2.3: Finding the Theme

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The theme is the heartbeat, soul, or central message of the story. More importantly, the theme is the message that you want your audience to absorb through seeing your show and then carry that message with them forever. You want the audience to feel as though they have figured the message out for themselves, because now the audience has a vested interest and partnership with the production. You do not want to hammer the message into the audience. As soon as the audience feels that your production is becoming ‘preachy’ the audience will disengage and you might as well end the show.

The theme is also the inspiration and motivation for you to do the show. Every play has thousands of potential themes. The theme you select is what makes your production unique, because that theme is a part of you and something sacred and true that you know deep within has to be shared with the world. The theme you select should be short, simple, and powerful. Think of the theme as the motto or slogan of your production. The message should be so inspiring that people would want it tattooed onto their bodies.

In order to find a theme that you connect with, you have to read the show multiple times. It helps when the theme is clear before you get started, but there will also be times where the true theme emerges through the rehearsal process. You will know when you find your theme because it will inspire you and give the production a purpose higher than merely entertaining your audience.

Things to ask yourself while finding the theme:

What is this play about?
What is this play about to me?
Why does my audience need to see this play?
What is the message from this play that I most need to hear?
What character should the audience identify most with and what is the greatest lesson learned by that character?
What is the line that keeps getting stuck in my head?

Activities for finding Theme

Books

Choose a book, graphic novel, or short story you really enjoy. First look at the main character’s transformation and ask yourself “what lesson did the character learn that allowed this transformation to be possible?” Write down your answer/s.
At a critical point in the journey when the character wanted to give up, what advice were they given? Write the advice down.
What are lines or passages from the book that stood out and made you think about them for several days? What passages did you find yourself quoting and incorporating in your everyday life? Write your answers down.
Ask others who have read the book, why they enjoyed the book. Ask them what lessons from the book they applied to their life. Ask them what they believe the theme of the book was. Write each answer down.
Once you have gone through each of these look at the themes and lessons garnered from the book. Which lesson appears to be the most profound and resonating? One lesson will jump out more than the others. Highlight the answer and see if it can be simplified.

Movies

Choose a film you really enjoy. First look at the main character’s transformation and ask yourself “what lesson did the character learn that allowed this transformation to be possible?” Write down your answer/s.
Typically in a film the theme is stated early in the setup. The theme is stated within the first ten minutes, however the hero is not ready at that point in the journey/life to understand the theme’s meaning and depth. It is only through the course of the film and the hero’s transformation that the hero can truly understand the theme.
At a critical point in the journey when the character wanted to give up, what advice were they given? Write the advice down.
What are lines or passages from the film that stood out and made you think about them for several days? What lines did you find yourself quoting and incorporating in your everyday life? Was there a line that kept being repeated throughout the film? Write your answers down.
Ask others who have seen the film, why they enjoyed the film. Ask them what lessons they applied to their life. Ask them what they believe the theme of the film was. Write each answer down.
Once you have gone through each of these look at the themes and lessons garnered from the film. Which lesson appears to be the most profound and resonating? One lesson will jump out more than the others. Highlight the answer and see if it can be simplified.