History of the Theatre

1. History of the Theatre The Origins of Western Drama

2. Greek Drama • Western drama began to develop in sixth century Greece as part of the worship of Dionysus, Greek god of wine and fertility. • First theatre consisted of a group of chanters, called the chorus, dancing around a sacrificial goat. • This chorus became known as goat-singers, and their chant, the “goat-song” or tragos(origin of the word tragedy).

3. The First Dramatic Competitions • The ceremonies honoring Dionysus evolved into dramatic contests. • Legend states that Thespis won the first competition. History remembers him as the first actor. • The term thespian has been given to actors ever since.

4. The Festival of Dionysus • The dramatic contests became part of a festival in honor of Dionysus. • These festivals lasted five or six days. • Each playwright presented four plays: a tragic trilogy (three plays related by theme, myth or characters) and a satyr (satirical, comic) play.

5. The Theatre of Dionysus • The first theatres began as circular (or semicircular) areas called orchestras surrounded by a hillside on which the audience sat.

6. The Theatre of Dionysus • Eventually stone seats and a stone building called a skene were added.

7. The Theatre of Dionysus

8. The Skene • Actors used the skene for changing masks and costumes. • Scenery was painted on the front. • The roof was called the god walk, for actors playing gods.

9. The Greek Theatre

10. The Machina • The Greeks used mechanical devices in their productions. • One was called the machina, a cranelike hoist that allowed actors to “fly.” • Usually characters lowered by the machina represented gods come to earth to solve the problems of man.

11. The Machina • From this comes the term deus ex machina, meaning “god from the machine.” • This term is still used to refer to an artificial plot device introduced by an author late in a play to resolve difficulties. • Unexpected inheritance • Long-lost letter (or other item), lover, relative, friend, etc.

12. The Greek Chorus • The chorus was a very important part of early Greek plays. • The chorus served to explain the situation and to comment on the action. • The chorus also interacted with the actors.

13. The Greek Chorus Today • The Greek chorus is alive and well in theatre and film today. • There are many modern examples, including… • The Stage Manager in Thorton Wilder’s Our Town • El Gallo in the musical The Fantastics • The Muses in Disney’s animated Hercules • An actual chanting Greek chorus in Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite

14. Greek Tragedy • The Greek tragedies, considered classics of Western literature, involve conflicts that come from the clash between the will of the gods and the ambitions and desires of humanity. • They show how useless it is to fight Fate.

15. Greek Tragedy • The greatest writers of Greek tragedy are… • Aeschylus • Noted for the majesty of his writing • Writer of the only surviving Greek trilogy, The Oresteia

16. Greek Tragedy • Sophocles • Ranked with Shakespeare as one of the great playwrights of all time • His balance between the power of gods and the importance of humans created some of the strongest characters ever to walk on a stage. • Wrote Oedipus Rex, Antigone • Euripides • Emphasized human relationships and became a master of pathos • Wrote The Trojan Women, Medea

17. The Roman Theatre • Primarily an imitation of Greek theatre • Two notable comic writers were Plautus and Terence • Seneca, a writer of tragedies, created “closet dramas.” • Theaters expanded into amphitheaters, large circular arenas that were surrounded by tiers of seats.