a brief and comprehensive look at theatre history

A Brief and Comprehensive Look at THEATRE HISTORY

Technical Theatre Horizon High School

GREEK THEATRE• Religious festival in honor of the God DIONYSUS;

the God of Wine and Fertility• Held in Athens• The festival…nicely put was basically a drunken

orgy• The festival was thought to have lasted

anywhere from 7 to 15 days• Playwrights would enter plays into a contest; the

winner won money and a ivy wreath as a symbol of victory

GREEK THEATRE

• THESPIS is credited as the first actor; stepped away from the chorus and delivered lines independently from the chorus (International Thespian Society is named in his honor); actors are generally referred to as thespians• Actors of Greek theatre played more than one

role; to distinguish between the different characters actors would wear large masks; the comedy and tragedy mask (symbol of theatre) originated from this practice

GREEK THEATRE• COMEDY: light humorous dramas with a happy

ending• TRAGEDY: the main character suffers a

disastrous end• SATYR (satire): made fun of Greek legends• All of these play types were written and

performed during this time period… although the interpretation of these art forms has evolved they are still the general dramatic forms still written and performed at present

GREEK THEATRE• Greek philosopher ARISTOTLE wrote the work The Poetics;

important topics of theatre such as PLOT (what happens), THEME (the ideas and messages), CHARACTER, MUSIC, DICTION (speech), and SPECTACLE (what is seen) were discussed… these topics are still the primary focus of theatre actors and directors in modern theatre

GREEK THEATREGreek theatres were constructed in hillsides using the natural slope of the hill

for seating the audienceORCHESTRA: Large circular area located at the foot of the hill; location from

where the chorus would chant their linesBehind the ORCHESTRA was a raised platform where the actors performed a

small building called the SKENE was at the back of the platform-it was where the actors would change their masks- the front of the SKENE was used to represent location; modern day word SCENE comes from SKENE

GREEK THEATRE

• Greek theatre used specialty machinery; most noted was the platform on wheels and the DEUS EX MACHINA (literally translated God by Machine)-a device used to lower actors from the top of the SKENE to the stage; used to show the dissention of Gods from the Heavens to earth• Greek era considered to be the most important

time in theatre history

GREEK PLAYWRIGHTS• SOPHOCLES: wrote tragedies; Oedipus Rex• AESCHYLUS: wrote tragedies• EURIPIDES: wrote tragedies• ARISTOPHANES: wrote comedies• MENANDER: wrote comedies

THE MIDDLE AGES• Other names for this period in history include

the Dark Ages and the Medieval Era• Theatre was banned by the church during the

Middle Ages because it was thought to be evil and vulgar• In an effort to spread the teachings of God

further into society CYCLE plays were developed and performed during church services as well as in the towns and villages; CYCLES: A series of biblical plays

THE MIDDLE AGES• Traveling performers presented their plays from PAGEANT

WAGONS• Even after banning theatre the church is credited with giving

the theatre new life in the latter part of the Middle Ages• After theatre began to take up too much time in the church

service the responsibility of the performances was turned over to the CRAFT GUILDS

RENAISSANCE• Meaning re-birth – a renewed interest in the arts and sciences• The birthplace of the Renaissance was Italy during the 15th

Century• During this time period theatre was very influential and

elaborately staged productions were used to entertain the royal courts and the upper class.

RENAISSANCE• Theatre moved indoors and better methods of lighting were

developed• Realistic 3-D scenery began to be used• Italian theatre was set within in an arch called the

PROSCENIUM-which serves as a picture frame through which the audience viewed the performance

• Music, song, and dance were incorporated into theatrical productions

RENAISSANCE• Opera became very “fashionable” for the upper class during

the Renaissance: considered prestigious and artful• Commedia dell’ arte became “fashionable” for the middle and

lower class during the Renaissance: considered crass and with low reputation; all work was improvised

• Commedia dell’ arte was mostly performed by traveling groups

RENAISSANCE• Stock characters were used in all commedia plays• The most important of the characters was Harlequin- the

clever servant-recognized by his patchwork costume• Pantalone-the foolish old man-recognized by his baggy

trousers; present day word pants was derived from name and costume

RENAISSANCE• The Renaissance spread throughout Europe; the French often

imitated the Italian theatre• Spain performed religious dramas and adventure plays

RENAISSANCE PLAYWRIGHTS• MOLIERE, France; Tartuffe

• Lope De Vega, Spain; wrote religious and adventure plays

• Calderon, Spain; wrote religious and adventure plays

• Between these two men there are over 700 plays to their credit.

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE• The Renaissance of England; known as the

Elizabethan era as it took place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I• During this time their were several talented and

noteworthy playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe who wrote important tragedies and Ben Jonson who wrote important comedies but their plays were overshadowed by William Shakespeare…who is thought to be the greatest English playwright of all time.

Shakespeare’s Theatre

• WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: 37+ plays and 100+ poems and sonnets to his credit

• Shakespeare’s works were enjoyed by both the royal court as well as the common people

• Audience members did not expect realistic portrayals of life during the Shakespearean time period

Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe

• Shakespeare and his partners built The Globe theater in 1599 in Southwark; located on the bank of the Thames River

• The Globe was a 3 storied building with a small hut on top of the roof

• A flag was raised atop the hut on the days when there was to be a performance

• The Globe enclosed an open courtyard; the courtyard was referred to as the pit


• The GROUNDLINGS would stand to watch the performances from this area; these were the cheapest seats in the house

• Surrounding the pit were the SEATING GALLERIES where patrons would sit to watch the performances; these were the more expensive seats; patrons seated here were protected from the sun and rain by the thatch roof


• The MAIN STAGE- a large platform that protruded from one end of the pit; most of the action in the play took place on the MAIN STAGE

• A trap-door was cut into the center of the MAIN STAGE to allow ghost and demons to appear and disappear during the plays

• The trap-door was also used as a grave in some plays


• A roof covered the MAIN STAGE; this protected the actors and their costumes from sun and rain• Suns, moons and stars covered the under

side of the roof; this area became known as the HEAVENS because of its decorative drawings• Actors portraying angels and spirits were

often lowered from the HEAVENS to the MAIN STAGE area


• A curtain hung between the MAIN STAGE and the INNER-BELOW- a small room in back of the MAIN STAGE area• The curtain would open to reveal interior

locations during a scene• Above was a balcony that overlooked the MAIN

STAGE area• Behind the balcony was another curtain that

lead to the INNER-ABOVE which was used in the same manner as the INNER-BELOW


• Two additional balconies were located on each side of the MAIN STAGE

• No scenery was used during performances• Furniture was used to indicate location• Thrones were used to indicate palaces or castles• Tree branches were used to indicate an exterior or outdoor

location


• Plays contained many short scenes in a variety of locations• Since no scenery and special lighting was used a greater

emphasis was placed on colorful and elaborate costumes, musical accompaniment and special sound effects

RESTORATION• Puritans forced King Charles I out of power; after his death the

Commonwealth was established but ended in 1660 when Charles II was named king…thus begins the Restoration Era

• Return from exile on France Charles II brought many French influenced changes to the theatre

RESTORATION• Charles II issued royal patents to two of his friends which

allowed them to establish two officially legitimate theaters• These were the only 2 theater groups allowed to perform in

London• The term legitimate is still used to refer to LIVE THEATRE• One of the groups built the Drury Lane; a theatre still in

operation today

RESTORATION• For the first time beginning in 1660 women were allowed to

appear and perform onstage• At first the idea was extremely controversial but eventually

the idea of female actors (actresses) became very popular

RESTORATION• THOMAS BETTERTON eras most famous actor• ELIZABETH BARRY, ANNE BRACEGIRDLE and NELL GWYNN

most famous actresses of the era• During the 18th Century DAVID GARRICK achieved fame as an

actor, playwright and theater manager; still referred to as England’s greatest actor

RESTORATION• Most audience members were part of the upper class; all

classes no longer attended the theater• Playwrights wrote to please the new selective audiences;

often including current gossip as content in their plays• Generally audience members went to the theater to be seen

not to see the performances

RESTORATION• The wealthy patrons often sent their servants early to save

the best seats; patrons would usually arrive after the performance had already begun

• Ladies would typically wear masks at the theater to hide their identities

RESTORATION PLAYWRIGHTS

• WILLIAM WYCHERLEY; The Country Wife• RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN; The Rivals,

The School for Scandal• WILLIAM CONGREVE, The Way of the World• OLIVER GOLDSMITH, She Stoops to Conquer• APHRA BEHN; one of theatre’s first woman

playwrights

ROMANTICISM

• Major literary and artistic for of the 19th century• Romantic theatre represented life as people

wished it would be rather than how it really was• Beliefs of the period were driven by the

individuals feelings and emotions• Began in Germany• The most popular entertainment form of the

period was the MELODRAMA-an emphasis on the story as opposed to the characters

ROMANTICISM• Special effects emerge onstage during this era; special effects

shown onstage included fires, floods, train wrecks, and horse races

• Over-exaggeration vocal techniques and gesturing were indicative of the Romantic acting style

ROMANTIC PLAYWRIGHTS• JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: The Faust• ALEXANDER DUMAS: The Three Musketeers, The Count of

Monte Cristo

REALISM• Began in reaction to Romanticism• Represented things as they were in real life• Dealt with social problems• Scientific discoveries were often incorporated

into the storyline of the Realist plays • The mind ruled over the emotions• Most plays did not have a happy ending • Initially not very popular art form • Still a major artistic form today

REALISM• New acting style became necessary with Realism; more subtle

and believable • CONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKY: a Russian actor and director and

fellow colleagues from the Moscow Art Theatre developed “METHOD ACTING”

• Still has a great impact on acting techniques used today

REALIST PLAYWRIGHTS• HENRIK IBSEN: the father of Realism; wrote

about subjects that had never been in plays before- A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabbler, An Enemy of the People- work considered very controversial for the time• AUGUST STRINDBERG: explored the psychology

of character; The Father• Anton Chekhov: wrote about changing society in

Russia; The Cherry Orchard• George Bernard Shaw: dealt with political and

social issues

MODERN THEATRE• ADOLPHE APPIA & GORDON CRAIG improved scenery and

further developed the 3-D scenery design• Incorporated MOOD & ATMOSPHERE into the theatre with the

use of lighting• Latter 20th century regional theatres are established • Theatre today continues to grow and exhibit a mix of styles

MODERN PLAYWRIGHTS• EUGENE O’NEILL: first American Playwright to achieve an

international reputation; Anna Christie, The Hairy Ape, Long Days Journey Into Night

• TENNESSE WILLIAMSCat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie

• AUTHUR MILLERThe Crucible, Death of a Salesman

MODERN PLAYWRIGHTS• LORRAINE HANSBERRY: first prominent African-American

female playwrightA Raisin in the Sun

MUSICAL THEATRE• Musicals are the most popular form of theatrical

entertainment• The musical tells a story through a combination of spoken

words (dialogue), song and dance• The musical first appears in the United States in the mid-

1800’s

MUSICAL THEATRE• The first musical was The Black Crook• The Black Crook was first performed in 1866• Early musicals had a strong European influence• RUDOLF FRIMEL, SIGMUND RHOMBERG, AND VICTOR

HERBERT were the three major musical composers at the beginning of the 20th century

MUSICAL THEATRE

• Musicals written by these three include: Naughty Marietta, The Red Mill, The Student Prince, and Rose Marie• George M. Cohan is the first major American born

musical composer.• Cohan’s musicals include: Little Johnny Jones and

Forty-five Minutes from Broadway• During this time, music from Broadway musicals was

considered the Popular music of the time and was what was being played on the radio

MUSICAL THEATRE• Other Notable American Composers include:• Jerome Kern, Showboat• Showboat, is one of the most important musicals

ever written because it was the first to deal with serious subject matters and done in a realistic manner• George & Ira Gershwin, Of Thee I Sing• The popular song “Old Man River” was written for

this musical• Of Thee I Sing was the first musical awarded the

Pulitzer Prize in 1932

MUSICAL THEATRE• Irving Berlin, Annie Get Your Gun (1946)• Cole Porter, Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes• Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Showboat,

Oklahoma! (1943), The King and I, The Sound of Music• Oklahoma! Is the first to present the musical as a

unified combination of music, words and dance that flowed with seamless transitions to tell the story• This presentation is still the president for the manner

in which musicals are presented today

MUSICAL THEATRE• Notable composers of the 1950-1960’s:• Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady,

Camelot• Leonard Bernstein, West Side Story • Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story, Company,

Sweeny Todd• Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock and Sheldon

Harnick established a Broadway record with 3000 performance• Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line broke the Fiddler on

the Roof performance record just a few years later

MUSICAL THEATRE• Andrew Lloyd Webber is the most important modern musical

composer in history• Webber’s works include: Cats, Phantom of the Opera and

Evita• Stephen Schwartz, Godspell, Pippen, Children of Eden, Wicked

THEATRE HISTORY• THE END.

a brief and comprehensive look at theatre history

Documents