Ancient peoples often performed elaborate rituals as part of religious ceremonies. These ceremonies were often held to ask the gods for success in hunting or in a battle. The high priest would put on a mask and colorful costumes. Religious ceremonies were also held to pray for the health of important individuals or to mourn the dead. These ceremonies combined music, dancing, and drama. For any form of performing arts, the staff that is involved in executing the production extends far beyond the talent that is seen on the stage. There are workers ranging from directors to lighting technicians. The talent, however, is the most visible and the most well-known of the workers in performance arts.
Each type of performance has one or more performers. Plays have actors and actress. Dances have dancers. Operas have singers and occasionally dancers as well. Musicals have all three - actors, dancers, and singers. One person may be able to do all aspects of the performance as well. Instrumental music performances have musicians. Singers usually have musicians for accompaniment.
The setting of the performance may be on a stage, in a hall, or even outdoors. Where the piece is performed has a direct influence on the effect the piece has on the audience. The majesty, the intimacy, or the openness of the performance arena all enhance or detract from the performers. How that stage is set is one of the most fundamental elements of how well received a performance may be. Moreover, designing set is done by set painters, designers, light technicians, stage craftsmen, producers, directors, and other people involved in conceptualizing what will happen behind and around the performers. Scene designers may be hired that will oversee the entire production of scenery, lighting, and furnishing. They will decide what elements will be used and how to enhance the presentation. Scenery behind the performers sets the mood and the location. Lighting sets mood and highlights movements and performers at key points in the presentation. For musical presentations such as rock concerts, lighting may be the single most important staging tool used to enhance the setting.
Properties, far more commonly known as props, are either set pieces or hand props. Set props are furniture, moving pieces, and other large elements of the stage design that extend from or are separate from the background scenery. Hand props are the things that the performers will carry, such as flowers or umbrellas that help tell the story or embellish the mood. Some designers will draw up plans for each scene depicting how it is to be decorated. The lighting designer will also draw up plans for how each part of the show will be lit. The general lighting, specific illuminations, such as spot lights, and the special effects lighting are all charted, timed and choreographed to the performance.
Makeup and costuming are expressive elements of the appearance of the performers that augment and reinforce the mood and story. Makeup and costuming are regularly associated with plays, but they are a fundamental part of dance and opera as well. Even the most basic, simple costumes have been carefully chosen to help tell the story or present the spirit of the piece being presented.
These elements help establish the aura that will surround the performance. The actual performance is designed and developed by the workers who will direct the show. The directors work with actors, actresses, and singers. Likewise, the choreographer works with the dancers, the conductor works with the musicians, while the role of the director, conductor, and choreographer is to plot out the movements, the voices, and the actions of the performers throughout the presentation.
In entertainment employment, assisting in the direction are stage managers. They are the ones who run the auditions, attend rehearsals, and write down changes to direction during rehearsal so they can be incorporated into the master directing plan. Assistant directors may direct some elements of the performance and focus on a particular performer for coaching and training. Moreover, choreographers follow the same format for assembling a production that directors do. As part of their entertaining jobs, they must audition performers, rehearse the performers, block out the action that will take place on stage, and then combine the elements of design, action, lighting, and sound into a cohesive piece. Such a task requires an understanding of the music and the storyline.
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