History of theatre

History Of Theatre

1/20/10
The Poetics by Aristotle
Aristotle- the first to propose what theatre is
Homer- The Illiad; The Odyssey; epic poetry
Mimetic -Imitation of Real life
Catharsis- Greek word - to cleanse and purge
Tragic- Bad things happening to good people
2/1/10
· Greek Theatre
· Hellenistic: Alexander the great
· Extant: Existing today
· Dionysus: God of Wine; Baccheus Roman name
· When people cut off their genitals, it was believed that it would take away their power
· Acropolis Athens theatre
2/10/10
Tragedy
· Superior to comedy
· Characters= gods, mythical figures, nobility
· Heightened language
· Well known tales and myths
· Value- how perfect tale is told
· Main character has tragic flaw –hubris
· Catharsis- pity and fear
Comedy
· Inferior form
· Everyday characters subjects and themes
· Use of vernacular
· Usually a “happy idea” that unifies play
· Ending usually happy
· GOAL: not to make people laugh but to teach by ridiculing bad behavior
· Lysistrata

2/15/10
· 27 BCE Beginning of Roman Empire
· Rome was a walled city
· Horace- Ars Poetica 24 BC
· Chamber play/ Closet Drama- plays not meant to be performed
· Stage completely enclosed to allow for acoustics
· Theatres had vaumitoriums-where the actors entered
· Theatres had a spot at the top of the theatre- was thought to have a place where the gods watched the performances
· Teatro Marcello
· Romans got rid of the chorus
· Ludus Festival
2/17/10
Greek
· Tragedy
· Comedy: old (Aristophanes), middle, new (Menander)
· No more chorus
Roman
· Fabulae, fable (story): Crepidata (decrepit, old); Praetexta (tragedy w/a roman twist); Palliate (based on greek comedy); Togata (based on roman comedy)
· Mime-Roman; similar to skits; parody
· Reason why early Christian church hated theatre
· Pantomime- one person entertainment; heavily based in movement
· Histrione (ic)- roman word for actor “melodramatic”
2/22/10
· Commedia dell’arte
· 1660 – Harlequin Changed costumes from patterns
· Punch and Judy
· Lazzi- lazzo heart of commedia
· Physical comedy bits similar
· Particular to character
· Cuckoldry


3/1/10
Medieval Theatre
· Cycle plays
· Second Shepherds play- a series of religious plays
· Mysteries
· Miracles
· Moralities
Dark Ages= Middle Ages
· 900- 1400
· Gothic period to renaissance
· Scops-shares the tales of the heroes and monsters, of epic battles, of kings and great warriors
· mummers
Dev. Of Medieval Theatre

· clerical- lay
· Latin – vernacular
· in church- outside church
· biblical stories-hybrid- secular
· Trope- earliest religious play
· “Quem Quearitis”- Whom do you seek?
· “Instead of just reading we will act it out”
· Hrosvitha- nun- head of a convent

3/3/10

· Tudor- Henry the 8th
· Lancaster vs. Yorks
· Early 1500’s to 1650
· The Reckoning- about Adam and eve; the fall of man
· 2 ways of staging: 1. Carton wheels 2. Fixed cart, continental
· Moralities: teach us with morals, Everyman
· Oberammergau Passion Play (german)

3/10/10

Non-Western Theatre

· Based on colors and kinetics

No Theatre

· Japanese
· Okina
· Principal form of Japanese theatre
· Based on tales form traditional literature
· Dance based performance

Bunraku

· Some narrative and puppetry
· Developed around 1600
· Dev. 3 puppeteer format in 1800

Kabuki

· Originated at beginning of 17th century
· Edo period
· Originally both men and women performed; now only men
· Historical events; mortal conflict; affairs of the heart

Wayang

· Shadow puppetry
· Moral stories

Beijing Opera

· China
· All male performers
· A lot of dance

Kathakali

· India
· Dance theatre
· Very stylized
· Facial expression is key

Kuttiyattam

· Sanskrit
· Major headdresses


Ramilla

· India
· Song
· Recount ancient episodes
· Audience invited to join show

3/22/10

Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatre

· Shakespeare spans 2 monarchs: Queen Elizabeth and King James
· English Renaissance: 1600’s
· Birth day of professional theatre
· 2 times of the year when theatre isn’t produced: Lent, times of disease
· Elizabeth I- “no plays about religion, politics, or my family”
· Beginning of censorship
· 1574 Master of Revels- approved plays before they were performed; law didn’t end until 1968
· Canterbury Catherdral
· Shrine of St. Thomas of Becket

3/29/10

· Inns of Court: place where they(playwrights and lawyers) went to study
· Christopher Marlowe: original, legally trained, murdered, drunk and homosexual
· Shakespeare: perfected
· Refectory- where friars would eat
· Black Friars Theatre- indoor performance, indoor lighting
· Richard Burbage: actor; played nurse in Romeo and Juliet

3/31/10

· Folio- fold in 2
· Quarto- fold in 4
· Both stitched into books
· Prompter- only 1; sat with a prompt book; has the main copy of play

4/7/10

· Hamlet




4/14/10

· Dorset Gardens
· Shakespeare’s Tempest
· More of a spectacle
· Forestage-where the actors acted; not in the proscenium
· Proscenium- where scenery was
· Overtime forestage decreases until it is no more than an apron
· 1760- audience banned form being on stage with actors
· Standing pit gone
· The Country Wife -Wycherley

4/21/10

· Louis XIII at Theatre a Palais Royal 1770’s
· Moliere, Jean Baptiste Poquelin
· Pierre Corneille 1606-1684
· Le Cid- caused controversy
· Jean Racine; Tragedy; Neo-classical

Neo-Classical

· Has rules
· All rhymed couplets
· Good art= following the rules
· Based on interpretation of the classical/ancient definitions of art
Rules
· Verisimilitude
· Show life as it should be
· Decorum
Unties
· Time-take place in 1 day
· Place- only one location
· Action- only one plot
5/5/10

· Krumlov Castle
· Italy
· Carlo Gozzi and Carlo Goldoni; Re-invented commedia
· The Libertine