Transcript History of Theater - jennifergreenclassroom

Theatre
• Plays
• Musicals
• Ballets
• The building in which these forms
are manifested
Theater
• The “ER” form of the word is
usually reserved for movie
houses or cinemas.
Origins of Theatre
It is accepted by most that theatre emerged out of ritual
and myth.
Rituals:
• Early societies would perform certain “actions” that
seemed to ward off supernatural forces.
•These “actions” would be repeated, becoming set or fixed
in a societies tradition.
• As soon as a ritual is performed separated from the
origin of its ritualistic concern, the first step has been
taken toward theatre as entertainment.
Myths:
• Stories used for explanations. (Usually concerning the
origin of the world and how it came into being).
Theatre &
Drama in
Ancient
Greece
Civilization of Europe begins with the Minoans, whose culture
flourished on Crete from 2500 B.C. to 1400 B.C.
Another people, known as the
Mycenaean's, lived on what is
mainland Greece and eventually
would come to dominate Crete.
• The Mycenaean's were a war-like
people and are famous for the war
with Troy.
These two civilizations are
important because their
gods, history, and heroes
are the reason we have
much of Greek drama.
Greek
Tragedy
and
Comedy
Tragedy
Some scholars believe that tragedy began in 534 B.C. when Athens began a
contest for the best tragedy presented at a festival known as The City Dionysia.
The City Dionysia
• The Greeks sought to honor their gods through festivals during the
year.
• One out of four festivals every year was reserved to honor the god
“Dionysus.”
• According to myth, Dionysus was the son of Zeus, the greatest of
Greek gods. He became the god of wine and fertility.
• Worship of Dionysus included intoxication and human sacrifice.
• It was at The City Dionysia that drama was introduced and honor was
given to Dionysus.
Tragic Playwrights
What knowledge we have about Greek tragedy is based on the work of
three playwrights:
Aeschylus: Working circa 470 B.C.
• He is a playwright in which the oldest surviving plays are credited to him.
• Some of his works include: The Persians, Seven Against Thebes, and
Eumenides.
Sophocles: Working circa 430 B.C.
• He is credited with writing over 120 plays.
• Some of his works include: Antigone, Oedipus the King, and
Electra.
Euripides: Working circa 420 B.C.
• He is credited with writing almost 90 plays
• Some of his works include: Medea, The Trojan Women, and Helen.
Comedy
We have little knowledge of “Old” Comedy, as
6th century comedy is commonly referred to.
What we do know:
Comedy was the
last form of drama
to be accepted
officially in The City
Dionysia.
Comedy tended to
have obscene
language and
gestures.
The only surviving
plays we have are
those of Aristophanes.
Hellenistic Theatre
336-31 B.C.
Actors and Acting
Rulers began to encourage worship of themselves as gods
and therefore established festivals to pay homage to
themselves.
• As a result, plays were no longer
performed exclusively at Dionysian
festivals.
•The expansion of new festivals
created a demand for more, qualified
actors.
Costumes
An actor was normally far away from the audience so
exaggerated costumes helped them to be seen.
Actors would wear
padded costumes and
thick-soled boots.
Actors also
wore masks
that conveyed
special
emotions.
Architecture
Auditoriums
were much
larger than
theatres
today.
The raised stage was the most
important Hellenistic innovation.
Roman Theatre
240 B.C.
Different Types of Drama
Comedy
Tragedy
Mime
Pantomime
Theatre Structures
Most theatres had a
raised stage.
The most popular structure was the
Colosseum, which was built in 80 B.C.
These stages had
raised roofs, which
probably helped with
acoustics.
Actors
• Generally were thought to be of a low social status.
• Mime actors were usually slaves.
• Some noblemen would be forced to appear on stage by the emperor
as a form of punishment.
Masks
• Masks were used in Roman theatre from the very beginning
• Masks for Comedy & Tragedy resembled those used in the
Hellenistic theatre.
The Middle Ages –
Beginning c. 4th
century A.D.
The Elizabethan
Era
William
Shakespeare
1564-1616
His birth:
•Shakespeare was born to parents John and Mary Shakespeare in
Stratford, in the year 1564.
• The actual date that he was born is uncertain. Some say Sunday,
April 23rd while others say Wednesday, April 26th.
His education:
• He began his grammar education at age six or seven at the Stratford
grammar school.
• He learned Latin but most likely had some lessons in English as well.
• He was eventually removed from the school at age 13 because of
problems with his father’s social standing.
Before fame & glory:
• At age 18 he married Anne Hathaway. They had three
children together: Susanna, and twins Hamnet & Judith.
• It is hard to say what he did before he became an
actor. He might have worked as a schoolmaster or
perhaps a lawyer.
As a professional:
• He entered the world of the London theatre as an actor
somewhere between 1585 and 1592.
• He acted for companies that performed his plays. One of them was
called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
Period 1 –
Historical Plays
Shakespeare’s Works
His writings can be divided into four different periods:
Period 4 –
Tragicomedies
Shakespeare’s Works
Period 3 – The
Tragic Period
Period 2 Comedies