Transcript Theatre 2 History

Theatre 2 History
A. Medieval Theatre
A. Middle Ages
1.Drama developed differently in Europe.
2.Earliest evidence of medieval theatre
came in the form of liturgical dramas
in the late 10th century A.D.
3.Christianity, specifically the Roman
Catholic Church, established
prohibitions against secular drama.
A. This action suggests the existence of
other types of performing arts.
acrobatics
mimes
dancers
B. Liturgical Drama
1. 1st began as a question and answer song
performance by monks on Easter.
A. Originally performed in Latin, later translated to
the vernacular of a region.
B. Originally performed by priests, choirboys, and
nuns. Later, members of the congregation were
invited to perform.
C. Popular entertainment during the Easter
service. Later, became self-sustained Christian
tradition.
B. Liturgical Drama
2. Saint & Mystery Plays
A. Very popular form of church drama
B. Saint Plays—based on legends and tales
of the saints
C. Mystery Plays—based on biblical history
B. Liturgical Drama
3. Passion Plays
A. Drama about the last week of Christ's life
(ex. The Passion, Jesus Christ
Superstar)
C. Mansions
1. Stages in churches set on elevated platforms.
A. Represented biblical settings (i.e. Heaven,
Hell, Temple of King Solomon)
popularity of these plays moved them into town
squares and out of the churches.
A. Mansions placed in a straight line
B. Some stages were permanent
C. Evidence exists of touring troupes who
traveled and performed in various towns/cities.
D. Craft Guilds
1.Late 14th century, became dominant presenters
of Saint & Mystery plays, in England.
A. Most were performed during the festival of
Corpus Christi
B. Instituted in 1311 A.D.
2.Guilds were secular (not religiously affiliated) in
nature but member were associated with the
church.
3.Each guild presented one part of the biblical text
(i.e. the shipwrights presented the Noah pageant)
E. Pageant Wagons
1.Craft Guilds toured on these mobile stages
on wheels.
2.Most were divided into two levels:
A. Upper Level— used as the main
platform plying space
B. Lower Level— functioned as the
dressing room and properties storage
space.
Pageant Wagons
3. Pageant wagons
were often decorated
according to which
play in the cycle
was presented.
A. Cycle— a series
of short plays
depicting religious
history from
Creation through
Armageddon.
F. Folk Drama
1. Developed clandestinely and simultaneously with secular
drama.
A. 1st recorded in the 12th century A.D.
2. Performed during planting time, harvest time, and
Christmas.
*Some stories herald back to the Gaelic and pagan
traditions of pre-christian Europe.
Tales of the Fey, faeries, leprechauns, etc.
3. Presented as folk festivals to hide their non-church
sanctioned entertainments
A. Robin Hood plays arose out of these performances
(c. 1300 A.D.)
G . Morality Plays
1. Didactic in nature.
A. Taught difference between right & wrong
*God & Satan's war for souls.
2. Took the form of allegories.
A. Symbolic characters representing
abstract qualities
*Everyman=Humankind
Only morality play still performed today.
H. Moral Interludes
1. Shorter than Morality plays.
2. Included more lighthearted and humorous
characters & situations.
3.Presented by secular dramatists.
A. 1st acting companies...their primary
occupation!
B. Came under the patronage of
nobility(royal sponsorship).
Vocabulary:
Liturgy- customary public worship done by a
specific religious group, according to their
particular traditions.
Didactic- intended as a means to
instruct/teach.
Allegories- story in which people, things, &
happenings have another meaning, often
instructive ( i.e., Brothers Grimm fairy tales)
Renaissance Drama
(Renaissance means “Rebirth”) The Renaissance
describes the transitions from the medieval to
modern world.
I . Renaissance—Italy
A. Italian advances in drama:
Architecture development
Stage equipment development
Perspective & colored lighting introduced
B. Opera—Attempt to revive the simplicity & humanism of ancient
Greek Drama.
1.Scholars in Florence, Italy attempted to recreate the chorus
music of ancient Greek drama.
2.Music was designed to emphasize words.
A. Solo vocal line
B. Simple instrumental accompaniment
17th Century—Opera imitated by England & France
Renaissance—Italy
C. Commentate Dell'arte-- (“Comedy of the Profession”)
`1.Comic improvisation troupes
A. New interests in theatre during the 16th through 18th
centuries
* taste in drama similar to ancient Rome
B. Manager led troupes—often wrote scenarios for
performances
Renaissance—Italy
2. Comic Scenario—plot outlines posted backstage before each
performance.
A. Commedia troupes mastered comic scenarios
B. Scenarios were detailed plot outlines that included “lazzi” &
certain memorized lines
*Lazzi—Humorous bits of stage business. (Ex. Stage action
continues while a comic actor laboriously tries to catch a fly.)
*Most scenarios were based on comic intrigue involving fathers who
put obstacles in the way of their childrens' romances.
*Troupes learned stock jokes, proverbs, songs, and speeches such
as declarations of love, hate, and madness.
Renaissance—Italy
3. Commedia—Social Class/Characters
A. All Commedia characters represented two (2) social classes:
Upper class
Servant class
B. Characters identified by costumes and masks
1. Innamorati & Innamoratae : Beautifully dressed young lovers, speak refined language.
*ONLY characters not to wear masks.
C. Commedia stock characters evolved into modern characters:
1. Pulcinella— foolish character with hooked nose & peaked hat. Ancestor of Punch from
Punch and Judy Shows. (puppet shows popular in Great Britain in the 18th & 19th
centuries.)
2. Pedrolino— Male servants, eternal moonstruck lover, sad & gentle, too romantic & sad.
Later called Pierrot & paired with Pierrette, his devoted sweetheart.
3. Pagliacci— Male servant, comedian who makes other laugh while his heart breaks.
4. Scaramuccia— Ancestor to the wicked mustached villain. Later called Scaramouche.
II. Renaissance Theatre elsewhere in
Europe
A. Spain— Written Drama
Notable authors of the period:
1. Cervantes (1547-1616)
2. Lope de Vega (1562-1635)
3. Calderon (1600-1687)
* Don Juan Demarco—Spain's foremost
theatrical contribution. Based on Spanish
legend.
Renaissance Theatre elsewhere in Europe
B. France— Professional theatre developed, patrons of the state.
Notable plays of the period:
1. “The Cid”--Corncille (1606-1684)
2. “The Miser”
3. “The Misanthrope”--Moliere (1622-1673)
4. “The Imaginary Invalid”
5. “Phaedra”--Racine (1639-1694)
C. Miscellaneous Traveling Players— “Life of Drama”
1. Performed in village squares
2. Performed before nobility in castles
3. Create melodramatic history plays, rowdy comedies & romantic
comedies
* These plays are the origins of later generations great dramas.
III.Renaissance—England
A. Elizabethan Age— Climax of Renaissance Drama
1. Drama—Expression of the soul of a nation.
2. Drama—Vital force in lives of the people.
B. English Plays—modeled after Roman & Greek style.
1. Comedies
A. Nicholas Udall (1504-1556) wrote “Rolph
Roister Doister” (1552)
* modeled after the plays of Plautus.
2. Tragedy
A. “Gorbeduc” (1562)--1st true English tragedy.
Renaissance—England
3. Glorious Elizabethan
Dramatists:
-Christopher Marlowe
-Ben Jonson
-William Shakespeare
* All still produced to
this day.
Renaissance—England
1. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)--killed in tavern brawl.
A. Introduced 1st important use of blank (unrhymed) verse
*“Mighty Line” of poetic drama.
B. Produced plays that present the glory & horror of the age:
1. “Tambourlaine”
2. “The Jew of Malta”
3. “Edward II”
4. “Doctor Faustus”
* Story of a man who sells his soul. Bridges the gap
between medieval and renaissance ages.
Renaissance—England
2. Ben Jonson (1572-1637)--master of
English comedy.
A. Widened the scope of the humors:
to Elizabethans, humor referred to a
personality trait not an attitude of
amazement.
Renaissance—England
Believed all matter, even the human body, to be made up of four
elements—air, earth, fire, water.
Each humor had its own effect on a persons personality—the
balance of elements in body determined personality.
Black bile was the most interesting humor to Elizabethan
playwrights:
->Melancholy characters fit into three main types:
The Lover (Ex. Romeo)
The Malcontent (Ex. Iago)
The Intellectual (Ex. Hamlet)
Renaissance—England
William Shakespeare ( 1564-1616)--Considered the Greatest Dramatist of all
Time.
A. Towering literary giant: Shakespeare “was not of an age, but for all time.”Ben Jonson
Memorable characterizations
Beautiful poetry
Never to be forgotten lines.
B. Plays were meant to be seen-not read!!
Shakespeare's Audience: loud, shouting their approval or hissing disapproval.
Plays had to be exciting, moving or violent
Filled with fury, humor and human truth
Renaissance—England
C. Shakespeare's Characters: center
of interest in plays.
Felt emotions-->love, jealousy,
ambition, joy and grief.
Universal characters-->speak to the
lives of people today as they had
400 years ago.
Soliloquy-->reveals characters inner
most thoughts. Used to define a
characters personality immediately.
Soliloquy-- A speech delivered by
an actor alone on the stage.
A soliloquy is different from an
aside, a speech performed so as
not to be heard by the other
actors on stage.
Renaissance—England
D. Elizabethan Playhouse:
Inspired by innyards (audience stood around a platform stage OR watched from
rooms around the courtyard.)
1. Audience Area:
A. Multi-sided building.
B. Two (2) levels for acting
C. Three (3) levels for seating: refined audience members occupied the
gallery seats. The most expensive seats were next to, above, or even
on the stage.
Groundlings- members of the audience who paid a penny to stand in the pit
area around the stage. Most were soldiers, apprentices, country folk and pick
pockets.
Pit Area- open to sky to supply sunlight (no electricity). In case of rain, floor
sloped to a drain. The floor was a mixture of ash, sand, silt and hazelnuts.
Audience ate nuts and apples.
Renaissance—England
Acting Area:
A. Unlocalized platform stage-five to six feet above pit floor.
Little to no scenery was used. (lines from the play or a
symbolic object used to indicate locale)
B. Tiring House-> behind stage dressing room
C. Study-> upstage center curtained recess
D. Tarras → Second level acting area, shallow balcony.
E. Chamber → used by musicians or audience.
F. Heavens-> roof supported by two ornate columns above stage.
Sun, moon, clouds,stars zodiac signs painted on underside of
roof