The Dawn of Theatre Part 1 (Primitive Societies & the Ancient Greeks)

1. The Dawn of TheatrePart 1(Primitive Societies & the Ancient Greeks)

2. Theatre of Primitive Societies • Dance ceremonies (initiation, war, story, religious) • Tribal traditions • Religious dances • performed by shamans in front of temples • Believed to drive away evil spirits • Rituals (rites of passage, etc.) • Today’s Evidence • Yakama Tribe in Bonneville • Native American soldiers before Iraq War

3. Ancient Greek Theatre • The Classic/Golden Age (500-400 B.C.) • Began as religious rites • Mainly revolved around 4 public celebrations • Held in vineyards • Dithryambs • Vocal contests (choral groups) • Plato & Aristotle vs. Today’s Critics

4. City of Dionysia • A celebration in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine & fertility • Held in Athens • Annual event in March • Festival of Tragedies • Lasted 5-6 days • National & Religious • Religious procession • Huge participation • City officials tickets

5. City of Dionysia • The Playwriting Contest: • Final 3 days of festival • 1 Dramatist per day • 3 tragedies • 1 satire- always last; meant to lighten the mood • Spoils of the Winner: • Bragging rights for playwright and his choregus (financial backer) for an entire year • Ivy garland

6. City of Dionysia • Thespis:first tragedian winner of playwriting contest in 534 B.C. • Added a leader to the chorus • Chorus responded in chants • First to use masks • Thespian- actor

7. The Greek Actor • Drama was rhetorical • Separation between audience and actors • The Greek Actor • Broad gestures and dramatically booming vocal style • Cothurnus- thick soled shoes • Onkus- high headpiece

8. The Greek Actor • Costumes • Tunics (belted & draped over shoulder), short cloaks • Elaborate • Colorful • Masks • Symbolized station in life, character, and emotion • Megaphone qualities • Special Effects • Drums: thunder • Deaths committed offstage; bodies shown onstage • Deus ex Machina

9. The Greek Theatre • Amphitheatre structure • Built on sloping hill • Semicircles of tiers • Stone benches • Could hold up to 20,000 • 1st row designated for dignitaries

10. The Greek Theatre Skene- an area behind the orchestra where actors performed costume changes Orchestra- The designated area for the actors to perform at the foot of the hill Parados- entry/exit ways for the chorus to the left and right of the skene Theatron- the area designated for the audience. Semicircle full of rows of stone benches

11. Famous Grecian Tragedians • Father of Tragedy • Rumored that theatrical career was ordained by a god • Won City of Dionysia 13 times • Accreditation- • Second actor • Invention of the trilogy • Reduced chorus from 50 to 12 • Rumored death by eagle • Wrote 90 plays; 7 survived • Loved spectacle • Ex. Prometheus falling from cliff & terrifying Fury masks • Oresteia trilogy- • Agamemnon, Choephori, Eumenides Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.)

12. Famous Grecian Tragedians • Thought to be handsome and well-educated • Jack of all trades- musician, singer, politician & athlete • Treasurer of Athens • Won 18 Dionysia festivals • Beat Aeschylus in his 1st victory • Incorporated 3 actors and increased the chorus from 12 to 15 • Wrote more than 100 plays • Beautiful language, well-balanced plot, thorough character development • Ex. Electra, Oedipus Rex, &Antigone Sophocles (496-406 B.C.)

13. Famous Grecian Tragedians • Boxer and painter • Preferred a literary life • Big fan of meditation • Preferred location: cave overlooking the sea • Questioned traditional religious ideas • Plays focused on psychological and social motivations • Plight of women • Outsiders • First to humanize drama • Normal, household details that appealed to emotions • Ex. Medea • Had a lack of success while alive • Alienated (Macedonia) • Aristophanes (satirist) Euripides (480-406 B.C.)

14. Welcome to Greekbook • Create a Greekbook profile for the tragedian assigned to your group on a poster. • You must use your notes to infer what type of person he was in real life. • Include the following on his Greekbook page: >His Likes >His Dislikes >Home City >Occupation >Groups he might be in >Pages he might like >Some of his favorite modern day movies, T.V. shows, and/or quotes

15. Playwright Comic Book Create a comic strip about a ONE of the Greek playwrights discussed on pages 406-408. Must Haves: • 10 comic boxes • Touch on key events that happened to this playwright • Playwright’s personality traits • Most popular plays (what is he known for today?) • Important people in his life (Ex. Friends, competitors, Choregus, etc.)

16. Playwright Rap Create a rap about ONE of the Greek playwrights discussed on pages 406-408. Must Haves: • 10 lines • Touch on key events that happened to this playwright • Playwright’s personality traits • Most popular plays (what is he known for today?) • Important people in his life (Ex. Friends, competitors, Choregus, etc.)

17. Greek Theatre Layout Exhibit Create an exhibit for a Hernando Drama History Museum based on the components of a Ancient Greek Theatre. Must Haves: • Interactive Element • Emphasize key parts of a Greek theatre. • Drawn Diagram of a Greek theatre • Include details (Ex. Capacity, shape, location, etc.) • Important people that come and events that take place there. (Ex. Playwrights, Choregus, Festival of Tragedies etc.)

18. Greek Theatre Tour Guide Improv Lead a tour of the designated areas of the classroom that represent the parts of a Greek theatre covered on pages 402-404. Must Haves: • Tour Brochure (1 piece of paper folded 3x) • Front picture • Location (Name of theatre, where is it located, etc.) • Events held there (Festival of Tragedies, etc.) & Famous people who have been there (Playwrights, Choregus, etc.) • Each group member must present a specific part of the theatre

19. GreekTV PlaywrightPress Conference Write and perform a script for a press conference for one of the Greek playwrights discussed on pgs. 406-408. Must Haves: • 10 questions • Touch on key life events, key people in his life, major plays he is known for, personality traits • Must assign 2 people to play the reporters, 1 person to play the playwright, 1 person to play the playwright’s assistant. • Perform scripted press conference

20. Greek Theatre Recap • Who was the more introverted tragedian on the Grecian theatre scene? • Demonstrate the vocal level and gestures of a Greek actor. • Name one practice in primitive societies that drama possibly resulted from. • What was the name of Greek festival held in March dedicated to the god Dionysus? What was another name for it? • What was Thespis’s role in theatrical history?