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Theatre Traditions: East and West. Chapter 7 Cohen, THEATRE (Brief edition). Theatre exists in the present, but is deeply rooted in its past. Many plays seen today are revivals. Contemporary theatre artists are compared to their predecessors. Some ancient plays adapt to modern times.
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Theatre Traditions:East and West Chapter 7Cohen, THEATRE (Brief edition)
Theatre exists in the present, but is deeply rooted in its past
Contemporary theatre artists are compared to their predecessors
Many of the world’s great plays are closely based upon preceding ones
Traditional drama seems to have its earliest expressions in Ancient Egypt
Egyptian ceremonies and rites date as far back as 2500 BC The Abydos procession to the Nile was not unlike a modern parade
Other rites appeared in Babylonia and other locations in the Middle East but did not flourish.
5th Century Athens stands as one of the great ages of theatre
Evidence exists in mosaics and vases from the period A dithyrambic chorus
Attic rites honored the God of fertility, harvest and wine Dionysus
City Dionysia held in Athens in theatre at base of Acropolis
Aeschylus 524 – 456 BC The Persians Seven Against Thebes The Suppliants The Oresteia Agamemnon The Libation Bearers The Eumenides Prometheus Bound
Sophocles (497-406 BC) Oedipus Rex and Antigone
Euripides 480-406 BC Alcestis Electra The Bacchae Trojan Women
Aristophanes (447-388 BC) The Birds (pictured), The Clouds, Lysistrata
Onkos Himation, Chlamys kothurnoi
Greek drama introduced... • Tragedy and comedy • Conventions in costume • The third actor • Skene (elevated stage) • Choral singing • Stock characters • Trilogy • Satyr (parody)
Roman Drama Terence Plautus
Medieval Drama After the fall of Rome, theatrical activity in the West was brought to an end. It re-emerged in the 10th century with QUEM QUERITAS
By 1250, Bible-based dramas (Mystery Plays) were common in Europe
Mystery cycles were staged by guilds in European cities York Wakefield
Pagaent wagons Logo for York Mystery Playtoday