Theatre Histories Part 3

1. Theatre Histories Part 3 Drama 2205

2. American Theatre in the 19th Century • The first playhouse was built in Williamsburg Virginia in 1716. • The first American play was called The Contrast. It was a comedy dealing with American problems. This play was supported by the government. President Washington was a theatre lover and attended and supported many plays. • Theatre blossomed in America in the 19th century. Playhouses were built in major American cities.

3. American Theatre • Powerful managers formed stock companies where groups of actors received formal training in theatre. • This was called the age of the actor and many stars found their fame at this time. • Edwin Booth emerged at this time and played Hamlet in one hundred consecutive shows. A record for Hamlet. • Mrs. John Drew who’s daughter married a Barrymore started that famous acting family.

4. American Theatre • During this time touring shows did great business as they still do today! • Once road shows disappeared because of the competition from radio and movies, Broadway began and New York City became the theatre center of the United States. • Even now New York is still a large center of theatre, musical theatre, and other arts.

5. American Theatre Types • Three major types of theatre shows emerged in the 19th century. These types are native to America. • Minstrel Shows: shows performed in black face, featuring African-American songs, jokes, and dance. • Vaudeville: a variety show featuring everything: trained animals, singers, acrobats ,jugglers, dancers, comedians, and other acts. • Melodrama: an overly dramatic play that that focuses on action and intense emotions, rather than character development or real life problems.

6. Minstrel Shows

7. Vaudeville

8. Theatre in the 20th Century and Beyond • At the beginning of the 20th century new stagecraft ideas changed the theatre. New sets were introduced with color and moving parts. Scenery was projected and lighting effects began to be used. • Playwrights began to insert narration and songs between episodic scenes. • Popular themes at this time were weddings, love, honor, freedom, and death.

9. American Theatre • Professor George Baker designs playwriting course at Harvard. • Playwrights were aided by Baker in forming two major theatre companies willing to stage and perform their work. These companies were called, Washington Square Players and Provincetown Players. • Out of these players Eugene O’Neill became the leading American dramatist. His plays were realistic and expressionistic, dealing with psychological truths.

10. Broadway • Today Broadway is still considered the hub of professional theatre in the United States. • Most Broadway shows are are comedies or musicals with mass appeal to insure audiences and ticket sales. • Off Broadway theatre have shows with 299 seats or less. These shows are less expensive to produce and welcomes new names and plays. • Actors in these shows enjoy not being tied to the box office because it opens up room for experimentation. These shows may eventually make it to Broadway.

11. Broadway is Wicked

12. Types of Theatre’s Now Types of theatres that are continuing throughout the United States and Canada; Broadway Off Broadway Community Theatre Regional Theatre Student Theatre