical, Good guy wins over bad guy therefore winning fair lady's heart, and Absurdism is random, cyclical, and nonsense.
To me, this play shows that drama is much more than it appears in the curriculum booklet.
It has so many different appearances that you can always find one that suits you.
I really enjoyed studying Theatre of the Absurd because it has opened my eyes to all the variety of drama, made me think twice when i ask the drilled in "hi! how was your weekend?" and made my strict timetable a little less logical. Over all its made me more aware of the illogical in life, and how not to waste time, because it never stops for anyone, and has made me aware of the fact that i want to break out of the ritual every once in a while and do something completely random and weird, yet completely fitting. thanks Mrs Mac and Mr Ruterford.
Personally, i have found Theatre of the Absurd very difficult as a performer to take on. I was so bad at it i felt, and really couldn't work well with any of it. I like comedy and performing like that, however....... i have not been able to pick the humour up in the randomness of this play and all of Theatre of the Absurd. Yes i can understand the humour of it when reading through it, but to try and act it out and make it humerous, i found sooooooooo difficult. So especially with our final piece. We did not take on a humourous side of it, some people did, but ours was much more serious and focused instead of the randomness of life.
But Theatre of the Absurd has been a very pyschological topic as well, and very thinking hard about the meaning of life and why things are how they are. So its definately enhanced my understanding of drama, as to be good at drama you need to experience as many sides of it as you can. And this is just another side to it.
Last blog done, tick.
Must finish essay now, toodles.
again typed 2weeks ago but only now have i found help to log back on.
studying Theatre of the Absurd through the bald prima donna has enhanced my understanding of what drama is an means to be seen learnt or performed.
i have learnt that neither drama nor a play has to be exciting, tense, and include gripping events and actions, all in all it doesn not need to make much sence at allo r evan relate to its title. The bald Prima donna was a fantastic way to show us (drama students, and myslef) what not only absurd theater but what drama is all about.
There are many forms of drama and i used to belive these all shared one common goal, to create awareness or an understanding of an idea or issue. theatre was usually a devised piece which used abstract ideas to communicate a message. i now have learnt that this is not what drama is it is one branch of what drama is. theater of the absurd consists of non-sequitors, cyclical structures, illogical dialogue repition ect. verry unlike melodrama, shakespeare and non realistic theater.
but all in all i have enjoyed it alot for there is never a mistake in absurd theater for a mistake can make more sence of whats happening.
ahh shankyou.
6.9.07
i bloody loved absurdist theatre its my home. hahaha i really enjoyed studying this topic and it was by far the best out of all the topics this year. the focus of this term really made me think about the absurdity of life and sometimes i think things that Ionesco thought like how the names of objects the names that they are. its hard to explain but i find it hard to contemplate on why things like a door has the name "door" its weird. i love mimicking the reality of life. i LOVE this subject but not as much as i love summer heights high. hahah
peace out
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc)?
Theatre of the Absurd has enhanced my understanding of drama in so many ways. It helped me to realise that the things we do in everyday life, maybe aren’t as normal as we think they are. Through the non-sequiturs, and the random acts of violence to the symbolism throughout The Bald Prima Donna I have come to realise that life isn’t normal, and better yet, Drama isn’t normal. We are all as insane as the next drama student.
I have enjoyed studying Theatre of the Absurd because it is just so different to everything else we have done in drama in the past two years. I have found it a challenge as well, because when writing the script for our absurd performance, I found myself looking for dialogue to make sense, and it was hard, but fun to overcome this, and go completely insane with it. It’s great because it lets you be crazy and have fun without people judging you, and wondering what the hell you are doing.
In comparison to the other forms of theatre we have studied this year, Theatre of the Absurd is very different, new and odd. Shakespeare is basically a traditional type of theatre, it is poetic but it does make sense. It had its roots in the 1500-1600’s, whereas Theatre of the Absurd only came about in the last century or so. Melodrama began in the nineteenth century, and although it was very over the top and dramatic, it did make sense.
My favourite thing about this unit of work, is that you can do whatever you want with it. You can use completely out there costumes, and you can use whatever voice you want, any kind of physicality, any setting, any type of character. Whereas with other types of theatre, there are set conventions, like in a Shakespearean performance, you would not normally see people dressed as elephants, or as construction workers, or bouncing around in body bags.
So when we started Theatre of the Absurd, I didn’t know what to expect, it was so unlike everything we’ve done, and very entertaining as well, and I have really enjoyed studying it this term.
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied
Studying theatre of the absurd has definately enhanced my understanding of drama. This is due to the fact that it is such a different and unique way of performing.
I have found as an audience and a performer myself, that dialogue is not really all that important in this area. Absurdist theatre is portrayed through elements such as movement, gestures, facial expressions and costumes more than anything.
Unlike shakespeare and melodrama which have set themes, characters and structure to the performances, Theatre of the Absurd has no specific relevance and can be completely unpredictable. This is extremely entertaining for the audience.
The topic has allowed me to use my imagination and also think about the meaning behind the illogical play "The Bald Prima Donna".
Although it may not make sense it refers to life in general, the randomness and routine we experience everyday.
I found Theatre of the Absurd quite confusing and unusual at the begining and was unsure of how to react to it. However now after analysing and playing around with I've found that i enjoy it, alot!
It was probably the most challenging topic but the randomness, acts of violence and total irrelevance is definately my thing.
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
Studying Theatre of the Absurb in prima dona
has opened my imagination and has expand my knowlege about the studies of drama showing a range of drama types absurtism being one of them.
Its a topic that really opened my eyes and how life is so chronical ordered and how difficult it is to making a scene out of the ordinary to randome and strange. While making my play with Bree Catie and tg I brainstormed many ideas out of the ordinary and really enjoyed it. I guess we find it funny becasue its uncommon and looked upon strange becasue it is not normal making anything absurb comedy.
Studying this topic has also left an effect on me and i think others to be more accepting and instead of critize, laugh at mistakes and even take it do another level. I enjoyed this topic because it is very different from shakespeare, melodrama and non-realistic.
I have learnt alot and plan on learning more
- alex
How has studying Theatre of the Absurd enhanced your understanding of Drama? You might like to consider how this performance style is different to the others you have studied (Shakespeare, melodrama, non-realistic, etc).
We learn about how serious life is - war, poverty, sickness and death, even exams. Through my understanding of theatre of the absurd it has actually made me reassess the things we get so worried about, the extremes the world goes to, when really we just need to stop and laugh. Absurdum is the realisation that the small things don't matter - look at life in perspective and there is one thing that stands out:laughter, fun and memories which has definetly been created through studying theatre of the absurd.
It is entirely different to every other topic we have studied and has made me even more confident about the things we worry about,the awkwardness of life and boredom. Life is what you make of it, so just laugh!
By studying Theatre of the Absurd it has enhanced my understanding of Drama. This is because it has allowed us to see how people do act in situations that happen everyday.
Absurd theatre makes it easier to create a performance as it does not have to make sense. I didn't realise that you didn't have to make sense when i started Drama so it was a lot easier doing the performance based on Absurdism. You still have to have strong body language and facial expressions but the words and phrases that you say don't really have to be normal. They still have to be significant to connect with the audience but, they don't have to make sense.
It is so different to anything else we have done in Drama over the past two years. Non-realistic was still more realistic than absurdism as it had meaning and many objects were used symbolically. Shakespeare and Melodrama have a definite story-line whereas absurd theatre uses a cyclical structure to portray the absurdism.
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