Ensemble Theatre Quotes

Alongside the development of theatres came the growth of an acting culture; in essence it was the birth of the acting profession. Plays had generally been performed by amateurs - often men from craft guilds. Towards the end of the sixteenth century there developed companies of actors usually under the patronage of a powerful or wealthy individual. These companies offered some protection against the threat of Puritan intervention, censorship, or closure on account of the plague. They encouraged playwrights to write drama which relied on ensemble playing rather than the more static set pieces associated with the classical tradition. They employed boys to play the parts of women and contributed to the development of individual performers. Audiences began to attend the theatre to see favourite actors, such as Richard Burbage or Will Kempe, as much as to see a particular play. Although the companies brought some stability and professionalism to the business of acting - for instance, Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's, subsequently the King's, Men, continued until the theatres closed (1642) - they offered little security for the playwright. Shakespeare was in this respect, as in others, the exception to the rule that even the best-known and most successful dramatists of the period often remained financially insecure.

Theatre Impressions For me the tragedy's most important act is the sixth: the raising of the dead from the stage's battlegrounds the straightening of wigs and fancy gowns removing knives from stricken breasts, taking nooses from lifeless necks, lining up among the living to face the audience. The bows, both solo and ensemble the pale hand of the wounded heart, the curtseys of the hapless suicide, the bobbing of the chopped-off head. The bow in pairs- rage extends its arm to meekness, the victim's eyes smile at the torturer, the rebel indulgently walks besides the tyrant. Eternity trampled by the golden slipper's toe. Redeeming values swept aside with the swish of a wide- brimmed hat. The unrepentant urge to start all over tomorrow. Now enter, single file, the hosts who died early on, in Acts 3 and 4, or between scenes. The miraculous return of all those without a trace. The thought that they've been waiting patiently offstage without taking off their makeup or their costumes moves me more than all the tragedy's tirades. But the curtain's fall is the most uplifting part, the things you see before it hits the floor: here one hand quickly reaches for a flower, there another hand picks up a fallen sword. Only then one last, unseen hand does its duty and grabs me by the throat.

Theatre Impressions For me the tragedy's most important act is the sixth: the raising of the dead from the stage's battlegrounds the straightening of wigs and fancy gowns removing knives sfrom stricken breasts, taking nooses from lifeless necks, lining up among the living to face the audience. The bows, both solo and ensemble the pale hand of the wounded heart, the curtseys of the hapless suicide, the bobbing of the chopped-off head. The bow in pairs- rage extends its arm to meekness, the victim's eyes smile at the torturer, the rebel indulgently walks besides the tyrant. Eternity trampled by the golden slipper's toe. Redeeming values swept aside with the swish of a wide- brimmed hat. The unrepentant urge to start all over tomorrow. Now enter, single file, the hosts who died early on, in Acts 3 and 4, or between scenes. The miraculous return of all those without a trace. The thought that they've been waiting patiently offstage without taking off their makeup or their costumes moves me more than all the tragedy's tirades. But the curtain's fall is the most uplifting part, the things you see before it hits the floor: here one hand quickly reaches for a flower, there another hand picks up a fallen sword. Only then one last, unseen hand does its duty and grabs me by the throat.

I want to take a second here to talk about my decision to go to school for music, since I get asked for advice on this pretty often. If you’re a young musician (or dancer, or musical theatre actor, or any type of creative performer for that matter) and you’ve progressed in your abilities to the point that a career in the arts seems like a viable path forward, it’s only logical that you’ll find yourself considering a formal continuation of your music studies post–high school. Whether you go the route of the conservatory or enroll in a music program within a more traditional college, you’ll receive training from professional musicians, perform in ensembles alongside other talented students, and have access to state-of-the-art facilities and concert halls. The icing on the cake? You’ll get to sleep in late on weekdays, take classes that appeal to you, and surround yourself with artsy, inspiring kids who share your interests and passions. If all that sounds like a dream, it’s because, in many ways, it is. But any dream has its potential downsides, and I think that it’s important that you’re aware of them, too.