History of Theatrical ArtsPart 1: Roots of Theater

Greek and Roman Theater• 600 B.C. through 700 A.D.• Dithyramb-

▫ hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysus▫ Chorus of 50 men▫ Related episodes from the god’s life.

• Golden Age of Grecian and Roman Drama▫ Invented Western drama▫ 500-400 B.C.▫ Myths and heroic legends▫ Greek-Reflected contemporary issues and helped people

confront current political or religious problems▫ Roman-Based on Greek forms, but used more for

entertainment

Greek and Roman Theater (cont.)•Golden Age of Grecian Drama (cont.)

▫Famous playwrights Tragedy: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and

Euripides Comedy: Aristophanes, [Plautus, and

Terence]-Roman ▫Staging

Large choruses telling the story Masks-exaggerating facial expressions Amphitheaters Etc.

Greek and Roman Theater

Greek and Roman Theater (cont.)•End of Classical Western Theater

▫During Byzantine Era, Church firmly opposed the theater

▫Church council passed resolution to forbid theatrical performances in 692 A.D.

Medieval Theater

•Origin▫Grew out of religious ritual▫925 A.D., singing of hymns telling Easter

story▫Dramatic dialogue delivered by priests

impersonating an angel and the three women visiting Christ’s tomb

▫Source of the Mystery Play

Types of Medieval Drama

•Mystery Plays▫Depicts stories from the Bible

•Miracle Plays (Saint Plays)▫Depicts stories about the lives of saints and

martyrs•Morality Plays

▫Depicts moral struggle of the soul

▫All usually had a narrator

Medieval Theater

English (Elizabethan) Drama• Origins

▫1500’s Queen Elizabeth I bans all religious plays▫Secularization of theater

• Shakespeare▫Greatest playwright in the English language▫Also actor-manager of professional company▫Wrote 38 plays in different genres: comedy,

tragedy, and history▫ Incorporated long verses of poetry▫No narrator in most cases, relied on purely

acting to tell and express the story.

Globe Theater

• Built in 1599 by Lord Chamberlin’s Men, the troupe Shakespeare belonged to

• Accidently burnt in 1613 during cannon mishap in Henry VIII

• Rebuilt in 1614• Closed by Puritans 1643• Demolished in 1644

French Neoclassical Theater• Origins

▫Based on theories of Aristotle and Horace▫Most popular during the mid-1600’s▫The French Academy evaluated plays entirely on

how closely they adhered to neoclassical principles• Moliere

▫French playwright who incorporated neoclassical rules in his comedies

▫Controversial writer of his times▫Church forced him to rewrite Tartuffe twice (most

famous play studying religious hypocrisy)

Genres of the 1700’s and 1800’s• Ballad Opera

▫ Early 1700’s▫ Burlesque form of Italian opera in England▫ Combined spoken dialogue and songs set to popular tunes▫ John Gay-Beggar’s Opera▫ First sign of crossover between opera and musical theater

• Sentimental Comedy▫ Emphasis on virtue triumphant, not laughter

• Laughing Comedy ▫ More realistic and humorous

• Melodrama▫ More realistic and more humorous than sentimental▫ Swiftly paced, witty dialogue

Genres of the 1700’s and 1800’s•German Romantic Drama

▫Romantic movement called Sturn und Drang (Storm and Stress)

▫Idolized Shakespeare▫Dismissed neoclassical dramatic unities▫Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-Faust

Influences on American Acting

•Meiningen Troupe▫Duke of Saxe-Meiningen from Germany▫Late 1800’s made his court theater most

highly respected touring company of the period

▫Influenced innovators such as Stanislavski and Antoine

▫Long rehearsals, technical advances in stagecraft, actor preparation

Influences on American Acting

•Moscow Art Theater▫Founded by Konstantin Stanislavski and

Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko in 1898▫“Artistic Truth” rather than external effect▫Influenced by movements in naturalism and

realism▫Stanislavski method brought to US where it

is the American “Method” style of acting

Stanislavski 1863-1938• Born Constantin Sergeivich Alexeiev• Stanislavski was a stage name to hide activities

from parents• Believed in “living the part”• emphased the actor's use of imagination and

belief in the given circumstances of the text rather than her/his private and often painful memories.

• Opened studios in Russia, classes available in US• An Actor Prepares, Building a Character,

Creating a Role

Stanislavski

Theater in America

•Origins▫First playhouse built in Williamsburg, VA in

1716▫1752 English acting troupe headed by

William Hallam marked beginning of professional theater in America

▫Easier to produce than orchestras

Famous American Playwrights

•Tennessee Williams▫Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named

Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof▫Known for creating fully developed in

characters that challenged actors•Arthur Miller

▫Death of a Salesman▫Combined realism and symbolic

expressionism▫Personal wealth vs. personal value

Famous American Playwrights

•Thorton Wilder▫The Skin of Our Teeth▫Applied contemporary theatricality to

simple parables on nature of life•Lorraine Hansberry

▫A Raisin in the Sun and The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window

▫Female African American dramatist▫Created believable black characters rather

than comedic roles

Famous American Playwrights• Neil Simon

▫Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple▫Comedies▫Catered to entertaining audiences instead of

challenging art form• August Wilson

▫Portrayed African Americans realistically and sensitively to “raise consciousness through theater”

▫Seven plays set in different decades, form cycle presenting African American life in the 20th Century