Download Early Theatre

 Historians believe began through religious ritual.
 Rituals celebrated religion and commemorated great
events.
 Stories passed down through these rituals helped
preserve a communities heritage.
 Storytellers preserved a cultures history.
 The rituals of these early cultures often involved
ceremonial clothing, which later developed into
costumes.
 The religious leaders in these early ceremonies were
the first actors.
 Designated areas for ceremonial performances were
the first stages.
Greek Theatre
 Greeks invented theatre as modern civilization knows
it.
 Large facilities were built to house festivals & plays
 Greeks transitioned theatre from ritual to performance
art.
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Those that worshiped Dionysus celebrated the god with a
“choral hymn”. This performance was accompanied by
movement, music, and stories about the god’s life.
 B 600 BCE theatre evolve and become more
formalized.
 Drama competition began around 534 BCE
 Government agencies were formed to find competitors
and find wealthy patrons (choregos) to fund
performances.
 Supposedly choregos were able to avoid by taxes by
funding drama festivals
 Much of todays theatre terminology is owed to the
Greeks.
 Amphitheaters were built on hillsides to house
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performances.
Orchestra pits (okestra) were the areas betweenthe
staged and the audience.
Theatron (“Seeing place”) was the designated area where
the audience sat
Proskenionwas the large frame around the stage
Skene was the scenery or backdrop
 Poet Aron is thought to have turned the dithyrambs
into well-meaning songs performed by a chours.
 Actor/poet Thespis became the first actor to step out
from the chorus and recite lines.
 This is why another name for actors is Thespians
 Playwright Aeschylus later created a second character
to step out from the chorus.
 Sophocles created a third
 Three types of plays were performed at these
Dionysian festivals: tragedies, comidies and satyr
plays.
 Satyr plays were low-brow comedies.
 Comedies were funny and entertaining. These plays
often lampooned (made fun of) ideas and people.
Tragedies sad plays in which a noble character has a
fall from grace with disastrous consequences
The Greek Tragedy
 Protagonist is a noble or one that has much to loose.
 Bad choices made by protagonist lead to mounting
fear and tension in the audience.
 Audience must be able to identify with the
character(fear, compassion, sadness)
 At climax the hero must realize his mistake
 Hero has no chance at redemtption
The Greek Tragedy
 At the end, the audience should experience a catharsis
(emotional release). They feel sorry for the character
but are glad it this didn’t happen to them.
Greek Comedy
 Derived from the word “komos” which mean parade of
rejoicers
 Satyr, another type of comedy, has derived into what
we know today as satire.
Comedy
 Greek comedy did not use makeup, instead actors
would wear masks.
 The masks had an added bonus of amplifying the
actor’s voice
 Comstumes were made up of long drapping robes.
 It is believed that during the 490s BCE that the Greeks
began using special effects to represent the gods and
goddesses. This use of props was known as deus ex
machina (god from the machine)
4 Big Greek Playwrights
 Aeschylus: The Oresteia, Agamemnon
 Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Antigone
 Euripides: Medea, The Trojan Women
 Aristophanes: Lysistrata, The Birds
Roman Theatre
 Copycat of Greek theatre
 Less idealistic (remember the Greeks were big on
humanism and idealism)
 Actors were known as histriones, not thespians
 Roman theatre introduced lewd comedy, wild dancing,
juggling and farce.
 The introductions are noted by some as a decline in
theatre quality.
The Differences
 Roman theatre was more interested in spectacle and
lower forms of entertainment (juggling, dancing, lewd
humor).
 Greek theatre was concerned with philosophy, politics,
and art.
Due to geographic conditions, Romans built large
theatre buildings that were several stories tall, Greeks
built amphitheaters on hillsides
Japanese Theatre
 Kabuki is ancient Japanese theatre that began in the
early 1600s.
 Kabuki was originally performed by an all female cast,
however due to the attention of male followers and
fans, the Japanese government banned women from
performing
 Men took over the female Kabuki roles and the art
flourished.
 Kabuki performers are required to act, sing, dance, and
play musical instruments
 The makeup used by Kabuki performed is used to
convey character and mood
Noh Theatre
 Predates Kabuki, formed around the late 14th century.
 Unlike Kabuki, Noh actors wore masks made from
cedar.
 Noh theatre does not contain a plot, it is usually made
up of slow dancing or poetic movements.