Download Theatre History Study Guide Mr. Grimes

Theatre History Study Guide
From 2,000 B.C. to 1616 A.D.
Mr. Grimes
Egypt2,000BC
• ThefirstrecordofatheatricalperformancewasfoundonastonetabletinEgyptdating
backtoabout2000BC.
• ItwasTHREEDAYSLONG!
• ItwaswrittenbyandstarredI-Kher-WolfretofAbydos.
• Itwasincrediblyviolent,withmurder,dismemberment,andsacrifice.
Greece700BC
• Greektheatrewascreatedtocelebratereligiousfestivals.
• Achoruswasusedtoeithersingorchantthescript.
• ItisunknownifThespiswasaplaywright,anactororapriest,buthehasbeencredited
forcreatingthe“firstactor”whobrokeawayfromthechorusandwouldspeaktothe
chorusasanindividualcharacter.Thisiswhyactorsarealsoknownas“Thespians”.
• Thisleadtothecreationofcharacter.
• Maskswereusedtoallowtheactorstoplaymorethanonecharacter.
Thefollowingplaywrightscontributedtothecreationofcharacter:
• Aeschylusintroducedtheideaofusingasecondandthirdactorwhichallowedfor
interactionbetweencharacters.
• Sophoclescontinuedthecreationofcharacterbyusingthechorusless,andcreating
moredialoguebetweencharacters.
HighlyNotable
FamousGreekplaysinclude:Medea,PrometheusBound,TheBacchae,OedipusRex,
Antigone
Rome400BC
• TheRomansweregreatlyinfluencedbyGreekTheatre.
• Theword“play”comesfromtheLatinword“ludus”whichmeansrecreationorplay.
• TheRomanplaywrightTerenceintroducedtheconceptofasubplotallowingthe
audiencetocontrastthereactionsofdifferentcharacterstothesameeventsor
circumstances.
• RomanTheatrewaslessinfluencedbyreligionthanGreektheatre.
• Theaudiencewasoftenloudandrude.Theaudiencedidnotapplaud,butratherwere
alwaysshoutinginsultsandbooing.
• Sincetheaudiencewassoloud,muchoftheplayswerepantomimedandrepetitive.
• Theactorsdevelopedacodewhichwouldtelltheaudienceaboutacharacterjustby
lookingatthem.
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Forexample:
• Ablackwig:thecharacterwasayoungman
• Aredwig:thecharacterwasaslave.
• Ayellowrobe:thecharacterwasawoman
• Ayellowtassel:thecharacterwasagod.
HighlyNotable
WhiletheplaywrightTerenceiscreditedwiththecreationofthesubplotwe
talkedatlengthaboutthe20thCenturyInventionoftheAStory,BStory,andCStory.
TheAStoryisyourmainplot,usuallyyouradventure.YourBStoryisyoursecondary
story,usuallyyourromance.TheCStoryisseeminglyunrelated,butintheendithelps
resolvetheAandBStory.
OurPhineas&FerbBreakdown…
AStory:“Whatarewegoingtodotoday?”
BStory:Candacetryingtocatchherbrothers.
CStory:Perryvs.Doofenshmirtz
EuropeintheMiddleAges400-1400
• AfterthefalloftheRomanEmpire,citieswereabandoned,andEuropebecame
increasinglymoreagricultural.
• Afterseveralhundredyears,townsre-emerged.
• TheRomanCatholicChurchdominatedreligion,educationandpolitics.Italsohada
stronginfluenceontheatre.
• Theatrewas“reborn”as“liturgicaldramas”whichwerewritteninLatinandperformed
bypriestsorchurchmembers.PlotsweretakenfromtheChristianBible.
• Performancesalsowereheldtocelebratereligiousfestivals(asinGreektimes)
• Later“vernaculardramas”werewrittenincommonlanguage(thereforeeveryonecould
understand).
• Theseplayswereperformedintownsquaresonwagonstages.
• Therewerethreetypesof“vernaculardramas”:
• Mysteryplays–basedontheOldandNewTestament
• Miracleplays–basedonthelivesofthesaints
• Moralityplays–taughtalessonthroughsymboliccharacters
representingvirtuesorfaults.
Italy’sCommediaDell’Arte1551-1797
• InItaly,auniqueformoftheatrewascreatedforthecommonpeople–“Commedia
dell’Arte”.
• Commediadell’Arterequiredfewpropsandnosets.
• Theplaysdidnotcomefromscriptsbutby“scenarios”whichwereanoutlineofaplot.
• Theactorsimprovisedthedialoguewithcomedicstunts.Thisisthebirthofimprov!
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Actorsworehalfmaskswhichindicatedtotheaudiencewhichcharactertheywere
playing(JustliketheGreeks).
ACommediatroupetypicallyconsistedof10to12members,afewofwhichwere
women
Playswerebasedonstockcharacters,forexample:
• Pantalone,anelderlyVenetianmerchant(Mr.Burns)
• Arlecchino,aservantwhowasatroublemaker(Bart)
FurthercontributionstoTheatreweremadebyItaliansthroughthedevelopmentofthe
proscenium,or“pictureframestage”
OutlawedbyNapoleonin1797.Rebornin1979.
HighlyNotable
TheHierarchyofCommediaCharacterswiththeirSpongebobEquivalents
Magnifico
Neptune
FirstActress
Mrs.Puff
FirstActor
GarytheSnail
TheWitch
TheFlyingDutchman
Pantalone
Mr.Krabs
TheDoctor
Squidward
Captain
Plankton
Brighella
Spongebob
Harlequino
Patrick
Zanni
RoyalCrownPolisher
Shakespeare1564-1616
• BornApril23(wethink),1564
• Stratford-upon-Avon,England
• Fatherwasalocalprominentmerchant
• MarriedAnnHathaway1582(whenhewas18,shewas26)
• Threechildren:Susannabornin1583,twinsJudithandHamnetborn1585
• Hamnetdiedatage11;thegirlsneverhadanychildren
• Wehavenorecordsofhislifefrom1585-192
• Itisspeculatedthathemighthavebeenateacher,abutcher,oranactorto
supporthisfamily.
• In1592,heisinLondon,whileAnnandthekidsarestillinStratford-upon-Avon
• 1590s-QueenElizabethIisincharge.
• ChristopherMarlowewasShakespeare’sRivalandCollaborator
• TheLordChamberlain’sMen(latercalledTheKing’sMen)wasShakespeare’sacting
troupe.
• Theactorswereallmen;youngboys(age12-14)playedthefemaleparts
Theywereconsidered“shareholders”andownedstockorsharesintheplay
texts,costumes,andprops
• Theirpaydependedonadmissionsales
• Actorsonlyhadabout3weekstopracticeanewplay
• Inoneweek,thetroupesmayperform6differentplays(asmanyas4,000lines!)
Between1611-1612,ShakespearereturnstoStratfordtohiswifeandfamily.
DiesApril23,1616attheageof52
HighlyNotable
ShakespearemostlywroteinIambicPentameter
• Isasoundpattern
• IAMB:oneunaccented(orunstressed)syllablewithoneaccented
syllable
• It’slikeaheartbeat:ba-bum,ba-bum,ba-bum
• Five“ba-bum”sinarowmakeonelineofiambicpentameter(10syllablelines)
• Example:heWENTtoTOWNtoDAYtoBUYaCAR
• OR:InSOOTH/IKNOW/notWHY/IAM/soSAD
Shakespeare’splayscanbedividedintoFOURCategories
• Comedy-usuallyendsinaweddingorcelebration
• AMidsumerNight’sDream,AComedyofErrors,AsYou
LikeIt
• Tragedy-usuallyendswiththetitlecharacterdying
• Hamlet,Othello,Romeo&Juliet
• Romance-containscomedyandtragedy,fromlaterinhislife,
morepoeticlanguage
• TheTempest,TheWinter’sTale,Cymbeline
• History-BasedonpastrulersofEngland
• RichardIII,KingHenryIV,KingJohn
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