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Theatre History

Theatre History. GREEK THEATRE. Considered to be the greatest theatre in history Classic or Golden Age of Greece- 500-400 BC great tragedies architecture government. GREEK THEATRE. Beginnings of Greek theatre: 1. Dionysian rites 2. Festival for fertility

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Theatre History

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  1. Theatre History

  2. GREEK THEATRE • Considered to be the greatest theatre in history • Classic or Golden Age of Greece- 500-400 BC • great tragedies • architecture • government

  3. GREEK THEATRE • Beginnings of Greek theatre: 1. Dionysian rites 2. Festival for fertility 3. singing and dancing and drinking wine 4. play contest called dithyrambs 5. honored Dionysis • tragedies were performed • tragedy means “goat song” in Greek (tragos) • goats were sacrificed at the festival

  4. GREEK THEATRE • Festivals- 4 each year • City Dionysia- March • festival for tragedies • week-long national holiday • all attend • Plays- only men acted- true many places • 6 day festival • plays at the theatron- seeing place • three days of competition for plays

  5. GREEK THEATRE • Each play a Trilogy- three tragedies- one theme • Each day also a satire-a farce about the tragedies • performed outdoors • City Lenaea- festival for comedies (komos) • held in February • performed outdoors

  6. GREEK THEATRE- Physical parts • semicircle seating for audience- on hillside • circular altar and acting area- orchestra • back area behind orchestra for actors to change-skene • skenehad three doors with side passageways called-parados • raised area behind orchestra- proskenion • side areas called- paraskenia • large acting area -not close to audience

  7. GREEK THEATRE-Actors • all men • large masks with megaphones to project voices- made of cork or wood- showed age and emotion • large shoes on platforms- appear taller-corthurnus • large headpiece- onkus • costume: colorful, patterns sleeveless tunic with a belt-chiton long cloth over the shoulder-himation short cloak- chlamys

  8. GREEK THEATRE-staging • pinakes- boards painted to show scenes • periaktos- pyramid with different scenes on each side turned to show new scenes • drums-sound effects • eccylama- used to show dead bodies- could not show killing on stage • deus-machina- used to fly in gods • stories were usually Greek myths

  9. GREEK THEATRE-rules for tragedies • Aristotle wrote rules for performing tragedies 1. must make audience want to lead a better life-often through fear 2. hero with a tragic flaw 3. a change of fortune for the character- growth of the main character 4. written in poetry form 5. the three unities- related events, occurs in 24 hours, one location

  10. GREEK THEATRE- parts of the play • prologue- intro to get audience up to speed • parados- chorus enters • epeisodon-dialogue of actor • stasimon-chorus speaks or sings • exodus- play ends

  11. GREEK THEATRE-writers • Thespis – won the first award= Thespians • three great tragic writers: • Aeschylus • Sophocles • Euripedes

  12. GREEK THEATRE-contributions • Aeschylus • father of tragedy • added the second actor • reduced chorus from 50 to 12 • wrote: Agamemnon-return from Trojan War and killed by his wife Clytemnestra Libation Bearers-Orestes kills his mom to avenge dad’s death The Furies-gods pardon Orestes

  13. GREEK THEATRE-contributions • Sophocles • added third act0r • chorus set at 15 members • plot and character development expanded • wrote: Electra Oedipus Rex-killsdad and marries own mom Antigone-war, sequel to Oedipus Rex

  14. GREEK THEATRE-contributions • Euripedes: • emphasized psychologial motivation • told about the plight of women and the outsiders of society • humanized the theatre with emotions • wrote: Medea- about a man who is driven mad due to his jealousies

  15. GREEK THEATRE-comedy writers • Aristophanes and Menander • wrote satires about Greek people and their lives. • wrote about daily lives of servants, lovers, weird relatives- much like sitcoms of today

  16. GREEK THEATRE-its dec • Roman invasions -took over the country and started their own drama • Next week- Roman Theatre

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