English for musical theatre actors 60211100 Study manual for students of musical theatre actor

Lesson 11.
Acting, songs, dance, spoken dialogue
Grammar:	Compound Sentences

Warming up activity “Words starting with….”
Imagine when you are alone in your room and you have some free time, use this exercise as a way to develop your skills in concentrating on details. Choose any letter “A, B, C, D, E ….” and by looking around try to find objects in your room that start with that particular letter. You will only have 60 seconds to do that and coming up with 50 objects is a very good result, but whenever you find 100, then you are a real master of this game.
Main elements of theatrical performance
Theatrical performance includes four major elements: acting, songs, dance, spoken dialogue. The emotional content of musical theatre, mainly its story and aspects like love, anger, humor, and pathos, are communicated via words, movement, music, and technical enhancement, all integrated together into one.
Theatrical performance is unique because it falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of dance to opera. The overlap between these art forms is quite distinct, though. Unlike opera or dance, musical theatre pays equal tribute to dialogue, dance, movement, and music. Since as long as the early 20th century, musical theatre work has been under the umbrella term of musicals.
Acting is a performing art that involves movement, intonation, gestures, and more to bring a fictional character to life. It is defined as the ability to react to imaginary stimuli instead of exhibitionism, mimicry, or imitation. Acting breathes life into the words of the playwright, adding soul to a character. Acting is a crucial element of art, so much so that many artists believe art is nothing without acting.
Songs are short pieces of music, typically intertwined with words. It is a unique combination of vocals and melody. But not all songs involve vocals, though. Instrumental pieces like music without words are also composed to mimic the voice in a song. The words used in a song are called lyrics, and they may include a series of verses, longer phrases, plus a refrain, which is a short phrase repeated at the end of each verse. Most songs also involve a meter or beat which follows a pattern or pulse. Songs tell stories, express emotions, or convey faith, hope, and beliefs. In some instances, songs help give instructions or make repetitive work less tiring.
Dance is a type of performing art that involves sequences of bodily movement purposefully designed or improvised on the spot. Dance is a visual experience and is often symbolic. It can be categorized based on its choreography, history, age, and place of origin. Every element of musical theatre is unique in its own way. But when we put them together, they create incredible audio and visual experience that is harmonious, synchronous, and memorable.
Spoken dialogue is traditionally defined as a conversation between two or more individuals. But did you know that spoken dialogue in theatre is a little different? While it has the semblance of a conversation, it works in a structural, multidimensional, purposeful, and almost engineered manner. Dialogue conveys information, gives insight into characters, and expresses emotions. A powerful and meaningful dialogue adds character to musical theatre.
Task 1. Answer the questions reading the text.
1. What are the main elements of theatrical performance?
2. Why those elements are important for performance?
3. What are the differences among them?
4. Which element is the most need for musical theatre?
5. How can you use them in your career?
6. Which element does express emotions?
7. Which element is a visual experience?
8. What is the emotional content of musical theatre?