Theatre As A Genre: Conventions, Modes And Rhetorical Appeals

William Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage, / and all the men and women merely players” (As You Like It: 2.7.142-143). Theatre is the art of telling a story through movement, or speech, and in the case of musical theatre, both. Plays have been around since the times of Ancient Greece and were originally created to relate Greek myths to citizens. Since then, theatre has evolved and there was the creation of musicals. The popularity of musicals have made theatre a cultural staple in society. Theatre is all around us, from Broadway to classroom readings. The term “genre” has multiple definitions that can be applied to the world of theatrical performance, including a category containing many sub-categories and a repeated rhetorical situation. Within the genre of theatre, there is also a plethora of modes, mediums, and rhetorical appeals used to interact with an audience. Having experienced the atmosphere of performance and theatre since the age of three, I would say that I am a seasoned performer and can claim theatre as my area of expertise. Therefore, the genre of theatre, in which I’m proficient, has sub- genres such as plays and musicals and can be deemed as a rhetorical situation with every performance.

Over time, the genre of theatre has developed into a diverse collection of talent and pieces. The main two sub-genres of theatre that have developed are plays and musicals. Plays are written stories that are solely acted on stage, unlike musicals, which are stories told through a blend of music, movement, acting and speech. While plays have been around since Ancient Greece, musicals are fairly new and are heavily influenced by a combination of plays, dance⁠ (specifically ballet), and opera. The sub-genres of theatre even have categories within themselves. There are a variety of narratives in plays such as dramas, comedies, tragedies and histories. These narratives allow the audience to know what “kind” of play the performance is going to be, whether it be dramatic, romantic, depressing, or humorous. Although for musicals, it is not necessarily the narratives that are categorized, but the way the musical is written. The four main types of musical theatre include book, concept, jukebox and rock/pop musicals. Book musicals are the more common type of musicals because they have a storyline that is driven by movement and song. Book musicals tend to be more popular due to their complex characters and emotional plots. These kind of musicals become classics that are well-known for influencing future artists or productions. Some book musicals are in fact based off of books or plays, and are adapted to the musical stage in order to present an audience a fresh, “modernized” take. Popular book musicals include West Side Story, which is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet that takes place in 1950s New York, and My Fair Lady, which is a retelling of the play Pygamilion in Edwardian-era England. My Fair Lady is said to be the “perfect” musical by many, due to its effortless blending of story, song and music. The other types of musicals either focus solely on a theme (concept), lack a storyline (jukebox), or focus primarily on the music and lack lines (rock/pop) (Alvey). Concept musicals are not as traditional and commercial due to the large focus on social commentary and metaphors instead of a coherent story. Exceptions to the usual unpopularity of concept musicals include Company and A Chorus Line, which were groundbreaking in the 1970s. Jukebox musicals are stories that are pieced together with pre-made music, usually from well-known artists. By far, the most popular jukebox musical production is Mamma Mia which uses ABBA’s music. The upbeat music, timeless songs and captivating storyline make jukebox musicals like Mamma Mia a huge success. Many jukebox musicals are used to pay tribute to revolutionary artists like Queen, the Four Seasons, Cher and Green Day. Lastly, rock/pop musicals have their characters speak through song and use rock-like music to entertain a new generation of audience members. In the 1980s, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, perhaps the most iconic of all time, the Phantom of the Opera, debuted as a rock musical opera (Different Types of Musical). Although it was based off the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux in 1909, instruments like an electric guitar and a pop beat were added to create a rock sound that would attract younger audiences— which it did so, leading to a new era of musicals and audiences (The Phantom of the Opera). A wide range of categories within the subgenre of plays and musicals allow an artist to express their story in a variety of ways.

However, like all genres, basic conventions are found within the world of theatre and include, but are not limited to, technical and theatrical aspects. Standard technical conventions include lighting, music, costumes and a set (Dramatic Conventions). These specific aspects can embellish a production and reveal important details not explicitly given. These aspects can also depict a theme, which can influence the audience’s mood. Theatrical conventions such as characters, narration, and music are, for the most part, crucial to productions. Characters are commonly used to narrate a story or move the plot along. Occasionally, there is a narrator who breaks the “fourth wall” and relays information not known outside of a story. Music is a technical and theatrical aspect that underscores the action, tension or drama in a scene. These conventions are all used to connect with the audience, making them feel certain emotions and to emphasize certain scenes in the production that might be important later on.

Other than sub-categories and the standard conventions of theatre, the most significant detail in telling a story is the way it is presented; its modes and mediums. Mode is how an artist or composer decides to express to an audience, while medium is how one’s work is delivered. The genre of theatre is multimodal, meaning the composer uses many different approaches to connect with an audience such as visual, audio and written. Plays and musicals are written pieces put on stage as a production, and contain audio aspects like speech and music. Both sub-genres are visual because they are performed in person in front of an audience. Along with being multimodal, the genre of theatre can also be classified as having an array of mediums. Certain mediums like face-to-face, print and digital play a large part in a production’s success. For those who aren’t able to see performances face-to-face, they can read a play or musical because of print or watch performances online through streaming services. Another way that people can access a production online is through its soundtrack. Mode is based on the choices an artist or composer makes, whereas mediums can be either the artist or composer’s choices or, occasionally, even the audience’s. The increased popularity of theatre and its social impact is due to an agglomeration of modes and mediums that allow people from all over to experience and be a part of something.

Although, there is another prominent definition of genre: a repeated rhetorical situation. Within a rhetorical situation, there is an interaction between an audience, the writer and the purpose. In the world of theatre, a rhetorical situation is the interaction that takes place between the writer’s work, the performance by actors, and the interpretation the audience receives (Worthen, 1). When writing a theatrical piece, there is always a purpose—an underlying message or theme wanting to be recognized and addressed by the audience. A common purpose in theatre is to bring awareness to social or political issues. In a way, theatre can also be a hub for advocacy, with extremely successful productions like Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton and Steven Levenson’s Dear Evan Hansen. Due to the writers and loyal fans of these productions who advocate, issues with immigration and bullying have received a fair amount of media and political attention. Oskar Eustis, the artistic director of the Public Theater (where Hamilton debuted), once stated that, “the success of Hamilton is precisely embodied in the fact that it is convincing everybody of the need to see this nation as a nation of immigrants—the need to see people of color as central to owning the nation. I think the show is actually going to move the needle on how we think about immigration precisely because it’s reaching people” (MacGregor). Hamilton is a show-stopper for a reason. It has brought light to many current issues in the United States, and through the inspiring life of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda was able to get his purpose through and have fans fight for what they believe in. In simpler terms, a theatrical piece can be seen as a rhetorical situation and when performed multiple times, it becomes a repeated rhetorical situation. With theatre, most of the time, an author’s purpose is to educate and bring awareness to certain issues with society. An author’s purpose can cause a reaction from the audience, specifically those intended, and bring change to the world.

But how are writers able to connect with audience members deeply enough to light a fire within them and tug at the heart strings at the same time? It is through the use of a rhetorical appeal called pathos. Specific elements like speech, movement or song can influence the audience’s emotions, especially if the audience member can relate to the issue or theme. Other appeals like ethos and logos are used by playwrights and actors to convince the audience of their credibility as that character and the logic behind its statements and actions (Sperling). Rhetorical appeals are used by playwrights and actors as a way of persuading. They hope they can persuade the audience into thinking what the author wanted the audience to think when they wrote the piece. Being able to get into an author’s head and realize why they want the audience to think a certain way, truly reveals the message of a piece and how it can impact many.

However, with every performance the intended audience is the same, but every response may not be. Each individual has their own opinion and connections to a piece, so the rhetorical discourse may not be the same after many performances. Rhetorical discourse is all about the conversation a piece has with an audience, and how it connects with them. If the audience doesn’t connect and instead dislikes it, the performance will receive another kind of response, criticism. A fitting response is the preferred type of response with a rhetorical situation. It is a response that the authors hope to get, one usually of positivity. On the other hand, the other type of possible response is, criticism, one of disapproval. Therefore, even if a production is popular, there are two different responses that individuals may give, one fitting the rhetorical situation and one disapproving.

As expressed, the term “genre” has two different definitions that allow you to see all that the world of theatre has to offer. One definition demonstrates how even the sub-genres of theatre, plays and musicals, can be categorized by the way they are written or their narrative themes. The other definition⁠—a repeated rhetorical situation⁠—describes the connection between a writer’s piece, the performance of it, and the audience’s interpretation. Although, with a rhetorical situation, there are two possible responses, one called fitting response which tends to be positive and the other called criticism, one of disapproval. Both definitions can be applied to my proven area of expertise, theatre. Furthermore, like any other genres, the genre of theatre has its set conventions that can be found within its main two subgenres. Through the use of modes, mediums and rhetorical appeals, theatre has been able to impact those from all over. Overall, theatre is so influential and appreciated in society today because it is used as a mode of transport to deliver our desires, our fantasies and connections as human beings.