Download Theatre History Survey II – Pool of Knowledge

Theatre History Survey II – Pool of Knowledge
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European Theatre
1. Name at least 3 types of medieval drama.
2. Which European country produced both the most innovative theatre technology and the
greatest volume of plays in print?
3. Which country first produced travelling troupes of players?
4. Which country is credited with the invention of the actress?
5. Which country first brought the dramatic and the musical arts together in performance?
6. A scenic artist working in King James court is often credited with the invention of
perspective scenery. What was his name and which country was he from?
7. –however, an Italian named ____________________ had used it in Italy 100 years earlier.
8. What are the 3 elements that Cicero believed were present in all true comedy?
9. The science of dramatic criticism was invented in which European country?
10. What ecclesiastical council, which was the Church’s response to the Protestant
Reformation which was sweeping Europe, created havoc for all European travelling
troupes? – what year was it established?
11. In the 17th Century, there was a firm ideal of the ‘world-as-theatre’ which the Catholic
Church made strong use of. Name the sect of monks who established schools which
encouraged the use of drama as a teaching tool and promotional weapon of the Church.
12. Both Philip IV of Spain and Elizabeth I of England sometimes shocked their subjects by
demonstrating their love of theatre in what way?
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Although Renaissance writers throughout Europe were inspired by and revered the
classical ideals proposed by Aristotle in his Poetics, there is one important element of playwriting that they universally reject. Define and analyse this non-conformity present in most
of the plays of the time.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
There were many famous Clowns of the Renaissance; popular both by the public mass
audience and at their royal courts. Plays were written especially for them by the leading
playwrights of the day. Who were they and what were they each most known for?
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Catalogue the history and evolution of the Corpus Christi festival, which from the early
14th Century had been held in every Christian parish by Papal Decree.
Italy
1. List 2 of the common themes of the early Italian texted comedies.
2. List 8 common character types.
3. Which Pope, from what famous family, is credited with creating an environment that
encouraged the growth and proliferation of drama?
4. Which season saw the most plays performed in Italy?
5. – and WHEN is this season?
6. The first plays published in Italy were _________________________but soon vernacular plays
were published as well.
7. In Italian theatre the bond between performer and audience was forged by a local pastime
from Siena called ___________________ in which story-telling, dialogue, and verbal games
and riddles were used to while away the long evening hours.
8. What was the name of the ‘academy’ for drama that was started by a group of young
aristocrats, ‘university wits’, in the 16th Century?
9. --and what was the name of the style they introduced?
10. – what were the other 2 principle styles of the time?
11. Who were the famous courtesans in Italy who paved the way for women to venture beyond
the intermezzi and become dramatic characters?
12. Accounts of professional acting companies with females on stage begin to appear in what
decade?
13. The first extant professional contract binding a troupe of men to travel about the country
playing comedies for money was signed in which Italian city in what year?
14. What was the name of the most famous Italian commedia dell’arte troupe in the late 16th
Century?
15. – This troupe is credited with bringing Italian comedy to Paris in what year?
16. A rival troupe had the advantage of the most famous Italian actress of the commedia
dell’arte—what was her name?
17. --The managing director of this actress’ troupe is recognized as the first successful
resident theatre manager, who ran both the theatrical venue and the company, wrote
many of the plays and acted. His methods became the model for all resident theatre
companies to follow. Name him.
18. What is the primary character trait in the Italian gobbo farce?
19. There was only one book printed about the many plots and devices of the Italian
improvised comedy while it flourished. Who wrote it, what was it called, and when was it
published?
20. Name 5 common structures of the commedia dell’arte.
21. In 1634, a famous Italian actor wrote a play in defense of the theatre profession. Who was
the actor and what was the name of the play?
22. Name the Italian sculptor, architect, and dramatic author who is considered emblematic
of the Baroque Age.
23. – Compared to Spain’s Calderon, his tragic dramas express joyful transcendence from the
misery of the human condition. He was also known for what?
24. By the beginning of the 17th Century commedia dell’arte was nearly eclipsed by the texted
comedies and operas that were increasing in popularity. Name the playwright credited for
reviving the form through his play texts and bringing it to a greater recognition
worldwide?
⌂ paragraph answer:
Describe the evolution of female involvement in theatre that resulted in the creation of
the actress.
Spain
1. Name the Spanish monarchs who reigned in the beginning of what is known as the Spanish
Golden Age?
2. Spain developed a unique style of playhouse called what?
3. By 1584 there were two of these ____________ in Madrid: the ________________and the
__________________.
4. What was the most common shape of these Spanish playhouses?
5. Theatres in Madrid were a microcosm of its society, clearly divided according to their rank,
role, and financial status. But there was one other division applied only to the working
class—what was it?
6. In Spain, the audience standing in the yard are called__________________ because they often
______________________________________.
7. What was the name of the seating area set aside for working-class women?
8. – And where were the upper-class women seated?
9. The height of Spain’s achievement in drama was achieved under the reign of
__________________.
10. How many acts were there in traditional Spanish commedia?
11. When did professional companies of players appear in Spain?
12. What 3 critical factors led to the crystallization of Spain’s most characteristic and
dominant dramatic form?
13. The Sybil Casandra, considered the most inspired nativity play written in Spanish, was
written by whom?
14. –what was his professional trade?
15. Name 2 of the significant theatre genres popular in Spain at the beginning of the 16th
Century.
16. Because he was both poet and playwright he is often referred to as the Spanish
Shakespeare and the father of Spain’s most iconic dramatic forms—who is he?
17. – an exceptionally fertile playwright, writing over half a century he wrote an average of
one play __________________ and ________________ of them have survived.
18. – He is credited with setting the formula for __________________which lasted over a century.
19. – He codified this formula in a treatise. What was it called and when was it written?
20. What public buildings were among the first to adapt their ‘yards’ into theatre spaces in
Spain?
21. – by the late 16th Century theatre leases were under contract to the town hall, but their
operation, as well as control of the number of troupes allowed licenses at any given time,
was controlled by whom?
22. During what Holy Season were plays banned in Spain?
23. Which Holy Season was the busiest, most lucrative time of year for troupes?
24. As troupes in Spain became more stable, production values improved. The craft guild,
called __________________________________ was established in the year __________.
25. The company managers, called _____________________ were also the leading actors of the
troupe, and the leading lady was usually ___________________________.
26. – These __________________ not only acted and directed but ran the whole operation, and
salaries among the troupe ________________________.
27. --they generally _________________________________their plays each year.
28. Other actors were hired each year for supporting roles, and in particular demand were
specialists, especially clowns, both male and female, who were called _____________________.
29. Lope de Vega’s primary break with the accepted theatrical forms as he found them is
primarily in his refusal to do what?
30. Actors hoping to attach to a company had to be extremely versatile above all else, as each
‘show’ lasted _________________ and was composed of a main play preceded by
______________________ and _______________.
31. – there were also ________________________ prepared for the intervals.
32. Since the main play also had music and dance, itinerant _______________________________
were hired fresh each year.
33. Stage-hands were called ____________________which means what?
34. Audiences expected the costumes to be ________________________ and ____________________.
35. – who was responsible for supplying the costumes?
36. By the early 17th Century the Spanish Empire was in decline and so was its drama, which
was kept alive until 1681 almost single-handedly by whom?
37. Name the religious play in Spain, popular since the mid-17th Century and traditionally
performed at Easter, that can still be seen performed today?
38. Spanish theatre has been denigrated by some critics for producing too many characters.
What are the other key characteristics of the drama from the Spanish Golden Age?
39. Calderón perfected the forms he inherited by exerting a discipline of craftsmanship and a
more intellectual, philosophical tone. Which genre of his plays are considered most
approachable for modern audiences?
40. – which of his genres appeal least to modern tastes?
41. In 1651, something significant happened which caused Calderón to drastically alter the
types of plays he wrote. What was it?
42. When Philip III ascended the Spanish throne he ushered in a new era for acting troupes
and actors due to the marked increase in court performances. What were these ‘command
performances’ called?
43. Name the Spanish playwright considered something of a bridge between the era of Lope
de Vega and that of Calderón?
44. – His comedies were unique in that they demonstrated themes of ___________, ____________,
__________, and ______________ rather than the typical theme of ____________________________.
⌂ paragraph answer:
Why is such a gifted playwright as Lope de Vega said to have no characteristic style and
who left us no ‘masterpiece’?
France
1. In 1548, the Parlement de Paris issued a decree banning what types of plays within the city
of Paris?
2. This created a situation in which the most influential agents of the new humanist theatre
being created in Paris were not from the professional theatre, but rather, whom?
3. This group of intellectuals called themselves the Pléiades, whose leader
__________________________________ had written a manifesto, called
______________________________ in 1549.
4. While the Italians they began by imitating chose Greek texts to translate for their first
texted plays, the French preferred _____________________________.
5. How many acts were there in the neo-classic French tragedy?
6. Neo-classical tragedy generally consisted of _______________________________________ rather
than the acting out of tragic events.
7. Comic drama of the Renaissance was much livelier, borrowing heavily from
___________________________________, _____________________________________, and
___________________________________ for its characters and plots.
8. There is little evidence that these early examples of French Renaissance theatrical
literature were ever performed in professional theatres. Where were they performed?
9. What is the name of the first French actor to leave a coherent record of his career?
10. – His company played the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1598 and was given the titular honour
of ________________________________________________________.
11. – This company is also notable for supporting the early career of what important early
playwright, who was also an actor himself, and is considered to have brought dramatic
action and spectacle to the French stage to replace the early rhetorical plays written by
the Pléiades?
12. – this playwright, compared by some to Lope de Vega, along with his contemporaries
created a new style of theatre called _____________________________ which was a vigorous,
exuberant, and imaginative French counterpart to Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre and
the comedies of Vega and Calderón.
13. Name 3 key features of this style of French drama.
14. When did actresses begin to be seen on the professional stage in France?
15. Name the Cardinal who founded the French Academy in 1635 and created a ‘company of
five authors’ who included Corneille.
16. What were the distinctive literary elements that are distinctive of the plays written from
1640 onwards?
17. – this same Cardinal privately built the first purpose-built theatre in France, which was
inaugurated in the year ___________________ and was briefly called the Palais-Cardinal but
eventually was called______________________________________________________________.
18. – This was the theatre which was to become the home of the troupe of arguably France’s
most famous playwright, ___________________________________________________.
19. What space was first converted for use as a theatre space in France?
20. Which controversial play written by Corneille in 1637 is considered to be a ‘hinge’
between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ style of French theatrical literature?
21. Because of the phenomenal success of Le Cid there was a device of expediency executed
that ended up becoming a very fashionable element unique to French theatre for over 100
years. What was it?
22. With a new writing style came new staging methods. The multiple set bequeathed from
the medieval theatre was replaced by __________________________________________.
23. What were the actor-managers in France called?
24. What textual format, established by Corneille, was to be the vehicle used by Molière for
his masterpieces?
25. What was Molière’s birth name?
26. What were the 3 primary influences that Molière developed into his signature style?
27. What was the name of the family troupe Molière joined forces with in 1643?
28. – what was the name of the theatre company he formed with them?
29. Molière has been called the greatest comic writer of all time. But part of his genius lay in
his great skill as a comic actor. What is the name of the character ‘type’ that he developed
into a signature character?
30. Two of Molière’s plays received heavy criticism from the Church, one even being banned
for 5 years. Name them.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
There was a public controversy over Corneille’s play Le Cid, at which time the Cardinal
intervened in a decisive way by deferring to the judgement of the Academy. Discuss these
events, the elements of the play which caused the controversy, and the precedent that was
set by the Cardinal’s actions.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Due to the theatre in Paris being overtaken by dilettantes, the professional theatre there
was at a low ebb in the mid-16th Century. There was only one professional theatre,
operated by the Confraternity of the Passion, even though they were no longer allowed to
perform religious plays. What was the situation for professional actors outside of Paris?
And when did the professional theatre in Paris come back to life?
England
1. Two famous English clowns, Will Somers and Richard Tarleton, had two distinct physical
traits in common. What were they?
2. Throughout the 16th Century, tensions were taut between the most powerful English
families, and having large households of servants was a show of strength. How did this
situation benefit actors?
3. English players were, perhaps surprisingly since the English stage is so literary, very popular
on throughout the European countries where they toured at faires and festivals, often
winning the favour and patronage of a foreign prince or other noble. What were the
characteristics of their playing that made them so popular even when their speech was
unintelligible?
4. What play, performed all over Europe by Papal Decree, was quickly phased out in England
after a post-Reformation attack on the Catholic calendar?
5. The first purpose-built theatre building in England was ventured by a 26 year old grocer
named John Brayne in 1566-7. What was it called?
6. – who was his partner in the venture?
7. – and after the failure of the Red Lion, what was their next project?
8. – London authorities frequently appealed to the throne to enforce closure of the
playhouses, as crowds could become unruly and violence could break out. For this reason,
most theatres built in the last quarter of the 16th Century were built where?
9. What buildings were put to use as theatre spaces before the purpose-built stages?
10. – what about these existing buildings made it possible for troupes to avoid trouble with
the authorities?
11. By 1578 there were 8 professional playhouses in London, each showing 6 plays per week,
and if a play ran for 6 performances it was a phenomenal success. What defining quality of
the Elizabethan theatre came about due to this circumstance?
12. Christopher Marlowe, the son of a Canterbury shoemaker, began making a name for
himself while still a student at Cambridge as a young protégé of the University Wits. He
has been credited with raising an adolescent English theatre to adulthood by engaging
with what previously taboo subjects in his plays, which opened them up to public discourse
and debate?
13. Marlowe used his role as an actor to serve another, more lucrative, purpose under the Earl
of Walsingham. What was it?
14. Considered by some to be Marlowe’s greatest play, mounted by the Admiral’s Men in
1587 at the height of the tensions created by the building up of the Spanish Armada, had it
been considered allegorical, Marlowe would have been executed for treason. Name it.
15. – the actor playing the lead role is said to have advanced the art of acting. Who was he?
16. – What was the name of the acting troupe Marlowe primarily wrote for, and what was the
name of their theatre?
17. – because he went unpunished, and because he perceived power-struggles within and
amongst the Courts of Europe in terms of choreography and rhetoric, he set the standard
for 50 years of ____________________________________________________.
18. In what year did Queen Elizabeth establish her own troupe of professional players?
19. – and what was this troupe called?
20. Besides the threat from unsympathetic authorities, what was the other threat to the
playhouses’ existence from the mid-16th Century?
21. In 1594, a young player named William Shakespeare was invited to join a new troupe
which was being established as a joint-stock company, the first of its kind. Who was their
patron (and the name of the company)?
22. Whereas Marlowe had written plays to feature the amazing voice of a great leading actor,
Shakespeare tended to write for ______________________________________.
23. These two companies, each with a truly great writer working with their livelihoods in
mind, developed a great rivalry. Name them.
24. – this rivalry intensified after 1599 when their theatres were literally a stone’s throw away
from each other. What was the name of these two theatres?
25. The officiousness of the dramatic censors impelled playwrights to make much use of what
literary device in their plays?
26. – this meant that the audiences were particularly sensitive to ‘hidden’ commentary upon
their own society when watching plays of which genre?
27. Shakespeare reveals his pragmatic attitude to playwriting with The Merry Wives of
Windsor, which was written to please Queen Elizabeth, as it featured ____________________,
her favorite character.
28. Shocking to the ‘purer’ tastes of the late 17th and 18th Centuries the Elizabethans
imbedded ___________________________ in the midst of tragedy.
29. What do we call the very bawdy short play written to feature the company clowns that
was generally presented as an after piece?
30. – and what are the key features of this mini-theatrical?
31. Name the famous comic actor (clown) whose death brought to an end the era of
supremacy for the Queen’s company.
32. – Name the book published posthumously in 1611 that honoured this actor.
33. Name the actor who was the original ‘first clown’ in The Chamberlain’s Men.
34. --his highly improvisational style meant he often did exactly what Shakespeare suggests
should not be allowed in Hamlet’s speech to the Players. What is that?
35. What major event occurred in 1603?
36. – and how did this affect the company of actors working at the Globe?
37. As King James I was very literary, __________________________________ flourished in the early
17th Century, even as popular theatre went into decline.
38. This King is responsible for the translation of what important book into English?
39. But it was Ben Jonson, with the publication of his ________________________ in the year
______________________________ that set the precedent for elegant and elaborate printed
editions of play texts.
40. As the popular theatre declined, Ben Jonson became famous for the elaborate court
entertainments he created which were called _____________________________________ .
41. While the public theatres were a site of great debate over the corruption perceived in
government and the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, the court entertainments
celebrated ______________________________________________________ .
42. – The ____________________________of the courtiers and court ladies participating was
revealed in the importance of the roles of mythological characters they portrayed.
43. Name the indoor playhouse Shakespeare’s company took over the lease of in 1608.
44. – what effect did this decision have on future English theatres?
45. It is speculated that is was King James’ fear of __________________________ that prompted
the sometimes vindictive, and decidedly arbitrariness of Jacobean censorship.
46. Jacobean playwrights pushed the censors as far as they dared, but Middleton pushed to
the point of bravado with his play _________________________________________ published in
the year _________________________ .
47. Besides being a playwright, he was a holder of civic office. What was it?
48. What was the name of the censorship bureau operating during this time?
49. With a Catholic King on the English throne, Middleton and many militant Protestants
feared that the work of the Reformation would be undone if Prince Charles were allowed
to wed which European princess?
50. When the proposed marriage contract fell through Middleton voiced all of London’s
delight and relief with his play _______________________________________________ .
⌂ Paragraph answer:
The household troupes of the early 16th Century were the obvious precursors of the
professional companies that produced talents such as Shakespeare and Marlowe. What
peculiarities of the household entertainments enabled the players to develop the
flexibility and versatility the professional English troupes were known for?
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Hostility towards troupes of travelling players was codified in the 1572 Act for the
Punishment of Vagabonds. Ironically, this legal pressure accelerated the transformation of
household players into professional troupes. Discuss.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
In 1599, the Chamberlain’s Men lost the lease they had at the Theatre in Shoreditch, which
prompted them to an amazing feat of architectural skill and daring. What was it?
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Chicken and egg: which comes first, great acting or great writing? Shakespeare’s
responsiveness to the demands of the ensemble was matched by the maturing talent of
Richard Burbage, four years his junior. We cannot say whether Shakespeare exploited or
formed in Burbage the ability to make the vocal leaps from the colloquial (‘Pray you, undo
this button’) to the operatic (‘Blow winds, and crack your cheeks’), but we can say the
whole course of Elizabethan drama was affected by it. Discuss.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Elizabethan actors were occupationally associated with two Renaissance obsessions:
change and changeability; and the world as a stage. As ‘characters’ became increasingly
singular, actors came even more under attack by many who believed the very act of
‘impersonation’ was not just against the laws of men , but also scripturally forbidden. The
actor was both an image of deceit and the exposer of deceit in the world. Discuss.
VOCABULARY
Renaissance
Intermezzi
perspective scenery
Commedia dell’Arte
Commedia Erudita
New Comedy
Old Comedy
Rozzi
lazzi
dilettante
comici
capocomico
tiring house
vernacular
polymetry