Theatre has its origins in the Greek word "theatron" which means "a place for looking" other

sources
translate it as "seeing place." Theatre buildings have been existing since the Ancient greeks. Most often
not, theatre is commonly associated with performances limited only to those performance in theatre
buildings. Today, theatre can be experienced in different venues such as classrooms, gymnasiums or
even in the streets.

"The terms "drama", "dramatic theatre" and "spoken theatre" are often used interchangeably. Although
strictly speaking the term "drama" refers to a form of literature (along with prose and poetry). It is also
employed as synonym for theatre in general"

Theatre as an Art

One of the key characteristics of art is that it mirrors life. This is also true to theatre, which makes it an
art. As an art form, a key feature of theatre is selectivity. It selects and focuses on a part of the total
picture. It also uses a medium to present its form. In theatre, the medium is the presentation of a story,
or a message which enacted by performers or actors.

Theatre is Universal

We find THEATRE in every culture. Although, entertainment and artistic experience are its primary
purpose, theatre can serve a number of functions simultaneously. At various times theatre has been
part of a religious ritual, a civic celebration, a status symbol, a means of educating the young, a way of
maintain or challenging the status quo, a protest against the establishment, a means of sexual titillation,
a way of raising morale and expressing solidarity, a propaganda vehicle, a profit-making venue, and a
way of sparking discussion.

Like the other performing arts, theatre is an interpretive discipline. Between the text (story) and the
audience, stand a collaboration of artist director, designers, actors -- who embody the interpretation
through a performance.

Basic Elements of Theatre

At its most basic level, theatre provides a sensory experience for the audience it appeals to the human
senses as the audience is actively involved in perceiving, processing, reacting to, and storing a vast
number of stimuli, When an audience watches performance, they experience two phenomena
simultaneously: empathy and aesthetic distance. Empathy is emotional identification. In everyday life, it
means the ability to put oneself in someone else's shoes. In the theatre, it refers to a sense of
participation an identification with a character. Aesthetic distance is psycholögical separation, or a sense
of detachment. It is what keeps the audience (usually) from shoutingfrom trying to influence the action
on stage. They understand that what they are watching is not real. Aesthetic distance allows you to
appreciate the way something is done to admire the skill with which an actor portrays a character, the
beauty of the scenery, or the way lighting changes the mood of the play- because you realize that the
effect is being crafted.
The Space

For a performance to be theatre, it must be presented in space that accommodated both the
performers and the audience of one, or the space could be as large as a sports stadium with a cast of
hundreds, even thousands, performing for an audience of fifty thousand or more. The space could be
formally designed by an architect for the express purpose of theatrical performance or could be simply a
preexisting space that was never intended by the builder as theatre, The space must be organized with
the movement of the actor and the relationship of the actors to the audience in mind

The Performance of the Actors

At the most basic level every human being who interacts with other human beings is an actor. Every
person performs social roles for others, both consciously and unconsciously. Playwrights often
demonstrate that people perform different roles when interacting with different friends, acquaintances
family members, and strangers, People perform differently in private situations than they do in public.
Social performance is a basic phenomenon of human behavior and is central to the dramatic content
and conflict of the theatrical experience.

In the ancient Roman theatre, the "persona" was the mask of the actor. We now more commonly use
the word to designate psychologically the social role a person is playing or presenting in life. Both of
these meanings are appropriate to the process of the actor assuming a character.

The actor wears a mask, whether literal or figurativet and when the preparation is complete, the
audience is asked to accept this masked actor as the character designated by the play.

The Director's Supervision

The director is in charge of the artistic aspects of production.

It is the director's job to guide the transformation of the play to live production. The director interprets
the play (story, script, or message) and heads the artistic team, providing a focus and organization for
the creative work* In general, the director sets the tone for the production, approves its overall look and
sound, sets the movement of actors, and makes final decisions when necessary.

The Purpose and Point of View of a Theater Piece

In the minds of most audience members, reception is followed by understanding, which includes "the
meaning" of what they are experiencing. The meaning of a play or a moment in the play can become
something quite different for each audience member, Many theories of theatre assert that meaning is
fluid, based on frame of the previous experiences and cultural context of individual audience members -
and the intentions and skills of the actors delivering the dramatic materials The playwright's or director's
intent might not match the interpretation reached by the audience member. This disparity does not
signify failure, but the inevitable outcome of any communication or performance system that is
addressing or entertaining an audience. The performance has its own unique life each time it occurs.
The Work of the Playwright

While some theatrical performances progress through improvisation (the performers make up words or
movements as the go along or on-the-spot), most theatre begins with a written text. One writer (or a
group of writers) creates the play or scripta written text indicating the words the characters speak and
some of the physical action. In doing so, the playwright or the writer provides the basic action of the
play - he or she decides the major events of the play, the basic nature of each character, and the exact
words that will be spoken on stage.

The Visual Effects (Costumes, Lights, Scenery, Sounds)

The play is brought to life by a team of theatre artists — headed by the director, then the designers. A
scenery pertains to visual home, location or setting for. the play on stage. Costume pertains to the
"wearable scenery" for the actors to help define and express a character. The lights influence the effect
of all visual elements by controlling focus and mood with color, placement, and intensity of light. Lastly,
sounds refer to acoustic and recorded sound, These pertains to the audible scenery which also supports
the mood projected by the play.