WEBVTT

1
00:00:06.506 --> 00:00:07.307
Hey, everybody.

2
00:00:07.307 --> 00:00:09.275
Welcome to The Lion King Experience.

3
00:00:09.275 --> 00:00:12.145 line:0
My name is Syndee Winters.
And I'm Jelani Remy.

4
00:00:12.145 --> 00:00:16.383 line:0
We play Simba and Nala on the North
American tour of Disney's The Lion King.

5
00:00:16.583 --> 00:00:19.953
We're your hosts for this introduction to
theater through the lens of The Lion King.

6
00:00:20.520 --> 00:00:23.757 line:0
Over 18 sessions, we'll explore
the fundamentals of performing,

7
00:00:23.923 --> 00:00:26.760 line:0
writing, directing,
and designing for the theater.

8
00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:29.562 line:0
Today's session is our introduction.

9
00:00:32.098 --> 00:00:33.033
Like any art

10
00:00:33.033 --> 00:00:36.336
or profession, the theater has unique
elements and vocabulary.

11
00:00:36.703 --> 00:00:38.371
Since The Lion King is a musical,

12
00:00:38.371 --> 00:00:40.740
let's start
by talking about musical theater.

13
00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:43.610 line:0
A musical is a type of play
that employs singing and dancing,

14
00:00:43.610 --> 00:00:47.680 line:0
as well as acting, to present
a story onstage to a live audience.

15
00:00:48.181 --> 00:00:51.217 line:0
Many different design
and technical elements, including sets,

16
00:00:51.518 --> 00:00:54.988 line:0
costumes, masks, puppets, hand properties

17
00:00:54.988 --> 00:00:57.424 line:0
or props, lighting, and sound,

18
00:00:57.490 --> 00:01:00.093 line:0
complete the experience of each musical.

19
00:01:00.093 --> 00:01:03.596
We like to say that musical theater is
where all the arts come together.

20
00:01:06.866 --> 00:01:08.234
It takes many different people

21
00:01:08.234 --> 00:01:11.237
doing many different jobs
to make a musical happen.

22
00:01:11.304 --> 00:01:13.406
Theater usually
begins with the Playwright,

23
00:01:13.406 --> 00:01:16.409
who develops the overall story and writes
the words of the play.

24
00:01:16.776 --> 00:01:19.779
The playwright of a musical is often
called a Book Writer.

25
00:01:20.246 --> 00:01:23.583
Unlike a regular play,
a musical contains more than spoken words,

26
00:01:23.583 --> 00:01:26.553
and therefore has other writers
skilled in other areas.

27
00:01:26.986 --> 00:01:29.689
A Composer writes
the music, and the Lyricist writes

28
00:01:29.689 --> 00:01:32.692
the lyrics, or the words
that are sung to the music.

29
00:01:32.892 --> 00:01:35.929
Once a musical is written,
there is a team of people in charge of

30
00:01:35.929 --> 00:01:39.666
interpreting the story on paper
and bringing it to life on stage.

31
00:01:39.933 --> 00:01:43.670
The Director is the leader of the team,
who develops an artistic vision

32
00:01:43.670 --> 00:01:46.673
for how the story will be realized
on stage.

33
00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:51.311
The Director assigns actors to play
each role, a process called casting.

34
00:01:51.811 --> 00:01:55.315
He or she also coordinates
all of the creative elements

35
00:01:55.315 --> 00:01:58.318
and tells the actors where to go and when.

36
00:01:58.318 --> 00:02:01.321
The Music Director
is in charge of teaching the score:

37
00:02:01.454 --> 00:02:05.658
the songs, together with the underscoring
and transition music, to the performers.

38
00:02:06.392 --> 00:02:09.496
The Choreographer creates
and teaches the dance numbers

39
00:02:09.629 --> 00:02:12.632
and all other movement
that accompanies the score.

40
00:02:12.899 --> 00:02:16.569
Then there's a team of designers
who create the visual world of the play.

41
00:02:16.769 --> 00:02:19.772
Everything you see: sets, props,

42
00:02:19.772 --> 00:02:23.443
costumes,
makeup, masks, puppets, and lighting.

43
00:02:24.043 --> 00:02:26.713
There's also a Sound Designer
who works with mics,

44
00:02:26.713 --> 00:02:30.083
sound effects, and speakers
to enhance the aural world of the play.

45
00:02:30.450 --> 00:02:31.885
Everything you hear.

46
00:02:31.885 --> 00:02:36.322 line:0
Actors like Jelani and me are responsible
for performing in a musical.

47
00:02:36.756 --> 00:02:40.093
We play the characters
whose story takes place on stage.

48
00:02:40.527 --> 00:02:43.830
We're the ones you see,
but there are so many other important

49
00:02:43.830 --> 00:02:46.833
people behind the scenes
making the show come together.

50
00:02:47.033 --> 00:02:51.938
The Stage Manager keeps all rehearsals
and performances orderly and on schedule.

51
00:02:52.438 --> 00:02:55.341
The crew work off stage
to make sure all sets,

52
00:02:55.341 --> 00:02:59.646
costumes, props, lighting, and sound
come together during performances.

53
00:03:02.815 --> 00:03:05.418 line:0
A production
of a play starts with a script

54
00:03:05.418 --> 00:03:08.288 line:0
which is written
by a playwright. For a musical,

55
00:03:08.288 --> 00:03:11.291 line:0
the authors are the book writer,
composer, and lyricist.

56
00:03:11.791 --> 00:03:14.761
Everyone refers to the script
during planning and rehearsals.

57
00:03:15.328 --> 00:03:17.730
The script
includes the characters' dialogue,

58
00:03:17.730 --> 00:03:21.401
what the actors say on stage,
as well as stage directions

59
00:03:21.401 --> 00:03:24.404
that describe the action
and give clues about blocking.

60
00:03:24.604 --> 00:03:27.607
That's where the actors move on stage
to tell the story.

61
00:03:28.141 --> 00:03:31.844
Today, we've reviewed some musical theater
basics, including theater jobs.

62
00:03:31.878 --> 00:03:35.982 line:0
Now it's your turn to explore
more about careers in the theater.