How is ritual used in drama?

Question

OK, this is what happened. My teacher just asked me "What is ritual and How is ritual used in drama?" I found the meaning for ritual on the net but i never found how it is used in drama.Can anyone just help me with my work?

Answer 1

Rite is a traditional ceremony that is carried out by a particular group or within a particular society such as the rite of circumcision and some fertility rites. Religious ceremonies, Graduations, Funerals, Politics and Weddings are some

A Ritual is a series of actions which people regularly carry out in a particular situation, because it is their custom to do so. Our society has many rituals of greeting, farewell and celebration.

The root of all ritual is role taking. You abandon your normal self and assume the role of another. You get into touch with otherness, your unconscious ability to basically loose yourself in recreating a particular role with a particular purpose or cause for celebration. A good dramatic actor for instance, Anthony Hopkins, becomes the character. Makes you believe he is Hannibal the Cannibal and that he had some guys liver for dinner with some fava beans and does it so splendidly we still remember it 10, 15, years later. Lord of the Rings had some very good dramatic ritualistic acting. The ring and many other things had huge ritualistic meanings.

Answer 2

Interesting...I would have anticipated the opposite question, "How is drama used in ritual?" But--we'll go with the question you really have to answer!

Ritual simply means something that happens over and over again, or something that always happens a certain way. It's like a routine, but in ritual, every action has a meaning behind it. It's action that represents something bigger, something deeper than what you're actually seeing.

Is your teacher asking you to focus on, perhaps, the ritual of going to the theatre to see a show? If so, think about what you do when you're coming in the door of a theatre, how you're expected to behave, what NEVER happens at a theatre, what the audience and the actors and the crew do during a performance, what happens when it's over.

Or, are you being asked to consider the rituals of a rehearsal or other behind-the-scenes work? Production meetings? The process of getting a play produced and up on its feet?

You might also think about some places in our everyday lives where ritual and drama combine--the movements of a priest at a Catholic mass, for example. Highly ritualistic and also very theatrical--he is definitely "performing" while he's up there. I'm sure you can think of many other situations that involve a cast (specific participants), a script (specific action that's supposed to happen, specific words to be spoken), a setting (specific place), etc.

It's a tough question, but thinking it through will be good for ya. Good luck!

Answer 3

Rituals are customs that people do. Maybe it's when someone gets married, or someone dies. Like, in some movies when somebody dies, some cultures celebrate the death, and others cry and have burial services. That's probably what your teacher is talking about, so it's worth bringing up! Break a leg in drama class! =)

Answer 4

long pauses and exaggeration baby!