History of the Theatre

History of the Theatre Greek, Roman, and Medieval Drama http://youtu.be/vNAM3PzGcow

Greek Drama • Western drama began to develop in the 6th century to worship the god Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. • The first theatre consisted of a group of chanters (the chorus) dancing around a sacrificial goat. • Their song was called the tragos – where the word tragedy comes from.

The First Dramatic Competitions • Ceremonies honoring Dionysus evolved into 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.

The Festival of Dionysus • Dramatic contests became part of a festival to honor 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.

The Theatre of Dionysus • The first theatres began as circular or semicircular areas called orchestras, surrounded by a hillside on which the audience sat. • Eventually, stone seats and a stone building called a skene were added.

The Skene • The skene (origin of our word “scene”) was where they built masks and costumes. • Scenery was painted on the front. • The roof was called the “god walk,” for actors playing gods.

The Machina • The Greeks used the machina, a crane-like hoist that allowed actors to “fly.” • Usually characters lowered by the machina represented gods come to earth to solve the problems of man. • 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. (Examples: Unexpected inheritance; long-lost letter, etc.)

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

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 Our Town by Thorton Wilder • El Gallo in the musical The Fantasticks • The Muses in Disney’s animated Hercules • An actual chanting Greek chorus in Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite

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 us how to fight fate.

The Great Writers of Greek Tragedy • Aeschylus • Noted for the majesty of his writing • Writer of the only surviving Greek trilogy,The Oresteia • 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; etc.

The Great Writers of Greek Tragedy • Euripides • Emphasized human relationships and became a master of pathos (mixture of sorrow and compassion) • Wrote The Trojan Women; Medea; etc.

The Great Writers of Greek Comedy • Aristophanes • Considered nothing sacred • Skilled satirist • “Old Comedy” style – wild comic fantasy • Wrote The Frogs; The Clouds; Lysistrada • Menander • “Middle Comedy” style – every day life • Wrote Dyskolos

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” • Theatres expanded into amphitheatres, large circular arenas that were surrounded by tiers of seats.

Medieval Drama • Sung in Latin, the liturgical drama began as a question-and-answer song performed by monks on Easter. • Saint Plays are based on the legends of saints • Mystery Plays tell stories based on biblical history • By the late fourteenth century, plays were largely presented by craft guilds that traveled through the country with pageant wagons, or stages on wheels.

Medieval Drama • A drama about the last week of Christ’s life is called the Passion Play. • Folk dramas were usually performed outdoors during planting time, harvest time, and Christmas. (Ex: Robin Hood!) • Morality Plays dealt with the principles of right and wrong. (Ex: Everyman, still performed today.)

Vocabulary • Closet dramas • plays meant to be read rather than acted • Cycle • An entire sequence of plays • Miracle plays • Plays based on the lives of Saints • Mystery Plays • Plays based on stories from the Bible • Morality play • Plays about the differences between right and wrong • Skene • Greek “scene shop” where scenery was painted; located behind the stage • Machina • Greek machine used to “fly” an actor playing a god • Thespis • The first actor, from whom the term “thespian” was derived

History of the Theatre