Download Slide 1

Theater
Chapter 10:
Broadway Comes Alive
The Rise of the Musical
the musical was the most popular
theatrical form in the USA during the
20th century. Musical Comedy did not
emerge as a distinct type until the late
19th century.
The Earliest Musical
Comedies
•Emphasized romantic appeal of exotic
places or situations
•Used stories primarily as excuses for song
and ensemble numbers
•Emphasized spectacular settings, songs,
dances, chorus girls.
2 Big Musicals
Show Boat (1927): one of the first
musicals to combine solid story and
characterization driven by a musical
score.
Oklahoma! (1943) Often considered
the first work to integrate music, story,
dance, and visual elements in order to
forward the dramatic action.
Years immediately following WWII represented the
Golden Age of the American Musical:
The Number of factors contributing
to the success of Musical Theatre:
• Offered a light alternative to the darker
dramas being written following WWII
• A single evening of theatre offered variety
• Musicals offered something for everyone.
2 Major Dramatists
 Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman, The
Crucible, All My Sons
 Thomas Lanier “Tennessee” Williams: Glass
Menagerie, Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof.
Tennessee Williams
Arthur Miller
Existentialism
• Philosophy based on the idea that religion,
society, and governments were failed
exercises because human beings are free
entities entirely responsible for their
existence and their actions.
Myth of Sisyphus
• The legend of a man condemned to
forever push a giant boulder up a hill, only
to watch it roll back down each time he
reaches the top. This legend was popular
among existentialist philosophers and
writers.
Theatre of the Absurd
• Inspired by the writings of Sartre & Camus.
• Truth = Chaos; lack of order, logic, certainty.
• Play structures abandon cause and effect
relationships
• Play structures reveal associational patterns
reflecting illogical and chance.
• Most influential playwright – Samuel Beckett
[Waiting for Godot] (1952)
Off Broadway
• Smaller, alternative theatre spaces
throughout New York. Many of these
performance spaces have been converted
out of basements, churches, and lofts.
They offer a wide range of theatrical
experiences at cheaper ticket costs and in
more intimate environments.
Off-Off Broadway
• Even smaller & more alternative New York
theatre spaces. These theaters have been
developed in bars and storefronts &
produce innovative & unusual plays for a
public looking for something different.
Obie Awards
• The Off Broadway Theatre
Awards. In 1956, The
Village Voice newspaper
created these as a means
of recognizing the talents of
Off-Broadway theatre
artists. In 1964, the Obies
began recognizing Off-Off
Broadway work as well.
National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA)
• founded in 1965 this US
government organization
encourages state and local
governments to create and
provided funding for the
arts. The NEA sets no tax
breaks for companies,
foundations, and
individuals who donate to
the arts.
Regional Theatres
• quality, professional theaters in major
cities throughout the country. They help to
provide jobs and creative outlets for
theatre artists who might never get the
opportunity to take their talents to New
York.
New York Shakespeare festival
• founded by Joseph
Pap, this is one of
the most successful
Off-Broadway
theatre companies.
Since 1957, the
festival has staged
free Shakespearean
productions in
Central Park.
Performance Art:
• a broad term for a highly theatrical form
that began gaining steam in the 1960s.
This type of art can be done by a group or
an individual & is often a mixed media
event where elements of visual art,
theatre, and music are combined in an
innovative way.
Cirque du Soleil:
• Highly
popular
theatrical
form that
uses top of
the line talent
to raise the
art form of
the circus to
a whole new
level.
Stomp:
• highly popular
theatrical experience
where performers use
their bodies and
everyday objects to
create heart pounding
percussive theatrical
shows.
Blue Man Group
• modern day performance art where the entertainers
literally cover their entire bodies in blue greasepaint
and treat their audience to an evening of percussive
rock music, flying food, a dazzling light show, tons of
paper, and of course audience participation.