Theatre 101 HISTORY OF THEATRE ARTS PART 1
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Theatre 101 HISTORY OF THEATRE ARTS: PART 1
Drama � Greek word meaning “to do” or “to act” � Born out of the dance ceremonies of primitive people before Greek civilization
Egyptian Theatre � Ritualistic � 3000 rites = our idea of a play B. C. � Egyptian people were concerned about life after death, which was illustrated in their dramas � Plays were written for important events (coronation of a new pharaoh)
Hebrew Theatre � No substantial evidence of definite theatre in Judea. � Biblical literature has theatrical elements: �Job= 5 act play with prologue and epilogue �Song of Solomon= chanting/ poetic dialogue
Greek Theatre � Unsurpassed legacy of theatre � The Classic (Golden Age) of Greece brought the greatest tragedies of all time � 500 -400 B. C. � Religious homage to Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility � Ritual dancing and singing developed tragedy (tragos- “goat song”) � Greek Festivals lasted for days
Greek Theatre Comedies komos meaning “a band of revelers” and tragedies took place during festival � Plays were performed outdoors � Sloping hill – amphitheatre � �Held up to 20, 000 people � Far away from audience: �Rhetorical �Platform shoes �Masks �Megaphones
Greek Theatre � Costumes �Mantels � Simple staging – scenery painted on boards � Greek tragedies were based on ancient myths (well known to audience) � Modeled many elements of Aristotle � Playwriting contests
Greek Playwrights � First tragedian to win prize: Thespis �First to add a leader to the “chorus” �Leader became first Greek actor �Thespian- another word for actor � Aeschylus (525 -456 B. C. ) �Father of Tragedy �Greatest tragic poet of all time �Invented the trilogy and added a second actor to the plays �Character : Prometheus
Greek Playwrights � Sophocles (496 -406 B. C. ) ○ Great writer of tragedies ○ Handsome, well-educated, multi-talented �Wrote more than 100 scripts and won 18 festivals �Electra, Oedipus Rex, and Antigone
Greek Playwrights � Euripides (480 -406 B. C. ) ○ Boxing and painting ○ Retired to a cave overlooking the sea �Unorthodox thinker who questioned religious ideas �First to humanize drama by appealing to the emotions �Medea
Greek Comedies � Aristophanes (448 -380 B. C. ) �The finest comic writer of ancient Greece �Satire �Wrote about public life �The Birds, the Frogs, and the Clouds � Menander (342 -291 B. C. ) �Wrote about domestic or private life �In 1957 his complete work The Curmudgeon was discovered.
Greek to Roman � Caesar’s armies marched over the land Greek drama begin to deteriorate. � Romans established their theatre from the seeds of Greek drama.
Roman Theatre � Began with crude, native drama… � Replaced with adaptations and translations of Greek plays. � Aristocracy frowned upon theatre �Audiences were lower class �Scoffed intellectuals and artists; demanded spectacle and vulgarity ○ Greek theatre became decadent & hollow
Roman Theatre Playhouses were portable wooden platforms � 61 B. C. : Pompey built auditorium � Caesar ordered playhouse to be built � The Romans were first to use a front curtain � 2 Roman playwrights to note: � �Seneca (4 BC-65 AD): gory dramatist who wrote closet drama �Plautus (254 -184 BC): plays influenced Shakespeare and others
Roman Theatre � Production of plays were soon overshadowed by spectacles: �Gladiatorial contests �Killing of Christians and slaves � When Rome fell, the Christian church banned all theatrical activity
Chinese Theatre � 2000 BC �Interpretative dance ○ Dance that tells a story �Religious rituals � Eventually a school for actors was founded- Ming Huang � Drama was highly formal �Ancestor worship, military glory, and faithfulness to a husband
Chinese Theatre � When Mongols invaded drama changed �Demanded action, acrobatic stunts, songs and dances �These dramas came to be known as “traditional theatre” � Most acting is done by men � Acting is regarded as a life study � Graceful movements � Symbolic props
Japanese Theatre- Noh � Based on ritualistic dance of Shinto religion � Noh plays appeared in the 14 th century � Written in a formal, classical language �Meant for aristocrats � Short, serious, philosophical studies combined with poetry, dance and music � Scenery in Noh consists of one tapestry hung on back wall
Japanese Theatre- Bunraku � 17 th century � Doll Theatre �Wooden marionettes �Elaborately costumed
Japanese Theatre- Kabuki � Japanese drama of the common man � Incorporates song and dance �More melodramatic and sensational than Noh drama � Actors enter from flowerway �Ramp that extends through audience � Colorful, extravagant � Acting skill is all-important
Hindu Theatre 1500 B. C. � Dialogue was used in religious hymns � Brahma invented theatre � Plays were composed in high class language � Scenery was a decorated wall with doors leading to the greenroom � Hindu theatre is very intimate, delicate and retrained � First to permit women to act on stage �
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