Download Primitive Theatre

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Primitive Theatre
*Write down anything underlined
on each slide.
*This should go in your notes, which are
subject to a note check at any time
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“Bye, Bye Birdie”
• You might think
of plays by
Shakespeare,
like Romeo
and Juliet
• You might
think of
musicals, like
Bye, Bye Birdie
or Oklahoma!
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“Romeo & Juliet”
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• Or, you might think of
actors in costumes from
different time periods
Marcel Marceau
• Or you might think
of mimes, dressed
in black and white.
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• There is no simple definition for theatre!
• Theatre BEGAN thousands of years ago,
probably before the start of recorded history.
• Early cultures used ritual, dance, and
storytelling to communicate.
• Theatre is one of the humanities; it attempts
to answer the questions: “Who am I?” “Why
are we here?” and “Where are we going?”
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MOST IMPORTANT!
• Theatre is believed to originate
from:
–Myths
–Storytelling
–Rituals
–Dance
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During Early Development…
• Societies become aware of things they cannot
explain, such as natural disasters.
• Members of the societies may attribute these
events to sources such as supernatural or
magical forces for lack of better explanation
• Cultures search for ways to win
the source’s favor.
• Connections between actions
performed (like a rain dance)
and events (like rainfall) prompt
the society to formalize and
adapt ceremonies or rituals
• A common theme is the
relationship between gods and
humans
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Rituals
• A repeated action
• Symbolic significance
• Evokes emotions
• Through rituals, early humans wanted to:
Achieve success in
battle and hunting
Ensure adequate
sun and rain/needs
Express their duty to
the community and
to the gods
Other Facts: Rituals
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• Rituals were often performed by elders, priests
or shamans.
• Rituals often told a story
based on the culture’s beliefs.
• These stories are usually
based in myth.
• Myths gained a life beyond the
original rituals,
• Stories that explain these things may
grow from the ritual and be acted out
• Performers may wear costumes and
masks to represent mythical characters
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• When societies figured out the science behind
these various events (such as earthquakes and
volcanoes) related to plate tectonics, do you
think they continued to observe these rituals
and ceremonies anyway or did they abandon
them?
– Why or why not?
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• Even when cultures figure out science
behind natural events, they may continue
to perform rituals as part of the culture
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– When this occurs, the first step to theatre
becoming a separate activity has taken
place!
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Storytelling
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• Myths and stories =
entertainment before written
word
• Stories were told in order to:
- TEACH HISTORY
- ENTERTAIN
- SETTLE ARGUMENTS
- HONOR THE GODS
- MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD
- COMMUNICATE EXPERIENCES
- RECORD HISTORY
(Choose and know at least 3 of these!)
• The ORAL TRADITION is a way in
which stories, events, etc. can be
transmitted without writing it down
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Are there any forms of oral
tradition or common storytelling in
our culture?
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Dance
• Dance is another probable origin of theatre.
• Dance comes from:
- animal imitation
- pantomime
- rhythmic movement
• Dance was often used as part of rituals.
Dance
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This photo shows a traditional Fijian Warrior
Dance – a ritual that uses dance showing the
outcome of battles.
How it happened:
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Myths
Stories
Rituals
Dance
Entertainment
Habit
Tradition
Theatre!
The First Drama
• The earliest example of ritual evolving into “theatre”
comes from Ancient Egypt.
• First dramatic production =
the Abydos passion play.
The Play at Abydos
is the story of Osiris.
(He’s the green guy dressed
all in white.)
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Historians found a stone tablet
depicting the Abydos Passion Play
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Storytellers
Homer
was
an
• Homer was a poet who may have been
ancient
Greek
epicSea (GREEK).
Homer’s
others!)
born on an
island in(and
the Aegean
poet,
traditionally
stories
provided
many
• He probably composed his works between
ideas
and
plots
said
to be
the
700 and of
800the
B.C.
for
playwrights
that
author
of the epic
• Homer was came
one of after
the first
storytellers to use
him!
poems,
The
Iliad
and
repetition and dialogue in his stories.
The Odyssey.
• Some elements found in performative
activities include:
– Time
– Place
– Participants
– Scenario
– Clothing, masks, make-up
– Sound
– Movement
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What is Culture?
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• activities and ideas of a group of people with
shared traditions, which are transmitted and
reinforced by members of the group
• Although historians have researched the
topic extensively, there is no way to
know exactly what occurred in
ancient cultures. Historians have done
their best to determine what might have
happened
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How did those historians figure all
this stuff out?
• Artifacts – cave paintings, vases, clothing, and
other surviving materials
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• There are performative/theatrical
elements present in every society.
• Examples:
– Political Campaigns
– Holidays
– Sporting Events
– Religious Ceremonies
• Some theatrical elements include:
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– Spectacle
– Dialogue
– Conflict
– Audience
– All of these don’t have to be present for an
event to have theatrical elements.
• Performative/theatrical elements can be
present even if it is not strictly theatre
designed for entertainment
Does this event have
theatrical/performative elements?
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Are there theatrical elements in a
classroom?
Are there any theatrical elements
involved in tv or using a computer?