THEATRE HISTORY

• Theatre has existed since the dawn of man due to man’s tendency for story-telling.

• The first recorded formal theatrical event was in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC where they performed the sacred plays of the myth of Osiris and Isis.

• Every portion of the world has it’s own theatre history (which you will study later for your projects).

GREEK THEATREo Places:

• Athens was the center location for competitions.• Theatre of Dionysius was an open air theatre built like a football stadium. Held thousands of people (around 14,000-17,000 people)• Theaters built into hillsides so people could see• Behind the stage aka orchestra was the skene (skaynee) a small hut building for dressing rooms.

o People: • Sophocles- playwright. Wrote about the relationship between the gods & man • Euripides- wrote about psychology in women• Thespis- winner of one of the playwriting competitions. First actor stepped away from the Greek chorus.• Aeschylus (es-kil-us) wrote 90 plays. Often called “Father of Tragedy”• Aristophanes- wrote comedies. Made fun of leaders of Athens & the gods

o Plays: all religious and about the Greek gods Orestia, Agamemnon, Euminides (Aeschylus) Oedipus, Antigone, Electra (Sophocles) Trojan Women, Medea, Hippolytus, Cyclops (Euripides) Birds, Clouds, Frogs (Aristophanes)

o Tech: • large masks with microphones. Changed masks to change character. • The performances took place on the group level called the orchestra • No electricity so plays started early morning and went till sunset• Deus ex machina- the god machine. Crane that helped actors fly

• Other info: Started at religious festivals for Dionysius. Drama at first, added comedy later. Greek chorus words come from Greece: theatre, drama, comedy, and tragedy (comes from tragos meaning goat song because during the festival they sacrificed a goat and sang

a song as part of the celebration

GREEK THEATRE- PLACES

Theater of Dionysus

skene

Built into a hillside

GREEK THEATRE- FESTIVAL OF DIONYSUS

Thespis

Dionysus

GREEK THEATRE- TECHDeus ex machina

Masks

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE THEATRE• Places:

• Rome (very wealthy area, so they had lots of time and $ for entertainment.)

• Teatro Olimpico- in Vicenza Italy, oldest surviving theatre

• Roman Coliseum

• People:

• Seneca- wrote tragedies (took plots from Greek plays and rewrote)

• Titus Plautus

• Terence (aka Publius Terentius Afer)

• Plays:

• Trojan Women, Medea, Oedipus, Agamemnon (Seneca wrote, all based on greek plays)

• They eliminated the chorus

• Neoclassicism- focused on being true to life (verisimilitude)

• Commedia plays- The Miser, the Misanthrope, the Imaginary invalid

• Tech:

• Added music in place of the chorus

• The entire setting of a play took place in one time in one place, no set or scene changes. (called unity of time, unity of place, and unity of action

• Scaenae frons- permanent stone structure that represented facades of houses .this had doorways which represented the different main characters homes and they used this for entrances and exits.

• Very little scenery. Outdoors

• Other info:

• Extreme Realism

• Commedia dell’arte- “Comedy performed by professional artists,” Stock characters (young lovers, servant, father, soldier) ALL

IMPROVISED. Very physical performances (flips, leaps, etc.)  The plots were simple: two young lovers (the innamorati) were kept

apart by il vecchi (the old men – fathers/guardians, elderly suitors, etc.) The zanni (servants) helped to outwit the old men and bring the lovers together.

ITALIAN THEATRE- TECH Scaenae frons

ITALIAN THEATRE- PLACES

Roman Coliseum Teatro Olympico

COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE

Young lovers (AKA innamoratithe old men – fathers/guardians, elderly suitors (AKA Vecchi)

Servants (AKA Zanni)

ENGLISH (ELIZABETHAN) THEATRE• Places: permanent theatres began to arise. Before plays were done in town squares

• Theaters were round and had 3 levels of seating called galleries. The pit is where poor people stood, and those people were called groundlings. For a large fee people could sit on stage.

• The Globe theatre- Shakespeare’s theater

• People:

• Christopher Marlowe- Shakespeare's rival. Most famous playwright until Shakespeare started

• Ben Jonson-. He was a rebel & was always in trouble with the law.

• Shakespeare- considered greatest playwright of all time. 37 plays, 154 sonnets.

• Plays: Court plays- came after Shakespeare. They were more sophisticated and serious. Shakespeare’s plays were boisterous

• the Jew of Malta, , the Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (Marlowe)

• The Alchemist, Every man in his humor (Jonson)

• Romeo, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, midsummer, shrew (Shakespeare)

• Tech:

• Theaters had partial roofs called the Heavens because of the stars drawn on them. The other half was open and used for lighting the stage

• They had lots of trap doors

• Flags on top of theatre show there will be a play

• Tiring house-area behind the stage, this served as a backdrop.

• Inner stage- roofed area at back of stage to give impression of being inside

• Other info:

• No women on stage

• During this time acting went from a hobby to a career

• Civil war in 1642 stopped theatre for a while. Puritans banned theatre and stages were destroyed

ENGLISH THEATRE- PLACES

• The Globe Theater

ENGLISH THEATRE- PEOPLEChristopher Marlowe William Shakespeare Ben Johnson

Shakespeare’s rival- most popular until Shakespeare

Rebel- known for getting into trouble with the law

Most well-known author of all time

ENGLISH THEATRE- TECHThe Heavens

 If the flag was black, a tragedy was scheduled; white flag meant comedy; and a red flag meant a history play.