1 Theatre and Technology FA/AK 2100 Sept 28 Roots of Theatre - Ancient Greece • Roots of theatre most likely in ritual and magic • Three things necessary for theatre as we understand it today – Actors speaking independently – Element of conflict conveyed in dialogue – Emotionally involved audience • According to Aristotle, a play is an imitation of an action, and not the action itself • First great theatrical age in the history of Western civilization is that of Greece in the 5 th century BC • Greek theatre had religious origins http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/ theatretour / pergamon /introduction/ perg amon .intro1. htm Roots of Theatre - Ancient Greece • Origin of the theatre as we know it linked to Thespis • Great innovation was to detach himself from the chorus - Actors speaking independently – Also first unsanctified person to assume the role of a god. – Introduced the mask which became a staple in Greek drama. • Design of Classical Greek Theatre
Transcript
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Theatre and Technology
FA/AK 2100Sept 28
Roots of Theatre - Ancient Greece
• Roots of theatre most likely in ritualand magic
• Three things necessary for theatre aswe understand it today– Actors speaking independently– Element of conflict conveyed in
dialogue– Emotionally involved audience
• According to Aristotle, a play is animitation of an action, and not theaction itself
• First great theatrical age in thehistory of Western civilization isthat of Greece in the 5th century BC
• Greek theatre had religious originshttp://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/pergamon/introduction/pergamon.intro1.htm
Roots of Theatre - Ancient Greece
• Origin of the theatre as we knowit linked to Thespis
• Great innovation was to detachhimself from the chorus - Actorsspeaking independently– Also first unsanctified
person to assume the role ofa god.
– Introduced the mask whichbecame a staple in Greekdrama.
• Design of Classical GreekTheatre
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Roots of Theatre• Origin of the theatre as we know
it linked to Thespis• Great innovation was to detach
himself from the chorus - Actorsspeaking independently– Also first unsanctified
person to assume the role ofa god.
– Introduced the mask whichbecame a staple in Greekdrama.
• Design of Classical GreekTheatre
Roots of Theatre - Ancient Rome
• Roman Theatre
• Focus was on a raised stage
• Subject matter diverted fromreligious roots
• Usually obscene and cheaphumour
• Became a vulgar form ofentertainment
• Actors not as respected as inancient Greece Theatre at Pompeii
Roots of Theatre - Medieval Theatre
• Roots of medieval theatre lay inwandering entertainers, such asacrobats, dancers, mimics, animaltrainers
• Church became a central organizingforce– Liturgical dramas
• By 1500s however, theatres wererelatively sophisticated
• Theatre architects applied the ideasof Vitruvious (16-13BC) Liturgicaldramas– Introduction of the proscenium
arch and the development ofpainted scenery
• Also: the development of opera.Lead to even more advances inscenery technology
• Commedia dell’arte– Entirely improvised– Formulaic plot structures– Actors were their characters
Teatro Olimpico, Florence, 1580
Roots of Theatre - Italian Renaissance
• Rediscovery of works in Classicaldrama
• Theatre architects applied the ideasof Vitruvious (16-13BC) Liturgicaldramas– Introduction of the proscenium
arch and the development ofpainted scenery
• Also: the development of opera.Lead to even more advances inscenery technology
• Commedia dell’arte– Entirely improvised– Formulaic plot structures– Actors were their characters
Teatro Olimpico, Florence, 1580
Roots of Theatre - Italian Renaissance
• Rediscovery of works in Classicaldrama
• Theatre architects applied the ideasof Vitruvious (16-13BC) Liturgicaldramas– Introduction of the proscenium
arch and the development ofpainted scenery
• Also: the development of opera.Lead to even more advances inscenery technology
• Commedia dell’arte– Entirely improvised– Formulaic plot structures– Actors were their characters
Teatro Olimpico, Florence, 1580
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Roots of Theatre - Elizabethan Theatre
• Shakespeare: first modern playwrightof the same stature as Classicalauthors
• Instrumental for the development oftheatre in England was theestablishment of permanent theatrebuildings– Introduction of the proscenium
arch and the development ofpainted scenery
• At the turn of the century many playswere being written for indoor orprivate theatres
• After the age of Shakespeare therewas a decline. Civil war in 1642.
Roots of Theatre - Elizabethan Theatre
• Shakespeare: first modern playwrightof the same stature as Classicalauthors
• Instrumental for the development oftheatre in England was theestablishment of permanent theatrebuildings– Introduction of the proscenium
arch and the development ofpainted scenery
• At the turn of the century many playswere being written for indoor orprivate theatres
• After the age of Shakespeare therewas a decline. Civil war in 1642.
Reconstructed Globe Theater
19th Century
• As an age, very self conscious abouttechnology and science
• Applied scientific knowledge andmethod to stage production
– Stage machinery and specialeffects
– Goal to create perfect illusions
• Major innovations: revolving stages,stage lighting, spot lights, use ofelectricity, acoustics
• Emphasis on unity and artisticintegrity. Restore the theatre as itwas in Ancient Greece
“There is no science without principleswhich give a reason for its facts. Hence toteach and to learn (this subject) it isnecessary to: 1. to understand the generallaw which controls the movement of theorgans; 2. to apply this general law to themovements of each particular organ: 3. tounderstand the meaning of the form of eachof these movements; 4. to adapt this meaningto the various states of the soul. (from TheDelsarte System . . . with the LiteraryRemains of François Delsarte (New York,1887).
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19th Century
• As an age, very self conscious abouttechnology and science
• Applied scientific knowledge andmethod to stage production
– Stage machinery and specialeffects
– Goal to create perfect illusions
• Major innovations: revolving stages,stage lighting, spot lights, use ofelectricity, acoustics
• Emphasis on unity and artisticintegrity. Restore the theatre as itwas in Ancient Greece
Sectional Drawing of the Madison Square. Two stages, oneabove the other, mounted on elevators. From ScientificAmerican, April 5, 1884
19th Century - Richard Wagner
• 1813-1883• Rejected contemporary theatrical
trends toward realism• Dramatists should be myth makers.
True drama concerned with the realworld
• Need to control all elements of aproduction. Gesamstkunstverk - thetotal work of art
– Unify all elements of the art work toachieve a totalizing effect. Combinedifferent arts into an aesthetic whole
• Wagner influenced theatre design• Resulted in the Bayreuth Festival
