Evolution of Theatre and Performing Arts

1. Evolution of Theatre and Performing Arts Ms. Miller 8/12/13-8/26/13

2. Unit Plan • 8/12-8/15 • History of Theatre • Ancient Theatre and Elizabethan • 8/16 • Rabbit Hole I.ii • 8/19-8/22 • Modern Theatre • Skit writing exercise • Exam on History of theatre • 8/23 • Rabbit Hole I.iii • 8/26 • Performance of skit

3. Objectives for the Unit • 8.1 Discuss the history of theatre, film, and television • 8.1 Identify the technological advances used in theatre, film and television • 8.2 Discuss the impact of history on theatre, film, and television • 8.2 discuss the relationship between theatre film and television on society • 8.3 Identify the contributions of various cultures to theatre • 8.3 identify ways in which theatre, film and television raise social awareness • 5.2 Discuss ways that different cultures contribute to the development of theatre

4. Instructional Objectives • The students will put together a theatre timeline and know the major turning points in each era (Cognitive-knowledge, synthesis). • The students will be able to recognize and define 65 theatre terms/people/events and how they relate to one another (Cognitive knowledge, comprehension, and synthesis). • The students will gain an appreciation of the history of the stage and its evolution over time (Affective-valuing). • The students shall understand where performance comes into their lives on a daily basis (Affective-valuing). • The students will take part in a short performance (Psychomotor-guided response, adaptation).

5. Guiding Statement To understand where the study of theatre is going we must first understand where it has been.

6. Do Now Did any of you play ‘pretend’ when you were kids? Where did you get your stories to act out?

7. Ancient Theatre • Theatre as we know it came from: • Story Telling • Movement and Dance • Judicial System • *Ritual As we go through this unit I expect you to take certain dates and align them in to a timeline of events important to theatre. This will be turned in at the end of this two week unit.

8. The Theory that Theatre came from Ritual • Sir James Frazer • Theory on Ritual (19th Century) • Five Functions of Ritual: i. A form of knowledge ii. Didactic iii. Influence or control iv. To glorify v. To entertain and give pleasure.

9. Earliest Play 4000 B.C Ancient EgyptThe Abydos Passion Play • Theatre as we know it is attributed to Ancient Greece • Also were first critics of theatre • Aristotle (384B.C. – 322 B.C.) • Suggested that memesis (imitation) is present in all humans • Classified the types of drama • He gave rules for the construction of tragedy • Poetics was the book he wrote that gave structure to plays stating that all had a beginning, middle, and end.

10. About Poetics • Rules of good plays • Plot is more important than characters • Soul of a play is in the plot • “Tragedy is not an imitation of men, but of actions” • Characterization is of second importance • Third, is the emotion to which the actions bring • Tragedy is still meant to entertain

11. Exit Ticket • Where do we see rituals now? • Write five sentences telling me about Aristotle.

12. Do Now • We learned that rituals were the first type of theatrical performances. If waking up in the morning and getting ready for school is a ritual, explain to me in four sentences what this would look like in a dance. I am going to call on one person to perform the dance after the bell rings.

13. 534 B.C. Ritual of the God Dionysus • First acted Drama • God of fertility and wine • Theatre was primarily done in chorus • As we will see in Oedipus Rex • Thespis was the first to break away from the chorus dancing for Dionysus • This is why we call actors thespians

14. Aeschylus added a second actor and thus dialogue/conflict arose • Sophocles added a third actor • This helped to refine the rules that Aristotle had set out • The Guild of Dionysus was set up to govern actors and they were so highly acclaimed that they did not have to do military duty. • Notice Actors…there were not actresses • How was the fame of these actors similar to what we see now?

15. On to the Romans! • History states that the Romans conquered the Greeks…and thus took over their culture. • Romans theatre was less philosophical and more grandiose • Actors were calledhistriones

16. Major influences on Roman Theatre • Greek Drama • Etruscan influences- Circus like features • FabulaAtellana- Atella was a city near Naples where the form of theatre originiated. • Consisted of short farces

17. What did Roman Theatre look like? • Large Festivals • Food Provided • Free admissions • Paid for by the wealthy for all • Acting Troupes Pantomime –solo dance with music and a chorus, centered around history or mythology, used masks and was usually serious Mime- spoken and usually short. Mocked Christianity so the church did not like them…and women were allowed to be mimes!

18. Exit Ticket • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDMfjvqGuyc • This is a video of a Roman Theatre in Orange, France. • Pretend you are a child going to see a play there back in 1 B.C. Describe to me what it would look like. Write at least seven sentences.

19. Horace 65 B.C. • Wrote ArsPoetica (The art of Poetry) • More focused in Theatre rather than Drama • Edited Aristotle's work Poetica • Less theoretical and more practical oriented • Birth of Celebrity in 1 B.C. • 6 A.D. Theodora an actress married Emperor Justinian and had to give up acting. • How do we see this play out today?

20. Rise of the Christian Church • Acting Died • Until the church realized that people couldn’t read so the only way to get them to understand biblical stories would be through theatre. • Church revived theatre in 16th century

21. Renaissance in Italy • 1453 Started to use Greek literature in theatre again • Music used in plays became a fascination in Italy • 16th century birth of Opera • Opera- Dialogue set to music • Females played female roles and masks were not used as much anymore • Commedia Dell’Arte • Early form of improvisation • No scripts just scenarios were used

22. Elizabethan Theatre • 400 years ago when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne (1558-1603) • Shakespeare (1564-1616) • Stratford-on-Avon • Henry VI was performed in 1590 and was his first play • Theatre took place outdoors or indoors • No real set place to perform • Actors traveled in troupes • Performances were used to earn money for the troupe • They would have to do well in order to have money to eat

23. What did Elizabethan Theatre look like? • Inns like hotels became of large importance • The traveling troupes would set up their carts as stages and perform on the Inns grounds • People would come watch and stay at the inn and eat the food/beer etc. • Became profitable for Inns so they would invite troupes to perform offering free room and board. • Inns yards eventually helped shape what theatres would look like

24. More refined performances took place at Cambridge or Oxford college • When the plague hit the king went to Hampton Court where Shakespeare's Troupe performed for them. • Performance spaces remained makeshift for some time and it took innovation to set up the theatre.

25. Advantages and Disadvantages of having no set performance space • Advantages • Players not responsible for upkeep • Audiences would be provided • No publicity • Disadvantages • Had to rely on hospitality of inn keepers • No storage…had to carry all props and theatrical attire • Hostility towards actors by authorities in London • Seen as pests • Authorities tried to control the actors so they no longer performed in London

26. Theatre Outside of London • 1576 the first theatre called “The Theatre” was built outside of London • 1577 another theatre called “The Curtain” was built in the same area of Finsbury Fields • Many theatres were built in this area over the next decade and this has become the theatre district of London for present day.

27. The Globe History (abridged) • 1576 The Globe was built as a type of reconstruction of “The Theatre” • The Globe burnt down several times and has been rebuilt several time • We will watch a video on its history tomorrow

28. Exit Ticket • Up until this point we have been dealing with theatre that took place outside. What would be some of the challenges of performing outdoors? Full sentences

29. Do Now • What do you think is more important costumes or set? • In Elizabethan theatre what do you think was more important and why?

30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYfM0RFZ5cs • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9uDK3xsLYk

31. Exit Ticket • What are groundlings? • Describe the structure of the globe and how it affects the acting that takes place there.

32. Do Now • What is foreshadowing? • Write a three sentence summary of the first scene of the Rabbit Hole that we read last week.

33. Stand up if….

34. Lets talk about using evidence…..

35. Rabbit Hole • Pick up a script and get in to a group of three or four. • You will be reading in this group today. • You may move the desks…remember pick them up! Do not drag them across the floor!

36. As you read • Underline important plot points • Highlight any words that you do not understand.

37. Exit Ticket • What purpose does the scene with Danny serve in scene ii? 5 sentences • What happened to Danny? (1 sentence) • What is going on in Becca and Howies marriage? • List any words that you did not know while reading.

38. Do Now • What is your favorite movie? • What about the movie makes you like it so much?

39. This week • Tuesday- Modern Theatre • Wednesday- Skit Writing • Thursday- Test on History of theatre and time to work on skits • Friday Rabbit Hole (rules for Monday + rubric) • Monday in Auditorium Performance

40. Modern Theatre • Theatre we are familiar with today • 1850-1860 the birth of directors • Realism rather than plays governed by the church emerge in 20th century • More useful to society • 1920’s The theatre boom in the USA • 275 new plays a year!

41. Innovation of Theatre • 1915- New theatre technology started to be used • Started to make “Little Theatres” • What we would not consider community theatre • Unpaid workers, actors etc • Made money to put on productions through profits from shows • Over 50 in the USA in the early 1900’s • Used “new stagecraft” to present new ideas to viewers • By 1925, 2000 little theatres were across the USA

42. College • 1903 the first drama class was offered • Radcliffe then at Harvard • 1940 Drama was an accepted area of study • Followed “new stagecraft” aka European technique

43. Current Productions • 1940-1960 musicals and Broadway plays followed the new stagecraft methods of acting (which we will discuss in our acting unit) • By the 70’s we start to move in to rock musicals and realism plays such as Death of a Salesman

44. Example • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xr-9ytgusQ

45. Television • 1928- over the radio • 1936- started to broadcast regular programs • 1947- 44,000 tv’s in America (250 million today) • End of 1950’s “I love Lucy” started television movement for pleasure rather than news and current events http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI • Progressed into what we know as cable tv today.

46. Movies • Very vast topic • Started in 1880 with the first moving picture • Scared people in the theatre • Was first done Lumierre brothers of a moving train • Film started very theatrical • Over acted, as if on stage, stage makeup etc. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79i84xYelZI

47. Movies • As sound developed we had talking roles • Famous actresses had horrible voices sometimes and this would happen. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTFCctdiS04 • Developed something called the “it factor” something we still have today • Technology improved over the years along with digital animation to what we now call film.

48. Exit Ticket • Of the clips we watched which do you feel the greatest connection with and why? What is it you like about it that the others did not have? • Keep all Do Now’s and Exit Tickets until Friday and you will turn them in as a packet for the week. Put the date at the top of each section for each day.

49. Do Now • Form groups of 2-4 people that you want to work with for the skit writing exercise. • Move your desks BY PICKING THEM UP in to groups that you want to work in.

50. Skit activity • We can explore problems in the world through theatre • We can experience things we would not through theatre