Information Organization Strategies For Theatre
Several organizational strategies are applied to theatre material in this section. The information included in the organizers derives from Brockett (1996). The organizational strategies illustrated are:
- Flash Cards
- Matrices
- Compare-Contrast Organizers
- Spider Maps or Webs
- Hierarchies or Arrays
- Flow Charts
Flash Cards
For theatre courses, flash cards may be used to organize terms and definitions, people's names and their contributions, dates and their significance, genres and their characteristics, and lists. Examples of flash cards for terms, people, and lists are provided below (D. Applegate, CAL).
Show Me An Example Of Flash Cards For Theatre Class
Matrices
Large amounts of theatre information that is organized according to certain categories may be summarized in a matrix or table, such as the example below for early Greek and Roman theatre.
Show Me An Example of Matrices
Compare-Contrast Organizers
Like matrices, compare-contrast organizers may be used to organize a large amount of information about a theatre subject. The format of the compare-contrast organizer emphasizes similarities and differences more so than the matrix format. The same information about early Greek and Roman theatre that was presented in the matrix above is organized into the compare-contrast Venn diagram below.
Show Me An Example Of Compare-Contrast Organizers
Spider Maps and Webs
Details and examples for a theatre concept or person may be organized using a spider map or web. The theatre concept, term, or person's name is placed in the center of the web and the supporting details are organized around it. An example for the components of theatre is shown here.
Show Me An Example Of Spider Maps / Webs
Show Me Another Example Of Spider Maps / Webs
Hierarchies and Arrays
Hierarchies or arrays are used to organize superordinate and subordinate theatre information. The components of theatre, which were organized into a web above, might also be incorporated into a hierarchy as illustrated below.
Show Me An Example Of Hierarchies / Arrays
Flow Charts
Processual and chronological information in theatre courses may be organized using flow charts. The first step or earliest historical dates are usually oriented at the left side of a horizontal flow chart or at the bottom of a vertical flow chart. Illustrated below are two flow chart examples; the first is an example of a horizontally organized processual flow chart showing the components of plot and the second is a vertically organized chronological flow chart showing the early history of theatre.
