THEATRE HISTORY

MUSICAL THEATRE

F

irst musical produciton

PRIMITIVE MAN -

aware of outside forces that control their existence

developed rituals to recognize these ‘forces’

Rituals – demonstrated a form of knowledge,

educational, entertainment, or glorify

Example: “Acting out” a successful hunt for the tribe, or sitting

around a fire impersonating, re-telling real events or

mythology

THE EGYPTIANS.3500 – 3000 B.C.

Deity System of belief

Coronation Rituals, Plays

Abydos Passion Play

Death and Resurrection of Osiris

Story involved Osiris, Isis and Set

THE GREEKS8 AND 6 CENTURIES

534 B.C. – Festival and Contest at the City Dionysis Thespis – winner – given credit for the

invention of drama, First tragedy

Tragedy translates into “goat song”Came from dithyrambs, songs and

dances

1. Aeschylus - @499 BC

Out of 80 plays, 7 survived intact Added the second actor

The Orestia “Agamemmnon”, “The Libation Bearers”, and “The

Eumenides”

Origin of the concept of our justice system.

GREEK TRAGEDY PLAYWRIGHTS

GREEK TRAGEDY PLAYWRIGHTS

2. Sophocles – 496-406 Out of 120 plays, 7 intact

Used the 3rd Actor, first use of scene painting

Fixed the size of the chorus

Oedipus Rex“Oedipus”, “Oedipus at Colonus”,

“Antigone”

GREEK TRAGEDY PLAYWRIGHTS

3. Euripedes

Introduced subjects unsuited to the

stage.

Medea’s murder of her children

Phaedra’s love of her stepson

GREEK COMEDY PLAYWRIGHTS

Aristophanes – 448-38040 plays written, 11 intact

Plays typically followed a patternOpened with the Happy Idea (a theme or

idea)Parabasis (debate of Happy Idea)Scenes (adaption of Happy Idea)

Komos (reconcilation, feast, party)

GREEK COMEDY PLAYWRIGHTS

Aristophanes – 448-380

The Frogs

The Birds

Lysistrata

ROMAN THEATRE H

eavily influenced by the Greeks

C

omedy more popular

N

o more chorus

A

dded music accompaniment to dialogue

T

ragedy – noble deeds, horror, vice, blood

ROMAN PLAYWRIGHT

Seneca – teacher of Nero 54 A.D.Adapted plays from Greek originals

Divided plays into five episodesElaborate speeches

Sensational deeds and insights into human condition, emotion

Influenced Shakespeare!

ROMAN THEATRE

Popular forms of Roman

entertainment Chariot Races

Gladiators Wild Animal Fights Mime, Pantomime

Naumachiae (sea battles)

MIDDLE AGES

1050 – 1300

Towns began forming, mostly for protection

Kings and Princes began to take control

Universities took the place of monasteries as

places of learning

Plays only read in school, never performed.

MIDDLE AGES

C

hurch realized public was uneducatedS

tarted ‘acting out’ Biblical scenes

Liturgical Drama – during services, in Latin

Vernacular Drama – Common language,

performed outside of church

MEDIEVAL THEATRE1350 - 1550

C

hurch gave up active participation in TheatreA

cting troupes travelled town to town, each actor supplied own costume

Cycle Plays – Wagons pull into town, park in a circle

pattern, each wagon acts out a

different episode of a play. T

ownspeople walk between wagons.

MEDIEVAL THEATRE1350 - 1550

Types of Medieval PlaysMorality Play – Taught a moral lesson

worried about man’s after life, lectured about seven deadly sins

Miracle Play – Portrayed the lives of the church’s saints and martyrs.Mystery Play – Acted out episodes from the Bible.

RENAISSANCE

Revival of all things Greek and Roman

Neoclassicism1. Verisimilitude – appearance of truth,

real life, no fantasy, no supernatural

2. Teach a moral lesson3. Three unities – Action, Time, Place

one plot, one hour, one place

RENAISSANCE

Commedia dell’Arte

Traveling troupe, 10 – 15 actors

Improvisation and Stock Characters

Stock Character - the same characteristics,

same type of person, performing in a different

situation each time

RENAISSANCEY

oung Lovers – straight characters, dressed in whiteZ

anni – servants or best friends, silly, offbeatC

apitano – braggart, coward, likes to boastP

antalone – merchant, mask with large hooked noseD

ottore – academic, uses Latin phrases wrongH

arlequin – mischief maker, diamond costume, black

mask, carried a slapstick

RENAISSANCE

Court Masques –

think Cinderella going to the ball

Usually lasted a several days or a week

Short plays, singing, dancing, eating

Usually to honor one person or one event

AMERICABrought Theatre to the Colonies -

Opera, Ballad Opera, Comedy and Drama

1782 – Old American Company1791 – Chestnut Street Theatre

First permanent theatre structure, based in PhiladelphiaWar of 1812 – Westward Expansion

AMERICA1

836 – Showboats appeared1

850 to 1870 – The Minstrel ShowMost popular form of

entertainment in AmericaPerformers sat in a

semi-circle“Tambo” and “Bones” –

masters of ceremonySet up like a variety

show

U

ncle Tom’s Cabin – most popular play

REALISM1

860 – 1900’s

M

oscow Arts Theater

K

onstantin Stanislavsky – 1936 -

An Actor

Prepares

“

The Method” – a school of acting training

REALISM

Stanislavsky –

An actor’s body should be trained for all demands.

Actors should be schooled in all stage techniques.

An actor should be an observer of reality.

Inner Justification and Emotional Recall