1. Drama Theater

2. Background Drama: Began with the Greeks Dionysus (Greek mythology): the god of Wine, Merry Making, and Ecstasy Festivals in his name called “City Dionysia” in Athens, Greek: the beginnings of Greek theater – Why? Because at the festivals, many rituals were performed in Dionysus’ honor These early performances involved a large Greek chorus collectively telling or singing a story – Gradually, these stories required the development of multiple characters. (700 BC) Tragedy, comedy and satire emerged from there as a result of competitions that took place during these festivals

3. Important Guys Thespis: Famous for his creating multiple characters exchanging dialogue (what we think of drama now) The three most famous and celebrated Tragedians that emerged during this time period: – Aeschylus- father of Tragedy. According to Aristotle, he created several more characters (conflict). We draw much of our knowledge of early tragedy AND history from his plays. He is famous the Oresteia trilogy – Sophocles- 123 plays, only 7 survived. Won the competition at the festivals 24X perhaps. (famous for Antigone and Oedipus the King) – Euripides: famous for exploring the inner lives and motives of his characters (added depth). One of his 92 or so plays is Andromache.

4. Rome Crisis Roman Drama: Encompassed more than drama : acrobatics, gladiators, jugglers, athletics, chariots races, naumachia (sea battles), boxing, venationes (animal fights) Entertainment tended to be grandiose, sentimental 6 th Century A.D. – Christianity rising- Constantine outlaws drama (dun, dun, DUN) – WHY? association with pagan gods, licentiousness, and ridicule of church

5. Non-existent until…Medieval Period Ironically, drama owes is rising to the Catholic Church Teach the Bible and moral stories to commoners who didn’t read or know Latin

6. Elizabethan Period-1500s English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, or (improperly) as Elizabethan theatre, refers to the theatre of England between 1562 and 1642. This is the style of the plays of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. It is considered to be the most brilliant period in the history of English theatre.

7. Evolving Styles Styles have changed through the centuries. Modern, contemporary (the present) The characteristics of modern drama are: – Realism: the quality or fact of representing a person, thing, or situation accurately or in a way that is true to life – Naturalism: a style and theory of representation based on the accurate depiction of detail. – Interaction between characters and the readers.

8. Thornton Wilder Born in Wisconsin in 1897 Graduated from Yale in 1920 Won the Pulitzer Prize for The Bridge of San Luis Rey in 1927 Wrote full-time Criticized for writing stories that were not true to life during The Depression His response to this criticism: Our Town

9. Our Town Our Town attempts to realistically show all the details of ordinary life. Portrays the small town, Grover’s Corners in New Hampshire and its citizens as ordinary. Writes life as exactly as it is. Simple plot Other stories and plays tend to over-dramatize life, fall into stereotyping, or focus on some political or social issue. Thornton tried his best to make drama (something that we know is fake) into something that presented life exactly as it is. Wilder wants to praise humanity for exactly what it is.

10. Themes People should appreciate the details and interations of everyday life while they live them. Why would he choose this main idea/theme? During the time he wrote this play, WWII was on the horizon- it was a time of international tension and citizens across the world suffered from fear and uncertainty. Thornton writes Our Town in the attempt to draw people’s attention away from the negative aspects of life and TOWARDS the aspects of human experience that make life so precious.