Primitive Theatre*Write down anything underlinedon each slide. *This should go in your notes, which are subject to a note check at any time

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• You might think of musicals, like Bye, Bye Birdie or Oklahoma!

• You might think of plays byShakespeare,like Romeo and Juliet

“Bye, Bye Birdie”

“Romeo & Juliet”

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• Or, you might think of actors in costumes from different time periods

• Or you might think of mimes, dressedin black and white.

Marcel Marceau

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• There is no simple definition for theatre!• Theatre BEGAN thousands of years ago,

probably before the start of recorded history.• Early cultures used ritual, dance, and

storytelling to communicate.• Theatre is one of the humanities; it attempts

to answer the questions: “Who am I?” “Why are we here?” and “Where are we going?”

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MOST IMPORTANT!

• Theatre is believed to originate from:–Myths–Storytelling–Rituals–Dance

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During Early Development…• Societies become aware of things they cannot

explain, such as natural disasters.• Members of the societies may attribute these

events to sources such as supernatural or magical forces for lack of better explanation

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• Cultures search for ways to win the source’s favor.

• Connections between actions performed (like a rain dance) and events (like rainfall) prompt the society to formalize and adapt ceremonies or rituals

• A common theme is the relationship between gods and humans

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Rituals• A repeated action• Symbolic significance • Evokes emotions

• A repeated action• Symbolic significance • Evokes emotions

• Through rituals, early humans wanted to:

Achieve success inbattle and hunting

Ensure adequatesun and rain/needs

Express their duty tothe community and

to the gods

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Other Facts: Rituals• Rituals were often performed by elders, priests or shamans.

• Rituals often told a story based on the culture’s beliefs.• These stories are usually based in myth.

• Myths gained a life beyond the original rituals,

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• Stories that explain these things may grow from the ritual and be acted out

• Performers may wear costumes and masks to represent mythical characters

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• When societies figured out the science behind these various events (such as earthquakes and volcanoes) related to plate tectonics, do you think they continued to observe these rituals and ceremonies anyway or did they abandon them?– Why or why not?

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• Even when cultures figure out science behind natural events, they may continue to perform rituals as part of the culture– When this occurs, the first step to theatre

becoming a separate activity has taken place!

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Storytelling

• Myths and stories = entertainment before written word

• Stories were told in order to:- TEACH HISTORY - ENTERTAIN- SETTLE ARGUMENTS - HONOR THE GODS- MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD- COMMUNICATE EXPERIENCES- RECORD HISTORY

(Choose and know at least 3 of these!)

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• The ORAL TRADITION is a way in which stories, events, etc. can be transmitted without writing it down

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Are there any forms of oral tradition or common storytelling in

our culture?

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Dance

• Dance is another probable origin of theatre.• Dance comes from:

- animal imitation- pantomime- rhythmic movement

• Dance was often used as part of rituals.

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Dance

This photo shows a traditional Fijian WarriorDance – a ritual that uses dance showing theoutcome of battles.

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How it happened:MythsStoriesRitualsDance

HabitTradition

Entertainment

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The First Drama• The earliest example of ritual evolving into “theatre”

comes from Ancient Egypt.

The Play at Abydos The Play at Abydos is the story of Osiris.is the story of Osiris.

(He’s the green guy dressed(He’s the green guy dressedall in white.)all in white.)

• First dramatic production = the Abydos passion play.

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Historians found a stone tablet depicting the Abydos Passion Play

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Storytellers

• Homer was a poet who may have been born on an island in the Aegean Sea (GREEK).

• He probably composed his works between 700 and 800 B.C.

• Homer was one of the first storytellers to use repetition and dialogue in his stories.

Homer’s (and others!) Homer’s (and others!) stories provided many stories provided many of the ideas and plots of the ideas and plots for playwrights that for playwrights that

came after him!came after him!

Homer’s (and others!) Homer’s (and others!) stories provided many stories provided many of the ideas and plots of the ideas and plots for playwrights that for playwrights that

came after him!came after him!

Homer was anancient Greek epic poet, traditionally

said to be theauthor of the epic

poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Homer was anancient Greek epic poet, traditionally

said to be theauthor of the epic

poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey.

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• Some elements found in performative activities include: – Time– Place– Participants– Scenario– Clothing, masks, make-up– Sound– Movement

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What is Culture?

• activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group

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• Although historians have researched the topic extensively, there is no way to know exactly what occurred in ancient cultures. Historians have done their best to determine what might have happened

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How did those historians figure all this stuff out?

• Artifacts – cave paintings, vases, clothing, and other surviving materials

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• There are performative/theatrical elements present in every society.

• Examples:– Political Campaigns– Holidays– Sporting Events– Religious Ceremonies

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• Some theatrical elements include:– Spectacle – Dialogue– Conflict– Audience– All of these don’t have to be present for an event to

have theatrical elements.

• Performative/theatrical elements can be present even if it is not strictly theatre designed for entertainment

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Does this event have theatrical/performative elements?

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Are there theatrical elements in a classroom?

Are there any theatrical elements involved in tv or using a computer?