1. History of Theatre
Ms. Sorvillo
Drama

2. PRIMITIVE THEATRE
Reenactments of a hunt; individuals would represent the hunter and the prey
Performed ‘acts’ for the SHAMAN- the religious leader of the tribe in hopes that he would bless the upcoming hunt
Men would hunt
Women would gather

3. GREEK THEATRE
Religious festival in honor of the God DIONYSUS; the God of Wine and Fertility
Held in Athens
The festival…nicely put was basically a drunken orgy
The festival was thought to have lasted anywhere from 7 to 15 days
Playwrights would enter plays into a contest; the winner won money and a ivy wreath as a symbol of victory

4. GREEK THEATRE
THESPIS is credited as the first actor; stepped away from the chorus and delivered lines independently from the chorus (International Thespian Society is named in his honor); actors are generally referred to as thespians
Actors of Greek theatre played more than one role; to distinguish between the different characters actors would wear large masks; the comedy and tragedy mask (symbol of theatre) originated from this practice

5. GREEK THEATRE COMEDY: light humorous dramas with a happy ending
TRAGEDY: the main character suffers a disastrous end
SATYR (satire): made fun of Greek legends
All of these play types were written and performed during this time period… although the interpretation of these art forms has evolved they are still the general dramatic forms still written and performed at present

6. GREEK THEATRE
Greek philosopher ARISTOTLE wrote the work The Poetics; important topics of theatre such as PLOT (what happens), THEME (the ideas and messages), CHARACTER, MUSIC, DICTION (speech), and SPECTACLE (what is seen) were discussed… these topics are still the primary focus of theatre actors and directors in modern theatre

7. GREEK THEATRE
Greek theatres were constructed in hillsides using the natural slope of the hill for seating the audience
ORCHESTRA: Large circular area located at the foot of the hill; location from where the chorus would chant their lines
Behind the ORCHESTRA was a raised platform where the actors performed a small building called the SKENE was at the back of the platform-it was where the actors would change their masks- the front of the SKENE was used to represent location; modern day word SCENE comes from SKENE

8. GREEK THEATRE
Greek theatre used specialty machinery; most noted was the platform on wheels and the DEUS EX MACHINA (literally translated God by Machine)-a device used to lower actors from the top of the SKENE to the stage; used to show the dissention of Gods from the Heavens to earth
Greek era considered to be the most important time in theatre history

9. GREEK PLAYWRIGHTS SOPHOCLES: wrote tragedies; Oedipus Rex
AESCHYLUS: wrote tragedies
EURIPIDES: wrote tragedies
ARISTOPHANES: wrote comedies
MENANDER: wrote comedies

10. THE MIDDLE AGES
Other names for this period in history include the Dark Ages and the Medieval Era
Theatre was banned by the church during the Middle Ages because it was thought to be evil and vulgar

11. THE MIDDLE AGES
Traveling performers presented their plays from PAGEANT WAGONS
Even after banning theatre the church is credited with giving the theatre new life in the latter part of the Middle Ages
After theatre began to take up too much time in the church service the responsibility of the performances was turned over to the CRAFT GUILDS

12. RENAISSANCE
Meaning re-birth – a renewed interest in the arts and sciences
The birthplace of the Renaissance was Italy during the 15th Century
During this time period theatre was very influential and elaborately staged productions were used to entertain the royal courts and the upper class.

13. RENAISSANCE
Theatre moved indoors and better methods of lighting were developed
Realistic 3-D scenery began to be used
Italian theatre was set within in an arch called the PROSCENIUM-which serves as a picture frame through which the audience viewed the performance
Music, song, and dance were incorporated into theatrical productions

14. RENAISSANCE
Opera became very “fashionable” for the upper class during the Renaissance: considered prestigious and artful
Commedia dell’ arte became “fashionable” for the middle and lower class during the Renaissance: considered crass and with low reputation; all work was improvised
Commedia dell’ arte was mostly performed by traveling groups

15. RENAISSANCE Stock characters were used in all commedia plays
The most important of the characters was Harlequin- the clever servant-recognized by his patchwork costume
Pantalone-the foolish old man-recognized by his baggy trousers; present day word pants was derived from name and costume

16. RENAISSANCE
The Renaissance spread throughout Europe; the French often imitated the Italian theatre
Spain performed religious dramas and adventure plays

17. RENAISSANCE PLAYWRIGHTS
MOLIERE, France; Tartuffe
Lope De Vega, Spain; wrote religious and adventure plays
Calderon, Spain; wrote religious and adventure plays
Between these two men there are over 700 plays to their credit.

18. ELIZABETHAN THEATRE
The Renaissance of England; known as the Elizabethan era as it took place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
During this time their were several talented and noteworthy playwrights such as Christopher Marlowe who wrote important tragedies and Ben Jonson who wrote important comedies but their plays were overshadowed by William Shakespeare…who is thought to be the greatest English playwright of all time.

19. Shakespeare’s Theatre
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: 37+ plays and 100+ poems and sonnets to his credit
Shakespeare’s works were enjoyed by both the royal court as well as the common people
Audience members did not expect realistic portrayals of life during the Shakespearean time period

20. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
Shakespeare and his partners built The Globe theater in 1599 in Southwark; located on the bank of the Thames River
The Globe was a 3 storied building with a small hut on top of the roof
A flag was raised atop the hut on the days when there was to be a performance
The Globe enclosed an open courtyard; the courtyard was referred to as the pit

21. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
The GROUNDLINGS would stand to watch the performances from this area; these were the cheapest seats in the house
Surrounding the pit were the SEATING GALLERIES where patrons would sit to watch the performances; these were the more expensive seats; patrons seated here were protected from the sun and rain by the thatch roof

22. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
The MAIN STAGE- a large platform that protruded from one end of the pit; most of the action in the play took place on the MAIN STAGE
A trap-door was cut into the center of the MAIN STAGE to allow ghost and demons to appear and disappear during the plays
The trap-door was also used as a grave in some plays

23. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
A roof covered the MAIN STAGE; this protected the actors and their costumes from sun and rain
Suns, moons and stars covered the under side of the roof; this area became known as the HEAVENS because of its decorative drawings
Actors portraying angels and spirits were often lowered from the HEAVENS to the MAIN STAGE area

24. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
A curtain hung between the MAIN STAGE and the INNER-BELOW- a small room in back of the MAIN STAGE area
The curtain would open to reveal interior locations during a scene
Above was a balcony that overlooked the MAIN STAGE area
Behind the balcony was another curtain that lead to the INNER-ABOVE which was used in the same manner as the INNER-BELOW

25. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
Two additional balconies were located on each side of the MAIN STAGE
No scenery was used during performances
Furniture was used to indicate location
Thrones were used to indicate palaces or castles
Tree branches were used to indicate an exterior or outdoor location

26. Shakespeare’s Theatre: The Globe
Plays contained many short scenes in a variety of locations
Since no scenery and special lighting was used a greater emphasis was placed on colorful and elaborate costumes, musical accompaniment and special sound effects

27. RESTORATION
Puritans forced King Charles I out of power; after his death the Commonwealth was established but ended in 1660 when Charles II was named king…thus begins the Restoration Era
Return from exile on France Charles II brought many French influenced changes to the theatre

28. RESTORATION
Charles II issued royal patents to two of his friends which allowed them to establish two officially legitimate theaters
These were the only 2 theater groups allowed to perform in London
The term legitimate is still used to refer to LIVE THEATRE
One of the groups built the Drury Lane; a theatre still in operation today

29. RESTORATION
For the first time beginning in 1660 women were allowed to appear and perform onstage
At first the idea was extremely controversial but eventually the idea of female actors (actresses) became very popular

30. RESTORATION THOMAS BETTERTON eras most famous actor
ELIZABETH BARRY, ANNE BRACEGIRDLE and NELL GWYNN most famous actresses of the era
During the 18th Century DAVID GARRICK achieved fame as an actor, playwright and theater manager; still referred to as England’s greatest actor

31. RESTORATION
Most audience members were part of the upper class; all classes no longer attended the theater
Playwrights wrote to please the new selective audiences; often including current gossip as content in their plays
Generally audience members went to the theater to be seen not to see the performances

32. RESTORATION
The wealthy patrons often sent their servants early to save the best seats; patrons would usually arrive after the performance had already begun
Ladies would typically wear masks at the theater to hide their identities

33. RESTORATION PLAYWRIGHTS
WILLIAM WYCHERLEY; The Country Wife
RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN; The Rivals, The School for Scandal
WILLIAM CONGREVE, The Way of the World
OLIVER GOLDSMITH, She Stoops to Conquer
APHRA BEHN; one of theatre’s first woman playwrights

34. ROMANTICISM Major literary and artistic for of the 19th century
Romantic theatre represented life as people wished it would be rather than how it really was
Beliefs of the period were driven by the individuals feelings and emotions
Began in Germany
The most popular entertainment form of the period was the MELODRAMA-an emphasis on the story as opposed to the characters

35. ROMANTICISM
Special effects emerge onstage during this era; special effects shown onstage included fires, floods, train wrecks, and horse races
Over-exaggeration vocal techniques and gesturing were indicative of the Romantic acting style

36. ROMANTIC PLAYWRIGHTS JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE: The Faust
ALEXANDER DUMAS: The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo

37. REALISM Began in reaction to Romanticism
Represented things as they were in real life
Dealt with social problems
Scientific discoveries were often incorporated into the storyline of the Realist plays
The mind ruled over the emotions
Most plays did not have a happy ending
Initially not very popular art form
Still a major artistic form today

38. REALISM
New acting style became necessary with Realism; more subtle and believable
CONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKY: a Russian actor and director and fellow colleagues from the Moscow Art Theatre developed “METHOD ACTING”
Still has a great impact on acting techniques used today

39. REALIST PLAYWRIGHTS
HENRIK IBSEN: the father of Realism; wrote about subjects that had never been in plays before- A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabbler, An Enemy of the People- work considered very controversial for the time
AUGUST STRINDBERG: explored the psychology of character; The Father
Anton Chekhov: wrote about changing society in Russia; The Cherry Orchard
George Bernard Shaw: dealt with political and social issues

40. MODERN THEATRE
ADOLPHE APPIA & GORDON CRAIG improved scenery and further developed the 3-D scenery design
Incorporated MOOD & ATMOSPHERE into the theatre with the use of lighting
Latter 20th century regional theatres are established
Theatre today continues to grow and exhibit a mix of styles

41. MODERN PLAYWRIGHTS
EUGENE O’NEILL: first American Playwright to achieve an international reputation; Anna Christie, The Hairy Ape, Long Days Journey Into Night
TENNESSE WILLIAMS
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie
AUTHUR MILLER
The Crucible, Death of a Salesman

42. MODERN PLAYWRIGHTS
LORRAINE HANSBERRY: first prominent African-American female playwright
A Raisin in the Sun

43. MUSICAL THEATRE
Musicals are the most popular form of theatrical entertainment
The musical tells a story through a combination of spoken words (dialogue), song and dance
The musical first appears in the United States in the mid-1800’s

44. MUSICAL THEATRE The first musical was The Black Crook
The Black Crook was first performed in 1866
Early musicals had a strong European influence
RUDOLF FRIMEL, SIGMUND RHOMBERG, AND VICTOR HERBERT were the three major musical composers at the beginning of the 20th century

45. MUSICAL THEATRE
Musicals written by these three include: Naughty Marietta, The Red Mill, The Student Prince, and Rose Marie
George M. Cohan is the first major American born musical composer.
Cohan’s musicals include: Little Johnny Jones and Forty-five Minutes from Broadway
During this time, music from Broadway musicals was considered the Popular music of the time and was what was being played on the radio

46. MUSICAL THEATRE Other Notable American Composers include:
Jerome Kern, Showboat
Showboat, is one of the most important musicals ever written because it was the first to deal with serious subject matters and done in a realistic manner
George & Ira Gershwin, Of Thee I Sing
The popular song “Old Man River” was written for this musical
Of Thee I Sing was the first musical awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1932

47. MUSICAL THEATRE Irving Berlin, Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
Cole Porter, Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, Showboat, Oklahoma! (1943), The King and I, The Sound of Music
Oklahoma! Is the first to present the musical as a unified combination of music, words and dance that flowed with seamless transitions to tell the story
This presentation is still the president for the manner in which musicals are presented today

48. MUSICAL THEATRE Notable composers of the 1950-1960’s:
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, My Fair Lady, Camelot
Leonard Bernstein, West Side Story
Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story, Company, Sweeny Todd
Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick established a Broadway record with 3000 performance
Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line broke the Fiddler on the Roof performance record just a few years later

49. MUSICAL THEATRE
Andrew Lloyd Webber is the most important modern musical composer in history
Webber’s works include: Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Evita
Stephen Schwartz, Godspell, Pippen, Children of Eden, Wicked

50. THEATRE HISTORY
THE END.