What Is Tableau?

Tableau, or a living picture, is one of the oldest theatrical conventions that is use to tell stories, “focus in” on character’s intentions, and heighten emotion on stage.

Dating back to Ancient Greece, where tableaux demonstrated an outcome of events that were inappropriate for full staging, this theatrical convention has stood the test of time for telling stories on stage.

What Does A Tableau Need In Order To Be a Tableau?

A still, frozen picture.

THINK:

A frozen stage picture where actors show, through a frozen stage picture, a moment in time.

What Conventions Make Tableaux More Dynamic?

• a conflict being demonstrated through the storytelling

• levels (low, medium, high)

• clarity of character emotion through how they interact (or not) with others in the scene

• use of different elements (think Elements of Dance) with the actor’s body, spacing, and relationships to “paint the picture” of what is happening in the scene

• facial expressions, gestures, body language and use of tension

• focal point (think: the audience goes to the focal point to tell the story)

• energy and expression

Tableau is also a great starting point for students to communicate their thoughts through using movement instead of language. It is also a wonderful convention to check for understanding surrounding concept attainment.

I encourage educators and theatrical artists to use tableau as a convention to dive into critical thinking and deep learning. With modern students, how can you use this convention to spark the learning and connect to elevating their voices?

Below is an example of a unit assessment that uses tableau conventions as a foundation for a collaborative piece of work. Download PDF of the full student instructional handout, including accompanying assessment and evaluation documents.

Want a Word Document to edit and fit your individual classroom needs? Purchase Word Document Through Teachers Pay Teachers.

Looking for tableau activity that can be adapted to text? Click here for Romeo and Juliet Tableau Activity.