MSM Performing Arts BTEC
Theme and Issue
The theme is the subject or topic of a story, containing the moral of the story.
Issues are conflicts (internal or external) that characters face throughout the story.
The theme is the message or moral lesson that is being conveyed, The issues are social or moral ideals that characters face to convey that mesage.For example, the relationship between a parent and a child could be the issue to convey the theme "Love is unconditional."
Exploring themes
A theme is a recurring idea that’s present throughout the work. Think of a musical, which themes are present - love, loss, hope, injustice? What is it about on a wider level than the story itself? Perhaps there’s an idea or a concept that can be taken away from to explore in more depth.
This clip shows a group of students performing an alternative version of Act 1 Scene 4 from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The setting isn’t Verona but a modern-day aerobics class. The director selected an extract from the scene that would still work in a completely different scenario to the original play. The prevalent theme of dealing with heartbreak remains so the story of Romeo and Juliet is the stimulus to a new piece of work.
