A BRIEF HISTORY OF THEATRE

THE EARLIEST FORM OF THEATRE RECORDED Historians found that Ancient

Egyptians performed a three-day pageant (performance) about four thousand years ago

The pageant explained the story of Osiris, an Egyptian god

The pageant included actual battles where “actors” were killed (slaves made up most of the cast)

This is the first recorded theatrical event Osiris

GREEK THEATRE Started as a religious ritual that

honored the God, Dionysus (there was lots of chanting and singing involved)

Dionysus came down from the sky during a ritual chant, and pulled Thespis on stage for dialogue. Thespis = first actor

Dramatic festivals were created, and they employed intellectuals to become playwrights

GREEK THEATRE A skene was the term for the small building at

the end of the stage that was used by actors for changing costumes

A machina was the pulley system invented to fly the character playing a god onto the stage

The Greeks built stone seats into the hillside so that the audience could see better

ROMAN THEATRE The Romans got away

from having theatre tied to religion

Took entertainment to the next level: mimes and gladiatorial competitions

There were still plays written however they were read, not performed

ROMAN THEATRE Germanic Tribes conquered

Rome

They burned the Roman’s libraries, including all of their plays

Theatre stayed alive through street performers

These performers were mostly mimes, acrobats, jugglers and dancers

MEDIEVAL THEATRE Theatre was revived during

the Elizabethan period in Europe

Again (just like with the Greeks), it started as part of religious ritual. That is why it is called the rebirth of theatre.

The purpose was to educate the people about stories from the Bible

Priests and nuns performed the stories in front of the congregation

Soon after, the public was invited to act in the plays

MEDIEVAL THEATRE Pageant Wagons were built so that the mini-plays could hit the

streets

On these wagons, different sections of the play was performed, thus creating acts in playwriting

The actors started bringing in other characters into the stories (to create humor and depth)

The church stopped their involvement with pageant wagons because they were expanding beyond Bible stories

Those who acted in the plays continued to perform plays, traveling in their wagon, from town to town. These groups made up the first theatre companies, and kept theatre alive.

THE RENAISSANCE IN ENGLAND Theatre became a major part of the

English and French culture during the Elizabethan Age

Playwrights were well-known, respected men

William Shakespeare was one of the most popular playwrights of the time

Finally, like Grecian times, plays were written by playwrights and then performed in front of the public

THEATRE IN ASIA Storytelling through

theatre is an ancient tradition in both Japanese, and Chinese cultures.

Traditional theatre practices are still alive today, almost untouched

The costumes, make-up and masks are elaborate

Kabuki Theatre

JAPANESE THEATRE

Noh Set

Kabuki Theatre-It is a mix of dance, mime, drama and song-Created by a female dancer (1600) in Japan-Men in the audience would fight over dating the female performers so in 1629 females were banned from performing Kabuki (only men could act)

Noh Theatre-Created in the 1300s-Same set for every play-All actors wear masks-5 Masks Used: gods, men, women, madmen and demons-Actors have a ten year apprenticeship before they are allowed to act on stage

Noh Masks

CHINESE OPERA-Created in 700 BC

-Mix of mime, drama, music, and acrobatics

-Make-up covers their entire face

-Costumes are very, very detailed

-Actors often fly around the stage (the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has the feel of Chinese Opera

ASPECTS OF OLD THEATRE STILL FELT TODAY… Thespis (Greek): We now have the term thespian, which means actor

Stadium Seating (Greek): Audience seats were built into a hillside so that they could see better

Gladiatorial Competition(Roman): A modern-day gladiatorial competition would be football

Street Performers (Roman): After Rome was conquered, theatre remained alive through performances on the streets

Floats and Parades: Structures on wagons can now be seen during parades, like homecoming. They no longer have plays performed on them, but the still are decorated and wheeled through town

Acts (Medieval): Sections of plays were performed on wagons, thus creating acts in playwriting

Theatre Companies (Medieval): Groups of performers that stick together, performing several plays using the same group for every performance

Japanime (Asian Theatre): The characters facial expression in Japanese cartoons are modeled after traditional Japanese acting.

Style for Filming Action Movies (China): Actors often flew around stage during fighting scenes