Transcript File - Hueytown High School Theatre

Theatre History
MRS. BROWN’S CLASS
Bell-ringers
 What are some events the prehistoric people may
have pantomimed in their early storytelling?
 Imagine sitting around a prehistoric campfire
listening to a story. What are some of the sounds and
lights which may have naturally added to the drama
of the story? How can this image be used to enhance
drama today?
The first performances
 Before the written word, stories were told and enacted
around campfires. Topics probably included great hunts,
the harvest, feats of heroism and bravery, and perhaps
even some love stories. Eventually, music and dancing
may have been added.
 The first record of a theatrical performance was found on
a stone tablet in Egypt dating back to about 2000 BC. It
describes a lengthy three-day performance arranged by
and starring I-Kher-Wofret of Abydos. Proving that
violence is not a new theatrical device, this performance
used realistic battles and high ceremony to reenact the
murder, dismemberment, and resurrection of the god
Osiris.
Ancient Greek Theatre
 The chorus played an important role in narrating
Greek theatre.
 However, in 534 BC, a man name Thespis broke
away from the chorus and held dialog with them on
stage. This action made him history’s first actor.
 Today’s actors are called thespians in his honor.
Ancient Greek Theatre
 The development of the stage was one of the greatest
contributions of the Greeks. Originally held with
semicircular hillside seating, the addition of wood
and stone seats added a sense of sophistication.
 By the time women were allowed to attend theatre,
around 400BC, the theatre could seat over 15,000
people.
 It was large enough that those seated at the back had
a hard time hearing and seeing, so the actors wore
large masks to be seen.
Ancient Greek Theatre
 These large masks added size to the characters,
making them easy to see. There were about thirty
different types of masks worn by Greek actors. They
were light-weight and served many purposes.
 Because the plays had few actors (on early on and
three later), the masks allowed one actor to play
several roles. Also, because women did not act, these
devices allowed men to play women’s roles.
 Unfortunately the masks hid facial expressions, so
the actor had to rely solely on his voice.
Ancient Greek Theatre
 The area where the chorus danced was called the
orchestra. Behind the acting area was a small hutlike building called a skene. This served as the actors’
dressing rooms.
 The roof was used as an acting area for the gods.
 If the gods need to fly, a crane-like device called a
machina would hoist them into the air. The term
deus ex machina refers to the plot device originating
in the Greek theatre in which a problem was resolved
quite unexpectedly when a god would appear from
nowhere and save the day.
Greek Playwrights
 Despite their age, many Greek plays still remain
popular because of their timeless and universal
themes.
 There were many playwriting competitions held in
Ancient Greece in which playwrights competed for
prizes and favor. The playwright not only wrote the
play, but he composed the music, choreographed the
dances, directed, and often held the lead role.
 The entries were divided into two categories:
tragedies and comedies. A tragicomedy or satyr-play
was the third type of play.
Aeschylus
 Aeschylus is the earliest know author of plays.
 Born in about 525 BC, he is believed to have written about
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ninety plays. Of those, only seven survive in their entirety.
He is also credited with having the only surviving trilogy—the
Orestia.
Because of his long career, we can see the evolution of the
theatre in his writings. His early works had a chorus of fifty
with only one actor, but his later works have a smaller chorus
and several actors.
His most famous plays are Agamemnon, the Libation
Bearers, and the Euminides.
He is often referred to as the “Father of Tragedy.”
He wrote about the choices men make and the consequences
that follow.
Sophocles
 He began his career during Aeschylus’s lifetime.
 He wrote between 90 and 110 plays, but only 7 survive
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today. He is said to have won the playwriting prize
eighteen times.
He compared the power of the gods to the importance of
humanity, believing that humans possess god-like
qualities that make them want to change fate.
His most famous plays are Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at
Colonus, Electra, Antigone.
He was born in 497BC and died in 406BC
He is often compared to Shakespeare as the greatest
playwright of all time.
Euripides
 Considered the last great writer of Greek tragedy.
 Was born in 484BC and died in 406BC.
 He wrote about ninety plays, eighteen of which survive.
 It wasn’t until after death that his plays were truly
appreciated.
 His most famous plays are the Trojan Women, Medea,
Hippolytus.
 His Cyclops is the only complete satyr-play known to
exist.
 He originated the use of the prologue to summarize the
play to the audience before the action.
Aristophanes
 Pronounced “Air-uh-stah-fuh-nees”
 Born in 448 BC, Died in 380 BC
 Only writer of ancient Greece whose works still exist
in whole today. However, it is believed that like his
tragic counterparts, ¾ of his works are missing or
incomplete
 Most famous plays are Birds, Clouds, and Frogs.
 Plays made fun of the leaders of Athens, the gods,
and even his playwright counterparts.
Overview of Ancient Greek Theatre
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRLK7SogvE
Roman Theatre
 Plays rarely had plots that dealt with challenging issues.
 Featured: Obscene mimes, drunken horseplay, and
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dancers in meager bikinis.
Had a great impact on the architecture of it theatre,
brought it closer to stages today.
Theatres were built in a flat area instead of hillside.
Because the chorus was no longer being used, the stage
was the central focus.
Three great writers of this age were Plautus, Terence,
and Seneca.
Plautus
 Plays painted an accurate picture of how life was in
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his time.
Despite having an audience that was mostly
indifferent to political issues, his plays still gained
popularity and longevity.
Like Terence and Seneca, he borrowed plots from the
Greeks but gave them his own twist to make them
uniquely his.
Only twenty of his plays are still in existence.
His most famous plays are the Menaechmi and
Amphitryo.
Terence
 Born an African slave
 Showed excellence at an early age which won him
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uncommon education and subsequent freedom
Lost popularity for using applicable plots and universal
dialog rather than buffoonery and vulgarity, which was
craved by the Romans
Having written all six of his plays by the age of twentyfive, he left Rome under suspicion of plagiarism, never to
return.
His most famous plays were the Eunech and The Adrian
Sold the Eunech for 8000 sesterces, which was the
greatest sum ever paid for a comedy at the time.
Seneca
 Seneca was born with fragile health.
 As a result of this and the fact that his father was a great speaker, he
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devoted himself to the spoken word and to the study of philosophy.
Banished in 41 AD by Claudius
Recalled by Empress Agrippina to be her son Nero’s tutor.
Seneca sided with Nero and defended him in his mother’s murder.
After falling out of favor with the new ruler, Seneca was forced to
commit suicide rather than being subjected to a more shameful
death.
Most famous plays were Octavia, The Phoenician Women, and
Hercules.
Plays were generally considered closet dramas, which are plays that
are meant to be read rather than acted.
Overview of Roman Theatre
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NTbGawBvc4
Medieval Theatre
 The period from about 500 to 1500 AD is known as
Medieval Period in theatre history.
 The popularity of theatre in Rome declined, and
people no longer respected actors, so theatre went
through a difficult time. It’s hard to find any full
length plays from this time period.
 Like the Greeks who used plays to worship their
gods, Christians would introduce theatrical
performance to the church and its mostly illiterate
congregation as a means of worship and teaching the
gospel.
Medieval Theatre
 Originally, the plays were done in Latin, so the actors
were priests, nuns, and choir boys, but soon they
were translated to English, so commoners
participated as well.
 Some groups not associated with the church began
performing Miracle and Mystery plays, but they drew
criticism from those with church ties, and it was not
long before their performances were repressed.
However,, these pioneers to represent the first acting
companies and were later recognized and patronized
by nobles.
Medieval Theatre: Terms
 Miracle and Mystery plays—Plays based on the saints’
lives and Bible stories.
 Passion play—A play based on the last week in the life of
Christ.
 Mansion—A series of acting stations in a line, including
Heave, Pilate’s House, Jerusalem, and Hell’s mouth.
 Guilds—groups of tradesmen (bakers, goldsmiths, etc.)
whose common trade was jointly responsible for part of a
story from the Bible which, when combined, made a
cycle. Each guild competed with the others to see who
could produce the most elaborate story.
Medieval Theatre: Terms
 Cycle—the combined stories produced by the guilds
 Morality play—similar in theme to Miracle and Mystery
plays, yet more concerned with the principles taught by
Christianity rather than stories from the Bible.
 Masque—a spectacular play glorifying the nobility.
 Pageant cart—a two-storied cart that doubled as a stage
(with the underside being a dressing room). During a
cycle, the carts would move from place to place, each
producing the same story over and over again. The
audience would remain stationary and enjoy each
performance it moved through.
Medieval Theatre
 Despite the seriousness of the message, Medieval
plays still had a lot of horseplay.
 Other aspects of the Medieval stage that helped to
draw in large audiences were the complicated
technical devices and special effects such as trap
doors, cranes, and the Hell’s Mouth.
Medieval Plays
 The Second Shepherd’s Play-A secular play about a
clever scoundrel named Mak who steals a sheep,
hides it in a crib, and passes it off as his son.
 Everyman-An allegorical (a play with strong
symbolism) Morality play in which Everyman is
summoned to meet Death, appear before God, and
seek salvation. Other character include, Five Wits,
Fellowship, Kindred, Discretion, Beauty, Strength,
Knowledge, and Good Deeds.
Medeival
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxdDoUoFQh
M
Renaissance Theatre
 The busiest period in theatre history was the
Renaissance or “rebirth,” which began early in the
fourteenth century. After being forbidden for all but
the clergy for so long, the theatre finally sought new
life during this period.
 The renaissance in theatre had its first sparks of life
in Italy with a rediscovery of the classics. The
pageant carts which had previously been the
standard were not suited for the more modern plays,
so new playhouses were constructed.
Renaissance Theatre
 Ancient Roman theaters were the models for the
Renaissance stage.
 Progress, however, had its influence on the
structures and a proscenium arch was added.
 The Italians also began using painted scenery that
reflected the development of the visual artistry
flourishing in southern Europe at that time.
 Despite the new designs, the revived classics were
suited more to an educated audience and therefore
lacked mass appeal.
Renaissance Theatre
 The most famous contribution of the Italian Renaissance
was the commedia dell’arte. Although it has its roots in
the classical styles of the Greek and Roman lays and even
in the burlesque style of the Medieval period, this new
development was unique unto itself.
 Aside from a basic plot and subplot and stock characters,
the entire performance was improvised employing lazzi
(brief comic scenes) and burle (longer scenes often
including practical jokes).
 The actors experiences a freedom—or a responsibilitypreviously unheard of.
 Singing, acrobatics, mime, juggling, and quick wit were
required for actors at this time.
Renaissance Theatre
 The plays were performed by traveling companies, so
portable stages became a necessity.
 The characters were often stock characters, meaning
they were the same in every play, and each company
had actors who played the same character (or mask)
throughout their lifetime.
 Stock characters were identified by their masks and
elaborate costumes.
 Unless there was a major change in appearance due
to age, actors did not cross from one group to
another. Improv groups are still popular today.
Renaissance theatre
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpqBxjdaD0c
Characters of Commedia Dell’arte
 Each character was based on a stock personality, a
lot like modern-day typecasting. Many of these
characters are actually still in use today.
 During Italian Renaissance, the actors who played
each of these roles were specialized and would play
the same character in one play to the next.
 Young Lovers generally provided the main plot,
usually wanting to marry and the heroine’s father
forbids it. The heroine (inamorata) and her lover
(inamorato) were attractive, beautifully dressed, and
did not wear masks.
Characters of Commedia Dell’arte
 Heroine’s maidservant (fontesca) was flirtatious and
giggly. She and the various comic menservants and
nagging housekeepers (zanni) were responsible for
keeping the action dynamic yet always returning to
the plot. They were often paired where one was
bright and mischievous and the other a fumbling
fool.
 Heroine’s father/guardian was a worldly lover,
overbearing, and a bit sneaky as he often struggles
against a rebellious child.
 Il Capitano was a braggart soldier who acted brave
but was really a coward.
Characters of Commedia Dell’arte
 Drama developed everywhere in Europe as group
travelled from place to place.
 With the support of the government, theatre in
France flourished. Some famous plays include
Corneilles’ The Cid and Racine’s Phaedra. Today,
audiences still enjoy performances of The Miser, The
Misanthrope, The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_0TAXWt8hY
Elizabethan Theatre
 Began in England during the Renaissance period.
 Named after Queen Elizabeth I, who was the ruler
throughout most of the period and who was a patron
of the arts.
 At this time in history, performers sought the
patronage of wealthy noblemen.
 Those with noble endorsement were considered
“legitimate,” while those without support were
considered “rogues.”
 The most famous playwrights from this period are
William Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, and Christopher
Marlowe.
Elizabethan Theatre
 Women were not permitted to act because the stage
was considered unladylike. Young boys played the
women’s parts.
 The plays of Shakespeare, Marlow and Jonson drew
crowds seeking out bawdy entertainment, but in the
early 1600s, theatre started to take a new direction
and court plays were created.
 Court plays were geared to a more intellectual
audience—royalty and nobility.
 Unlike the raucous plays of Shakespeare and Jonson,
the works of Beaumont and Fletcher were subtle and
sophisticated.
Elizabethan Theatre
 Civil war erupted in 1642, and the theatre again went
into hibernation. Banned by the Puritans, most of
the stages were destroyed. England would not see a
new theatre until 1660.
The Elizabethan Stage
 Playhouses were round or octagonal with three levels
of seating (galleries). The galleries were reserved for
the wealthier classes, who could afford to sit.
 The poorer theatre-goers stood in the pit, the bare
dirt floor in front of the stage, thus, they were called
groundlings.
 Those willing to pay the greatest fee could sit on the
stage.
 There were trapdoors on the stage, but because the
stage was in the open, very little scenery was used.
The Elizabethan Stage
 There were no stage
lights, so plays were
performed during
daylight.
 The stage did have a
partial roof, and it was
elaborately decorated to
resemble the nighttime
sky, thus its name—the
Heavens.
Christopher Marlowe 1564-1593
 Marlowe is credited with the introduction of blank
verse.
 He was hailed as the greatest English dramatist until
Shakespeare began to make his mark, leading to a
fierce rivalry between the two.
 He died young, after being stabbed to death in a
tavern brawl.
 His most famous plays are Tamburlaine the Great,
The Jew of Malta, Edward the Second, and The
Tragical History of Doctor Faustus.
Ben Jonson 1573-1637
 This rebel is considered the first real English comic.
 He was educated at Westminster School by the great
classical scholar William Camden, but he was
deprived of a university education by his stepfather.
 He eventually served in the army before returning to
England and marrying Anne Lewis.
 Painfully aware of his lack of higher learning, Jonson
became bitter and often found himself in trouble.
 His most famous plays are Volpone, The Alchemist,
and Every Man in his Humour.
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
 He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets.
 His most famous plays are Romeo and Juliet,
Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, and
The Tempest.
 Mrs. Brown’s favorites are Much Ado About Nothing
and As You Like It.
 None of his plays were published until after his
death, consequently, many dispute the purity of the
plays arguing that they were altered by the
playhouses that kept them over the years.
The English Restoration and Later Theatre
 For 18 years, theatre stayed in hibernation under the rule
of the Puritan leaders. When Charles II was restored to
the throne (thus the term “restoration”), theatre was
again made legal, and with it came many important
innovations.
 The theatres had been destroyed and the old plays didn’t
work for the times.
 Two men were assigned to supervise this Restoration in
England: Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant.
 They were both playwrights and Davenant was rumored
to be the illegitimate son of Shakespeare. He is even
attributed with creating the first English Opera.
The English Restoration and Later Theatre
 What really helped restore theatre was The English Royal
Patent of 1662, which mandated that women perform
female roles and endorsed the theatre as useful and
instructive.
 Drury Lane and Covent Garden were the only two
theatres to receive official sanction, so they were the only
ones considered “legitimate,” thus the term legitimate
theatre was coined.
 The architecture of the playhouse made many important
changes. The roofs were closed in, scenery and stage
mechanics became more elaborate, the orchestra moved
to the front of the stage, the back wall was replaced with
shutters that rolled back and forth in grooves in the stage
for multiple scene changes, and the stage was slanted
slightly.
The English Restoration and Later Theatre
 Some of the most famous writers from the period
include William Wycherly (1640-1716). He wrote The
Country Wife and is known for being a comic
trendsetter.
 William Congreve (1670-1729) is considered a
master of comedy after writing Love for Love and
The Way of the World.
 George Farquhar (1678-1707) wrote The Beaux’s
Stratagem.
The English Restoration and Later Theatre
 The greatest actor of the Restoration was David
Garrick. Garrick was equally good at both comedy
and drama, and his natural movement and line
delivery set him apart from the previously stiff style
 He also wrote plays and made important innovations
to stage lighting when he blocked the lighting
instruments from the audience’s view.
 The most famous actress of the period was Peg
Woffington. She was Garrick’s mistress, and she
rebelled against the gender-biased Elizabethans by
effectively portraying men’s roles.
The English Restoration and Later Theatre
 Within five months of each other in 1808 and 1809, both the Drury
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Lane and the Covent Garden burned to the ground. This symbolized
the end of an era, and as new buildings were built to replace them, a
new period of theatre emerged.
Teetering between the Restoration and the period to follow were
Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Oliver Goldsmith. Sheridan (1751-1816)
wrote The School for Scandal and The Rivals. Goldsmith (1728-1774)
was a “one hit wonder” with his play She Stoops to Conquer.
Gilbert and Sullivan produced their famous operas, which included
The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and H.M.S. Pinafore, all of
which are still extremely popular today.
Oscar Wilde gave us The Importance of Being Earnest.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) dominated the late 19th and early
20th centuries. Many rank him next to Shakespeare as one of England’s
greatest playwrights. Shaw used his writings as vehicles to voice his
theories on humanity and intellect. His most famous plays are Arms
and the Man, Saint Joan, and Pygmalion (from which the musical My
Fair Lady was fashioned).
American Theatre
 Under the strict rule of the Puritans, theatrical
performances were outlawed because viewing
dramatic or comic plays were thought to maliciously
influence the behavior of the young.
 When actors persisted to perform despite the laws
against it, the audience was targeted with fines for
viewing the “devilish acts.”
 There is little physical evidence of such performances
at this time due to the legal issues.
American Theatre
 In the early to mid 1700s, ideas began to change when
stories of the glamour of the English stage arrived with
each docking ship.
 Settlers began to realize what they were missing, and
they rebelled against the Puritan’s fear of self-expression
just as rebelled against the mother country.
 Many plays were then produced in courtrooms or coffee
houses. Sometimes, fights would occur due to lack of
space, so new laws were created to keep stage plays out.
However, people won their freedom and American
theatre was born.
American Theatre
 There were few American-written plays at that time because
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they used the plays written by British writers.
The first American theatre was built in Williamsburg,
Virginia, in 1716, but its existence was a short one. The
mortgage was foreclosed in 1723. It was later used to produce
amateur college performances.
In the mid 1700s, theatrical families began appearing in the
colonies. It was easier and less expensive to travel and
produce plays as a family.
One of the most prevalent of these families was the Hallams.
Young Lewis Hallam made his debut at the age of 12 with a
single line, but he had such stage fright that he ran from the
stage in tears before he could utter a single word.
Once he conquered his stage fright, he reigned on the
American stage for 50 years until his death in 1808.
American Theatre
 Another American theatrical family, the Barrymores,
bridged the gap between early American theatre and
modern film. Irish actor John Drew came to the
states in 1846. His great-great-great-granddaughter
is Drew Barrymore.
American Theatre
 Since most theatre companies capitalized on
European plays until the early 20th century when
writers like O’Neil, Williams and Wilder emerged,
American theatre lacked its own identity.
 Also, the emergence of Hollywood as the center of
the film industry for the world sometimes
overshadowed the life on the stage.
American Playwrights
 Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) The Iceman Cometh, Mourning
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Becomes Electra, A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Anna Christie
Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) Our town, The Matchmaker (from
which Hello Dolly was derived)
Lillian Hellman (1905-1984) The Little Foxes, Watch on the Rhine,
The Searching Wind
William Saroyan (1908-1981) The Time of Your Life, After the Fall
Arthur Miller (1915-) Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, All My
Sons
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Night of the
Iguana, The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire
Neil Simon (1927-) The Odd Couple, Brighton Beach Memoirs,
Barefoot in the Park, Star-Spangled Girl
Lorrain Hansberry (1930-1965) A Raisin in the Sun, Les Blancs
Beth Henley (1952-) Crimes of the Heart, The Miss Firecracker
Contest
Eastern Theatre
 One of the immediately visible appeals of any form of
theatre is the lure of the sound and the color. Easter
theatre seems to have perfected this with largerthan-life costumes, the expressive masks, life-like
puppets, and the contagious, rhythmic beat.
Eastern Theatre
 The oldest form of Eastern theatre, the Noh, is deeply
rooted in religion and ceremony. It is a combination of
dance, acting, and music, rhythmically entwined in a
strict form that has been passed to each new generation
in a rigid training, which starts in an actor’s childhood.
 The short plots generally deal with myths and legends,
and the characters, are stock roles symbolized on-stage
by masks.
 Each Noh also has a Kyogen or comic interlude.
 The performance combines actors’ gliding movements,
chanting, and stomping in unison with a flute and drum
accompaniment.
Eastern Theatre
 The Bunraku is a form of Japanese theatre which
uses intricately hinged wooden puppets.
 Each elaborately costumed puppet stands four feet
tall, and with moving fingers and facial expressions,
it is no surprise that it takes three puppeteers for
each figure.
 This form of theatre originated in Korea but
migrated to Japan in the sixth century AD.
Eastern Theatre
 The most influential of the Asian theatre is the Kabuki,
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which employs singing, dancing, and acting, just as its
name would imply (ka=singing, bu=dancing, ki=acting).
Originally produced by women, the newest of the Eastern
forms was an imitation of the Noh and the Bunraku.
The plots are based on historical tales or stories about
everyday life.
Kabuki actors wore dramatic face paint rather than
masks.
Today, only men act in the plays and they train from
childhood.
Eastern Theatre
 The Kabuki stage is a raised wooden platform, but
because rhythmic stomping is such a prevalent part
of the style, amplifying wooden sections are often
laid on top of the stage.
 They also use drums, a flute, and a stringed
instrument called a samisen.
Eastern Theatre
 The kimono, the traditional, floor-length robe with
draping sleeves, is worn by both male and female
characters, each distinguished by a variance in color,
fabric, or accessories.
 Kabuki is fantasy storytelling.
Eastern Theatre
 China boasts the Peking Opera, a harmonious blend
of song, dance, dialog, and acrobatics.
 Unfortunately, after the establishment of the
People’s Republic in 1949, new plays were saturated
with military propaganda.
 Some new playwrights occasionally surface, and
when they do, the entire world has reason to
celebrate.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc