Download History of the Theatre

History of the Theatre
The Origins of Western
Drama
Greek Drama
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Western drama began to develop in sixth
century Greece as part of the worship of
Dionysus, Greek god of wine and fertility.
First theatre consisted of a group of chanters,
called the chorus, dancing around a
sacrificial goat.
This chorus became known as goat-singers,
and their chant, the “goat-song” or tragos
(origin of the word tragedy).
The First Dramatic Competitions
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The ceremonies honoring
Dionysus evolved into
dramatic contests.
Legend states that Thespis
won the first competition.
History remembers him as
the first actor.
The term thespian has
been given to actors ever
since.
The Festival of Dionysus
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The dramatic contests became
part of a festival in honor of
Dionysus.
These festivals lasted five or six
days.
Each playwright presented four
plays: a tragic trilogy (three plays
related by theme, myth or
characters) and a satyr (satirical,
comic) play.
The Theatre of Dionysus
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The first
theatres began
as circular (or
semicircular)
areas called
orchestras
surrounded by a
hillside on which
the audience
sat.
The Theatre of Dionysus
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Eventually
stone seats
and a stone
building called
a skene were
added.
The Theatre of Dionysus
The Skene
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Actors used the
skene for changing
masks and
costumes.
Scenery was painted
on the front.
The roof was called
the god walk, for
actors playing gods.
The Greek Theatre
The Machina
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The Greeks used mechanical
devices in their productions.
One was called the machina, a
cranelike hoist that allowed
actors to “fly.”
Usually characters lowered by
the machina represented gods
come to earth to solve the
problems of man.
The Machina
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From this comes the term deus
ex machina, meaning “god
from the machine.”
This term is still used to refer to
an artificial plot device
introduced by an author late in
a play to resolve difficulties.
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Unexpected inheritance
Long-lost letter (or other item),
lover, relative, friend, etc.
The Greek Chorus
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The chorus was a very
important part of early
Greek plays.
The chorus served to
explain the situation
and to comment on
the action.
The chorus also
interacted with the
actors.
The Greek Chorus Today
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The Greek chorus is alive and
well in theatre and film today.
There are many modern
examples, including…
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The Stage Manager in Thorton
Wilder’s Our Town
El Gallo in the musical The
Fantastics
The Muses in Disney’s animated
Hercules
An actual chanting Greek chorus in
Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite
Greek Tragedy
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The Greek tragedies,
considered classics of
Western literature, involve
conflicts that come from the
clash between the will of the
gods and the ambitions and
desires of humanity.
They show how useless it is to
fight Fate.
Greek Tragedy
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The greatest writers of
Greek tragedy are…
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Aeschylus
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Noted for the majesty of his
writing
Writer of the only surviving
Greek trilogy, The Oresteia
Greek Tragedy
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Sophocles
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Ranked with Shakespeare as one of the great
playwrights of all time
His balance between the power of gods and the
importance of humans created some of the strongest
characters ever to walk on a stage.
Wrote Oedipus Rex, Antigone
Euripides
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Emphasized human relationships and became a
master of pathos
Wrote The Trojan Women, Medea
The Roman Theatre
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Primarily an imitation of Greek
theatre
Two notable comic writers
were Plautus and Terence
Seneca, a writer of tragedies,
created “closet dramas.”
Theaters expanded into
amphitheaters, large circular
arenas that were surrounded
by tiers of seats.