History of Theatre Arts: Part 1 - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

History of Theatre Arts: Part 1

Theatre 101Slide2

DramaGreek word meaning “to do” or “to act”

Born out of the dance ceremonies of primitive people before Greek civilizationSlide3

Egyptian TheatreRitualistic rites = our idea of a play

3000 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)Slide4

Hebrew TheatreNo 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 dialogueSlide5

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 daysSlide6

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 Slide7

Greek TheatreCostumes

Mantels

Simple staging – scenery painted on boards

Greek tragedies were based on ancient myths (well known to audience)

Modeled many elements of Aristotle

Playwriting contestsSlide8

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 : PrometheusSlide9

Greek PlaywrightsSophocles (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

AntigoneSlide10

Greek PlaywrightsEuripides (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

MedeaSlide11

Greek ComediesAristophanes (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.Slide12

Greek to RomanCaesar’s armies marched over the land

 Greek drama begin to deteriorate.

Romans established their theatre from the seeds of Greek drama.Slide13

Roman TheatreBegan 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 & hollowSlide14

Roman Theatre

Playhouses were portable wooden platforms

61B.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 (4BC-65AD): gory dramatist who wrote closet drama

Plautus (254-184 BC): plays influenced Shakespeare and othersSlide15

Roman TheatreProduction of plays were soon overshadowed by spectacles:

Gladiatorial contests

Killing of Christians and slaves

When Rome fell, the Christian church banned all theatrical activitySlide16

Chinese Theatre2000 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 husbandSlide17

Chinese TheatreWhen 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 propsSlide18

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 wallSlide19

Japanese Theatre- Bunraku

17

th

century

Doll Theatre

Wooden marionettes

Elaborately costumedSlide20

Japanese Theatre- KabukiJapanese 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-importantSlide21

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