Download The_Dawn_of_Theatre

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Drama was born out of the dance ceremonies
of primitive people.
Dances taught tribes customs to boys
approaching manhood, war dances, story
dances, and religious dances to pacify the
unseen spirits the tribes believed controlled
the world.
The shaman (witch doctor) prayed, chanted,
and danced in an attempt to drive away evil
spirits.
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Egyptians were the first people whose rituals
took a form similar to out idea of a play.
Dramas were written in hieroglyphics on the
walls of the pyramids.
Plays were written for important events such
as the coronation of a new pharaoh.
Plays were enacted by priests.
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Two biblical books read as dramatic
literature:
◦ The Song of Solomon
◦ The Book of Job
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Originated in ritual rites that paid homage to
Dionysus, god of wine, fertility, and theatre.
Dithyrambs were sung in honor of Dionysus
by choral groups
Tragedy (goat song) was developed out of
these dithyrambic rituals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQOPFxuia
WQ
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A festival of tragedies held in March
Prizes were awarded for the best series of
plays
Both men and women attended, although
acting was restricted to men
Lasted 5-6 days
Final 3 days were reserved for the play
contests
Each day a different dramatist presented 3
tragedies and a satire.
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Performed outdoors
Amphitheater style theatres seated up to
20,000, with the first row reserved for
dignitaries.
Orchestra – acting area
Skene – backstage area
Parados – passageway used as an enterance
for the chorus
Proskenion - platform in front of the skene
Paraskenia – wings on the side of the
proskenion
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Drama was rhetorical, containing more
speech than action.
Actors wore masks that denoted character
and projected the voice
Mantle – a cloak worn as part of costume
Deus ex machina – god in the machine –
mechanical crane used for raising and
lowering gods
First playwright to win City Dionysia
 Introduced the chorus leader,
who became the first actor.
 First to use masks
 It is from his name that
thespian is derrived
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525-456 B.C
The Father of Tragedy
Won first prize in City Dionysia 13 times
Invented the trilogy
Added a second actor
Reduced the chorus from 50 to 12
Loved spectacle
Wrote 90 plays, but only 7 survive
Oresteia trilogy is the most enduring
496-406 B.C.
 Treasurer of Athens
 Wrote more than 100 scripts,
7 survived
 Won 18 Dionysia festivals
 Introduced the third actor
 Changed the chorus to 15
 his plays are considered the essence of great
Greek drama
 Best known plays: Electra, Oedipus Rex, and
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Antigone
480-406 B.C.
 Plays emphasize psychological
motivations and social
consciousness, emphasizing the plight of
women and the problem of the outsider
 First to humanize drama with household
details and events that appealed to the
emotions
 Best known plays: Medea and Alcestis
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448-380 B.C.
 Considered the finest comic
writer of ancient Greece
 Wrote about public life
 Pest known plays: The Birds, The Frogs, and
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The Clouds
Menander
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342-291 B.C.
Comedic writer
Wrote about private life
Plays were copied extensively by Romans
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When Rome invaded Greece, they took great
interest in Greek literature and art, adapting
Greek plays
Audiences were lower class, so comedies and
slapsticks were more popular.
Playhouses were portable wooden platforms
until Roman leaders Pompey and Caesar built
playhouses
Claque – a person/group hired to applaud at
a performance
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Seneca
◦ 4 B.C. – 65 A.D.
◦ Plays are bombastic and gory closet dramas (more suited
to reading than performance)
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Plautus
◦ 254-184 B.C.
◦ Plays served as a pattern for later writers including
Shakespeare and Moliere
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Plays were eventually overshadowed by spectacle
events.
When Rome fell in 475 A.D. the Christian church
banned all theatrical activity.
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2000 B.C.
Interpretive dance dramatized ancestor
worship and military celebrations
Blossomed in 8th and 9th centuries A.D.
Emperor Ming Huang founded a school for
actors
Drama was highly formal until the Mongols
invaded.
Mongolian influenced drama became
traditional theatre until the communists took
over China in World War II
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Acting done by men
Uses movements and poses based on
symbolism
White paper falling from red umbrella – snow
Actor with a whip – on horseback
Actor with a flag – army
Costumes and makeup colors represent
character
◦ Red – faithfulness
◦ White – evil
◦ Blue - cruelty
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Similar to Chinese drama
Unchanged and still performed today
Short, serious philosophical studies that
combine poetry with dance and music
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Japanese dramatic tragedy performed with
poetry, dance, and music
Stages are 18 ft wooden squares with
audience on 3 sides
Background music is chanting by chorus of 6
to 8 men
Scenery is tapestry on wall
Only essential props are used
Kyogen are comedies performed before or
after the drama
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Japanese puppet theatre
4 ft tall, full body wooden marionettes
3 attendants dressed in black wearing masks move
the dolls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV938f46Wpg
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More melodramatic and sensational than Noh
drama
Heavy, tension filled historical tragedies
Portray scenes of suicide, murder, torture, love
triangles
Colorful, extravagant costumes and scenery
Flowerway – ramp that extends through the
audience from the back of the auditorium to the
stage
Acting is passed on through generations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc
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Originated in India
Written in Sanskrit, the language of the
aristocrats
Originated the concept of the greenroom
Very intimate, delicate, and restrained
Performed strictly for entertainment, always a
happy ending
First to permit women on stage