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Prehistoric Theatre

Prehistoric Theatre. Imitation, Role Playing, and Storytelling. Imitation is universal among small children Mimic and imitate mother and father as they play house Role Playing Adopt the behaviors required of certain roles in their society Key in theatre

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Prehistoric Theatre

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  1. Prehistoric Theatre

  2. Imitation, Role Playing, and Storytelling • Imitation is universal among small children • Mimic and imitate mother and father as they play house • Role Playing • Adopt the behaviors required of certain roles in their society • Key in theatre • Small children role play as future professions • Aristotle • Suggested that theatre may have originated in human instinct to imitate

  3. Imitation, Role Playing, and Storytelling cont. • Storytelling • An everyday activity with a theatrical element • Experienced Storytellers • Create suspense • Evoke laughter and tears • Keep alive traditions in their culture • Often take on voices of their characters • Take on the personalities of: • Old men • Warriors • Maidens • Ghosts

  4. Shamens • The storyteller of societies without developed written language. • Kept alive the history of the people.

  5. Ceremonies & Rituals

  6. Ceremony • A formal religious or social occasion, usually led by a designated authority figure, such as a priest or chief. • Examples: • Graduation • Inauguration • Marriage

  7. Ritual • The acting out of an established or prescribed procedure • Example • Mass • Jewish Yon Kippur

  8. African Rituals • Western & Central African • Performed by the Guru tribe • A dancer depicting an animal • Wears a large mask • Combines antelope horns, an abstracted human face, and a large toothed beak • Participants enact someone or something • Bird • Animal • Spirit • Participants are believed to be inhabited by the animal or spirit • Rituals follow a set sequence of events • Same words and actions repeated each time • Similar to today’s “script”

  9. Ancient Egypt • Abydos • The sacred place of the ritual celebrating Osiris, god of the afterlife. • Enacted for nearly 2000 years • Around 2500 to 550 B.C.E • No actual text of Abydos • Only partial account by someone named Ikhernofert • Participated between 1887 and 1849 B.C.E

  10. The Story of Osiris • Became king of Egypt and married his sister Isis, the goddess of health, marriage, and love • Osiris’s brother became jealous and killed him. • Scattered body throughout Egypt. • Isis recovered body and brought Osiris back to life • Osiris could not stay on earth and was buried in Abydos • Went to dwell in the underworld • Became the most human of the gods • Judges people souls

  11. Latin America • Staged rituals that celebrated • Seasons • Deities • Honoring war gods to seek favor. • The Flowery Wars • The staged in full war garb • Theatrical combats • Ended in sacrifices to favor gods

  12. Latin America cont. • Rabinal • Takes place in modern day Guatemala • Unsure when started • Flourished during early 1400s • Ceremony actually called: Rabinal Achi • Meaning: Man of Rabinal • Involved elaborate costumes, masks, sophisticated dance, poetry and music • Spanish later conquered area • …..and liked the ceremony • Introduced some Catholic elements and allowed it to continue each year • Still performed to this day.

  13. Rasaboxes

  14. Rasaboxes • Based off of Indian performance • Created by Richard Sheckner

  15. Where is Western Theatricality located?

  16. Western Theatricality is located in: • Eyes • Ears

  17. Indian Theatricality is located in the entire body. • External acting • Body influences emotions • Not mind

  18. The Rasas • Rasa = flavor • Sandscript

  19. Bibhasta • Disgust, distain, distaste, contempt, loathing, revulsion, repentance, repulsed • Adbhuta • Awe, curiousity, wonder, revere, discovery, surprise, the thinker • Sringara • Love, pleasure, passion, desire, happy, sweetness • Raudra • Rage, anger, violence, hostility, aggression, annoyance, wrath • Bhayanaka • Fear, shame, embarrassment, remorse, regret, guilt, nervousness, anxiety, apprehension, worry, terror • Vira • Brave, courage, the warrior, vigor, daring, heroic, energy, intensity • Hasya • Happiness, laughter, the clown, jovial, jolly, trickery, mockery, comedic, shameless, amusement • Karuna • Grief, sorrow, lament, compassion, empathy, sadness, heart broken, pity, despair, mourning, pain, loss, crying, the mourner • Shanta • Peace, contentment, tranquility

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