Types of Performance Spaces- Proscenium Stage

Proscenium Stages in Sydney

Today we had to make up a scene using the word "carnival" as our stimulus. We then had to perform this scene as if we were performing on a Proscenium Stage. My group did a scene where two girls were at a carnival and are persuaded to play a game where they had to try and knock over all the bottles with a ball. They are both very competitive and decide to go head to head. Little do they know that the owner of the stall had rigged the game by gluing the bottles to the table. Later they discover this and chase him down and get their money back. 

This activity utilises the elements of drama by making the actors think about the the space used, take on roles, create focus within the scene, build up tension between characters and the actors and audience, and by creating a mood or atmosphere. My group was aware of our spacing- we stood diagonal to the audience so when we were playing the game, our backs weren't to the audience. When Olivia and I were walking away from the game we spoke quieter so the focus went to Zach. We built up tension by hinting that the game was rigged, and having a short chase scene after Olivia and I's characters discovered Zach's character rigging the game; and also by having a competition between two characters, where Zach's character was making snide comments about our throws. 

This activity was important to the topic because it allowed us to understand how performing on a Proscenium stage works. The desired outcome of this activity was to successfully produce a scene that has a climax of tension that is built up to, and to successfully perform this scene as if we were on a Proscenium stage. We didn't receive any corrections after our scene.