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AOHT Event Planning

Lesson 7Introduction to Entertainment

Event Planning

Student Resources

Resource Description

Student Resource 7.1 Notes: Entertainment Events

Student Resource 7.2 Reading: All About Entertainment Events

Student Resource 7.3 Assignment: Planning a Season of Entertainment

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AOHT Event PlanningLesson 7 Introduction to Entertainment Event Planning

Student Resource 7.1

Notes: Entertainment EventsStudent Name:______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Fill in this note-taking guide as you view or read the presentation All About Entertainment Events. There is a space for you to write about each slide. Look at the example below to get an idea of what kinds of information and questions you might want to write down.

Slide Title Terms, Facts, or Definitions that I Learned

Questions I Have

All About Entertainment Events We are going to learn about types of events, their history, and performance groups.

What is a presenting venue?

There are four types of entertainment events

Live theater is a very common event type

Some theatrical events incorporate music



Slide Title Terms, Facts, or Definitions that I Learned

Questions I Have

There are many types of music events

Dance shows range from ballet to ethnic celebrations

Dance, music, and theater events have something in common

Film events are more than just going to the movies

All of these events could be held in the same location




Reading: All About Entertainment Events

Today, we are going to learn about many different types of entertainment events.

We will learn about:

• The history of these events

• The different groups that may perform

• Presenting venues, a unique concept that plays an important role in producing entertainment events



The four types of entertainment events are film, theater, music, and dance.



Theater is one of the oldest forms of entertainment. It started in ancient Greece and was important to almost every major culture throughout history. In fact, those two masks you see above are based on the masks ancient Greek actors wore when they performed. One mask represents comedy (funny or light-hearted entertainment) and the other mask represents tragedy (sad or serious entertainment). We still classify many of our entertainments as comedy or tragedy (drama).

China and Japan created their own forms of theater, like the Chinese opera, which included tumbling and martial arts. Martial artist and movie star Jackie Chan got his start in the Chinese opera.

In the Renaissance (approximately 1400–1600), England became a major force in theater. It was home to William Shakespeare, the most famous playwright ever. The Globe Theatre, pictured above, is a re-creation of what a theater looked like in Shakespeare’s time, and you can visit it and see his plays performed there. Today’s theaters still use some of the same ideas as English theaters that are more than 500 years old!

Comedy is a type of live theater. It includes stand-up performances, comedy acts, and improv shows, where the actors make the show up as they go. The TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” is an improv show (improv is short for improvisation).



Opera originated in Europe and some parts of Asia. Opera is formal and uses classical music; it is often sung in European languages like Italian or German. Opera singers traditionally don’t move around very much—they are more focused on singing than dancing or acting. Operas can look like elaborate paintings because they feature scenery and costumes. Also, operas usually have very dramatic, serious storylines that can almost sound like a soap opera.

As time went on, people wanted less formal entertainment. First, they created light opera, which focused on more lighthearted or funny stories. Then the Americans invented something totally new: vaudeville. Vaudeville had short song and dance routines that used popular music—almost like a really early version of a music video. Vaudeville also included magic acts, comics, and other types of entertainment.

Finally, in the early 20th century, some American composers took the idea of using popular music and combined it with the storylines of a light opera, and musical theater was born. It tells a longer story, but with a more relaxed presentation and music that is more accessible. Musical theater asks actors to sing, dance, and act—it is truly a play with music.

Today, musical theater is one of the most popular types of live theater, especially on Broadway in New York. Broadway is the biggest live theater district in the United States.



For much of our history, music has been connected to religious rituals. Even a lot of classical music, like the music played today by symphony orchestras, has religious roots. Classical music is still popular today, but through the years other types of music have also grown in popularity.

Jazz and blues started as a predominantly African American form of music but became popular with other groups in the early 20th century, when it was played in nightclubs and on the radio.

Radio also promoted the next big musical change: rock ‘n roll, which started in the 1950s. At the time it was controversial and seen as “wild.” It only took a few decades for rock to expand into a wide range of subgenres: heavy metal, punk, alternative, and many more.

The most recent major change in music was the growth of rap and hip-hop, which started in the 1980s. Once again, hip-hop started as a predominantly African American type of music, but it has been widely embraced by listeners and performers of all ethnic backgrounds.

The type of music will definitely affect how the event is planned. Different types of music have different expectations for the audience. You don’t think of a mosh pit at a symphony orchestra. Different types of music also attract different demographic groups.



Like music, in many cultures dance started as a religious ritual. Dance was also a social activity. Over time, dance became more formalized and people began to put on dance shows. Ballet, which began in 16th-century France, was the most popular form of dance performance for centuries. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, dance started to expand in new ways. Modern dance evolved, along with many new kinds of dance that drew from all of the world’s cultures. Tap dance began in America in the 1800s. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers launched the popularity of ballroom dancing in the early 20th century.

Today, you might see a show featuring break dancing, hula, flamenco, tango, or ballroom dancing, not to mention swing, hip-hop, tap, folklórico, Afro-Caribbean, modern dance, ballet, and more.



In music, they are called a band or an orchestra. In dance, they’re called a dance company or troupe; in theater, it’s a theater company or a repertory company. No matter what you call it, it’s the same thing: a group that consistently performs together and consistently performs the same type of music, dance, or theater.

If you look at the photos above, it’s clear that the three people in yellow clothes and masks are performing a traditional play, like one by Shakespeare or Bernard Shaw, but they are unlikely to perform improv comedy or a rock opera. The band in the top picture might play rock, alternative, punk, or hip-hop, but they are clearly not going to play a violin concerto by Bach or Mozart. And the dancers at the bottom might be getting ready for a ballet, but probably not getting ready to be in a Beyoncé video.

So why does this matter? A group can develop a brand name. For example, wouldn’t you be confused by a concert that featured One Direction and Iggy Azalea? That’s because their brands are too different.

A group may also have a home performance facility. Big cities frequently have their own orchestras, opera companies, or ballet companies, which permanently play at the city’s civic center or other public auditorium. Some theater companies own their own theaters, where they always perform.



Filmmaking started in the late 19th century, and by the 1930s, Hollywood was the movie capital of the world. Back then, making movies followed a strict formula known as the studio system. The studios controlled everything and had all of their actors under contract. They decided what was appropriate, both on and off the screen: they even dictated who their actors could marry. Some of these studios are still making movies today, but of course the process is very different now.

The 1960s began a new era of experimentation and creativity. Writers, directors, and actors could work outside the traditional system via independent producers. They also could work in Europe, where the rules were not so strict and where people were trying all sorts of new techniques. Today, independent producers and stars work with any company they want to.

Film festivals play an important role in this process. At festivals like Cannes (in France) and Sundance (in the United States), filmmakers screen their films, sometimes for the first time. These festivals may give a new filmmaker a chance to get his or her work seen by a major studio, or it may offer a chance for an established filmmaker to try something new. While Cannes and Sundance are two of the biggest, there are thousands of festivals all around the world.



A presenting venue is an entertainment facility that can host or present a wide range of different events. While some performing groups have their own home space, many groups do not, and some groups or shows choose to tour around the country or the world. These groups need a place to perform, and presenting venues are the solution. A presenting venue could host a dance company, a music group, a theater production, a film festival—or all of the above.




Assignment: Planning a Season of EntertainmentStudent Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

You are the new manager of a presenting venue that is located in your community —for example, a civic center, a public auditorium, a sports arena, or an amphitheater in a public park. Your first job is to plan out a season of entertainment to try to attract more people to your venue. Your season must include at least four different productions: one each from dance, theater, film, and music. If you want to include more than four events, you can, but you still need to make sure you have at least one of each type.

Choosing the EventsIn the space below, write down at least two or three events for each type of entertainment that you think might be successful in your community. Keep in mind that some events may be popular around a specific time of year—a summer concert in the park, a holiday play like “A Christmas Carol,” or a festival of horror films for Halloween. Use the resources your teacher has provided to help you think of events that you are not familiar with but that might be successful.

Dance Events 1.

2.

3.

Theater Events 1.

2.

3.

Film Events 1.

2.

3.

Music Events 1.

2.



3.

Discuss your ideas with friends, family, and teachers. Then decide on at least one event from each type. Copy your events onto the chart below and note any details you need to remember.

This chart will help you plan your season. If you have a specific group, play, or performer in mind, you can list the title, but make sure you write down a description as well (see the example below). If you do not have a specific group in mind, you can just list the generic description of the event (for example, hip-hop concert). If the event does not have to take place at a specific time of year, you may leave that blank.

Event Time of Year (if appropriate)

Target Market(s) Why Would This Be Successful?

“A Christmas Carol” (holiday play)

November/December Families, anyone celebrating that holiday

It’s a great holiday tradition and people like to do things to celebrate the holidays as a family.



Your Plan: The Final DraftYou will plan your season and discuss it with your group mates in class, but you need to write a final draft in an essay format for homework. Your final plan should be at least five paragraphs in length:

1. A short introductory paragraph introducing the topic. Write it as if you are the manager of a venue and explain what your goals are.

2. Write one paragraph each on your events for film, theater, music, and dance. Each paragraph can follow the same format:

o Name the category and the event that you chose.

o State why you chose it.

o State who you think it would appeal to (target market).

o State why the event would appeal to that audience.

o If the event is appropriate for a particular season, say which one and why.

Be sure to review your work against the rubric that your teacher will use to assess it.


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kropseniorhigh.org · Web viewDirections: Fill in this note-taking guide as you view or read the presentation All About Entertainment Events. There is a space for you to write about