1. ROMAN THEATRE

5. Brief Roman History
509 B.C
Etruscan (from Etruria) ruler was expelled, and Rome became a republic (just as Athens became a democracy).
Roman theatre and festivals highly influenced by Etruscan practices

6. Brief Roman History by 345 B.C 240 B.C
There were over 175 festivals a year
240 B.C
The beginnings of Roman theatre recorded
The first record of drama at the
ludi Romani (Roman Festival or
Roman Games).

7. Brief Roman History
55 B.C
First stone theatre built in Rome by order of Julius Caesar.

8. Roman Theatre Borrowed Greek ideas and improved (?) upon them
Topics less philosophical
Entertainment tended to be grandiose, sentimental, diversionary

9. Roman Theatre Included more than drama : acrobatics gladiators
jugglers
athletics
chariots races
naumachia (sea battles)
boxing
venationes (animal fights)

11. Roman Theatre 3 Major Influences Greek Drama
Etruscan influences, which emphasized circus-like elements
Fabula Atellana – which introduced FARCE (Atella was near Naples).

12. Roman Theatre
Farce
Short improvised farces, with stock characters, similar costumes and masks
based on domestic life or mythology
burlesque, parody
Most popular during the 1st century B.C., then frequency declined

13. Roman Theatre
Farce
Probably was the foundation for commedia dell ‘Arte
Productions included “stock” characters:
Bucco: braggart, boisterous
Pappas: foolish old man
Dossenus: swindler, drunk, hunchback

14. Roman Theatre Pantomime
solo dance, with music (lutes, pipes, cymbals) and a chorus.
Used masks
The story-telling was usually mythology or historical stories, usually serious but sometimes comic.

15. Roman Theatre Mime overtook after 2nd century A.D.
The Church did not like Mime
Most common attributes of mime:
Spoken
Usually short
Sometimes elaborate casts and spectacle

16. Roman Theatre Serious or comic (satiric) No masks Had women
Violence and sex depicted literally (Heliogabalus, ruled A.D., ordered realistic sex)
Scoffed at Christianity

17. Roman Festivals
Held in honor of the gods, but much less religious than the Greeks
Performances at festivals probably paid for by the state.
Were often lengthy and included a series of plays or events, and probably had prizes awarded tp those who put extra money in.

18. Roman Festivals
Acting troupes (perhaps several a day) put on theatre events.
Festivals were sometimes repeated, since whenever any irregularity in the rituals occurred, the entire festival, including the plays, had to be repeated. (known as instauratio)

19. Roman Festivals ludi = official religious festivals
these were preceded by pompa = religious procession

20. Roman Festivals ludi Romani oldest of the official festivals
held in September and honored Jupiter
regular performance of comedy and tragedy began in 364 B.C.

21. Roman Tragedy Characteristics of Roman Tragedy
5 acts/episodes divided by choral odes
included elaborate speeches
interested in morality
unlike Greeks, they depicted violence on stage

22. Roman Tragedy Characteristics of Roman Tragedy
characters dominated by a single passion which drives them to doom (ex: obsessiveness or revenge)
developed technical devices such as: soliloquies, asides, confidants
interest in supernatural and human connections

23. Roman Tragedy Seneca (5 or 4 B.C. – 65 A.D.)
only playwright of tragedy whose plays survived
Nine extant tragedies, five adapted from Euripides (Gr.)
Though considered to be inferior, Seneca had a strong effect on later dramatists.

24. Roman Tragedy Seneca (5 or 4 B.C. – 65 A.D.)
WroteThe Trojan Women, Media, Oedipus, Agamemnon, etc., which were all based on Greek originals
His plays were probably closet dramas—never presented, or even expected to be.

25. Roman Comedy Characteristics of Roman Comedy Chorus was abandoned
No act or scene divisions
Concerned everyday, domestic affairs
Action placed in the street

26. Roman Comedy Material from only 2 playwrights survived
Platus (c B.C.)
Terence (195 or B.C.)

27. Roman Comedy Platus (c. 254-184 B.C.) Very popular.
Plays include: Pot of Gold, The Menaechmi, Braggart Warrior
All based on Greek New Comedies, probably, none of which has survived

28. Roman Comedy Platus (c. 254-184 B.C.)
Added Roman allusions, Latin dialog, witty jokes
varied poetic meters
Developed Slapstick & Songs

29. Roman Comedy Terence (195 or 185-159 B.C.)
Wrote only six plays, all of which survive, including: The Brothers, Mother-in-Law
More complex plots – combined stories from Greek originals.

30. Roman Comedy Terence (195 or 185-159 B.C.)
Character and double-plots were his forte
Less boisterous than Plautus, less episodic, more elegant language.
Used Greek characters.
Less popular than Plautus.

31. Roman Theatre Design

32. Roman Theatre Design
First permanent Roman theatre built 54 A.D. (100 years after the last surviving comedy)

33. Roman Theatre Design General Characteristics
Built on level ground with stadium-style seating (audience raised)

34. Roman Theatre Design General Characteristics Stage raised to five feet
Stages were
large –
20-40 ft deep
ft long

35. Roman Theatre Design General Characteristics dressing rooms
Theatre could seat 10-15,000 people
dressing rooms
in side wings
stage was
covered with
a room

36. Roman Theatre Design General Characteristics trap doors were common
cooling system – air blowing over streams of water
awning over the audience to protect them from the sun

37. Roman Theatre Design Scaena “stage house” joined with audience to
form one
architectural
unit

38. Roman Theatre Design Scaena frons front/façade of the stage house
was painted and
had columns,
niches,
porticoes,
statues

39. Roman Theatre Design Orchestra becomes half-circle
was probably used for gladiators and for the display and killing of wild animals
if entertainment permitted, people were sat here

40. Roman Theatre Design Vomitoria
corridors under the seats that lead onto the orchestra

41. Roman Theatre Design
Pulpitum
the stage
Cavea
the auditorium

42. Roman Theatre Design
Other structures included:
Circus Maximus
Ampitheatres

43. Roman Theatre Design Circus Maximus Primarily for Chariot racing
Permitted 12 chariots to race at once

44. Roman Theatre Design Ampitheatres
For gladiator contests, wild animal fights, and occasionally naumachia
Had space with elevators below to bvring up animals, etc.

45. Roman Actors
Referred to as histriones, cantores (means declaimers), and mimes – later primarily histriones
Mostly male – women were in mimes

46. Roman Actors
Mimes were considered inferior; some believed they were slaves.
In the 1st century B.C., a "star" performer seems to have been emphasized

47. Roman Actors Style of Acting
Mostly Greek traditions – masks, doubling of roles
Tragedy – slow, stately,
Comedy—more rapid and conversational

48. Roman Actors Style of Acting Movements likely enlarged
Actors probably specialized in one type of drama, but did others
Encores if favorite speeches given (no attempt at "realism")

49. Roman Actors Style of Acting Mimes – no masks
Used Greek or Roman costumes
Lots of music