Medieval Theatre History After the fall of the

Medieval Theatre

History • After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 600 s AD, Europe fell into a period known as the “dark ages”. • Characterized by a lack of a reliable political structure • The Catholic church was the only stable form of government, giving them immense power

History • Very little is known about theatre between 600 - 1000 AD. • Theatre was thought to be a pagan ritual, therefore, was denounced by the church

History • Theatre was “reborn” between 925975 • Was included as a part of the religious services • Used to visualize church lessons

History • Visual aides needed because church vernacular was Latin, which the people did not understand • Plays werebased on religious teachings

History Play Content • first trope, or play, was Quem Quaritis (the 3 Marys approach the tomb of Christ) -- “Who’s There” • acted out religious events (as dictated by the religious seasons)

History Content • Topics/genres were always one of the following: – miracle plays – morality plays – mystery plays

History Content • Referred to a “cycle plays” because they were performed in a yearly cycle, coinciding with the religious holidays and feast days

Nature of Physical Theatre Staging • 950 -1250 staged indoors, in cathedrals and monasteries • 13 th century, moved outdoors – (plays took away from the liturgy)

Nature of Physical Theatre • moved outside onto a porch that was used as the staging area

Nature of Physical Theatre • Heaven on right, Earth in center, Hell on left

Nature of Physical Theatre • These conventions were used until the 16 th century and beyond in some cases

Nature of Physical Theatre FEATURES Mansions or Stations • • fixed locations indicated locations remained in view throughout play limited in space

Nature of Physical Theatre FEATURES Platea • generalized acting area • mansions arranged around this space

Nature of Physical Theatre FEATURES Wagons • used to bring plays • from town to town pageant wagons moved through the streets while the audience stayed in one place – like parade floats

Nature of Physical Theatre Wagons • each wagon held a different part of the story

Nature of Physical Theatre FEATURES Special Effects • Heaven: raised above other stages • Used pulleys and ropes for flying

Nature of Physical Theatre FEATURES Special Effects • “Hell mouth”: lowered beast’s head that breathed fire and smoke • trap doors used for appearance and disappearance

Nature of Physical Theatre Costumes • Religious hierarchy (God, etc. ): wore Church garments • Saints: had specific symbol (ex: St. Peter had keys)

Nature of Physical Theatre Costumes • Secular characters (Everyman): wore contemporary garments

Nature of Physical Theatre Costumes • Devils, evil characters: had most imaginative costumes with claws, horns, beaks, tails, etc.

Nature of Physical Theatre Actors • Mostly amatuers • Sometimes members of the guilds • Paid with food and drink

Secular Influence • • By 15 th century, secular groups took over the production of the plays Play productions were getting too big for the church to produce

Secular Influence Main producers of plays were: • Trade guilds – ex: Baker’s guild in charge of “Last Supper” – Shipwright’s guild in charge of “Noah’s ark • • Municipal authorities Special societies

Secular Influence • Each guild or society was in charge of one play in a cycle • Each guild or society always produced the same play – this may explain how the plays grew to a grander scale

Secular Influence • • Elaboration of plays becomes larger as time marches on In 1536, the play at Bourges in France took 40 days to perform

Drama and Scripts Corpus Christi Festival • Honored the sacrament of the bread and wine • Celebration was a procession of the host through town • often took 4 to 5 days to perform • Town council decided what plays would be performed

Drama and Scripts Mystery Plays • Reenacted the stories from scripture Miracle Plays • Dramatized the lives of the saints and martyrs

Drama and Scripts Morality Plays • Dramatized the spiritual trials of the average man • Formed the bridge between religious and secular drama

Drama and Scripts Common Characteristics for all types of plays: • • • aimed to teach or reinforce church doctrine good was rewarded; bad was punished God & his plan were the driving force, not the characters

Evolution of Drama • By the 16 th century, the plays became more secularized • Plays began to include historical figures and sometimes made a political, not religious, statement • Pagents began to be performed by professional groups

Evolution of Drama Ultimate decline of medieval drama: • Classical learning introduced new concepts • Changes in social structure and the rise of the big city discouraged community projects • The Protestant Reformation led to the prohibition of religious plays

Evolution of Drama Results of the decline: • Actors still needed, but no long amatuers • Professional theatre became commercial (for profit) • No longer religious plays – they returned to the classics for new ideas for stories