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History of Theatre
Western theatre started in Greece in about 500
B.C. These performances were often part of
celebrations to honor the god, Dionysus. The
dramas rarely had more than three actors (all male),
who played the different roles using masks. There
was a chorus on the stage most of the time which
sang songs and sometimes spoke in unison. As far
as we know, most dramas were staged just a single
time as part of a drama contest. Such contests
were always held during religious festivals, and
competed for a prize awarded by a panel of judges.
History of Theatre
The actors wore large masks, which were very colorful.
Western theatre started in Greece in about 500
B.C. , and were often part of celebrations to honor
the god, Dionysus. The dramas rarely had more
than three actors (all male), who played the
differeroles using masks. There was a chorus on
stage most of the time which sang songs and
sometimes spoke in unison. As far as we know,
most dramas were staged just a single time as part
of a drama contest. Such contests were always h
during
A mosaic depicting a scene from Meander’s “Women at Breakfast.”
History of Theatre
Their masks represented public, easily recognizable
figures -- the Hero, the Soldier, the Lover, the Old Man,
the Clown -- and those characters were expected to
behave according to particular agreed upon rules.
History of Theatre
The acoustics in some Greek theaters were so great
that a person in the back row could hear a whisper.
Actors also wore thick, padded clothing, and shoes with
thick soles. This made them seem larger, so the
audience could see them better when seated in the
uppermost rows of the amphitheatre.
History of Theatre
Greek Theater of Taormina - Thanks to David
The Greek Theatre - Built by the Greeks in the third
century BC. It is one of the most famous ancient theatres in
the world and one of the largest in the Mediterranean.
Undisputed symbol of the city, is found on a hill from which
the viewer can enjoy a breathtaking view, ranging with our
gaze across the jagged promontory overlooking the Ionian
Sea, until the majestic volcano Etna.
Theatre built by the Greeks in Taorimina – 300 B.C.
(Ionian Sea and Mount Etna in the background.)
History of Theatre
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre – In the years after the decline of the
Greek city states and the rise of power of the Roman
empire, theatre continued. Generally speaking, the
Romans were not as creative or innovative as the
Greeks. They tended to copy the Greek plays, but they
carried on many of the dramatic conventions that the
Greeks had begun. And more than anything else, they
loved theatre.
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre Plays were only performed during religious ceremonies
and religious festivals. However, since the ancient
Romans celebrated over 200 holidays a year, there were
many opportunities for plays to be staged. Someone
had to pay for the play, as actors received a small fee.
Usually a wealthy noble would pay the bill, in honor of
the gods, and give the play to the people as a gift.
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre Plays were only performed during religious ceremonies
and festivals. However, since the ancient Romans
celebrated over 200 holidays a year, there were many
opportunities for plays to be staged. Someone had to
pay for the play, as actors received a small fee. Usually a
wealthy noble would pay the bill, in honor of the gods,
and give the play to the people as a gift.
One of the problems with Roman audiences, however,
were that they were often rude. They rarely applauded
and often booed or hurled insults at the actors.
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre –
The actors were men. Each actor played several roles.
They wore simple costumes that could be changed
quickly and in public. The actors held up happy face
masks and sad faced masks, to help the audience
understand what was going on in the play. Over time,
masks became very elaborate.
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre –
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre –
This mosaic shows a group of actors in costumes and masks. The piper
is dressed as a woman and will be wearing the white mask of a female
character. Another actor is being helped into his costume.
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre – Although the Romans tended to
copy Greek plays, they did create a few new styles of
performance, including mime and pantomime. In
these productions, an actor would dance and tell a
story without speaking while others sang and played
music.
History of Theatre
Roman Theatre – Located in France (or Gaul) this theatre
could seat up to 9,000 people. The massive wall at the back
of the stage once had 76 decorative stone columns and
three doors through which the actors made their entrances.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – With the eventual collapse
of the Roman Empire, much of the drama that the
Romans and Greeks developed fell by the wayside.
Early Christians viewed Theatre as immoral and did
much to destroy it. Perhaps they did not distinguish
between regular plays and the spectacle of gladiatorial
combats. Once Emperor Constantine became emperor
(306 AD), he abolished all theatrical performances.
So actors and theatre-people gave up much of what
they learned. Some got by on doing pantomimes or
skits and others wandered from town to town doing
songs and tricks of skill.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages - Ironically, the Christian
Church, which had largely been instrumental in the
destruction of theatre was responsible for bringing
theatre back into popularity.
(Middle Ages started around 500 A.D.)
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages - Ironically, the Christian
Church, which had largely been instrumental in the
destruction of theatre after Roman times was
responsible for bringing theatre back into popularity.
Like the Greeks before them, Christians resorted to
theatre out of religious ritual.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – In Europe around 800
A.D., spectacle was introduced to go along with the
liturgy of regular church services. Action and dialogue
were added to make the certain great events in the life
of Christ more vivid to the congregations.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – Often these little liturgical
plays were very popular with the people and crowds
surged into churches at Christmas and Easter. Oddly
enough, church authorities became annoyed by all these
spectators inside the churches.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – Often these little liturgical
plays were very popular with the people and crowds
surged into churches at Christmas and Easter. Oddly
enough, church authorities became annoyed by all these
spectators inside the churches. Pope Innocent III
(around 1200 A.D.) ordered dramas to be performed
outside. This only lead to larger and more elaborate
dramas.
History of Theatre
Oberammergau Passion Play – (since 1633)
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – There were also works of
drama developed during this time called Miracle Plays.
They were used to teach about the lives of the saints.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – There were also works of
drama developed during this time called Miracle Plays.
They were used to teach about the lives of the saints.
The miracle plays were often presented from four or
six wheeled wagons that would travel from town to
town. The actors would travel along with the wagons.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – Often these pageant
wagons were two stories high. The lower part was the
dressing room and the second story served as the
stage.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – Often these pageant
wagons were two stories high. The lower part was the
dressing room and the second story served as the
stage.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – The miracle plays were
popular from about 1200 until the late 1500s. They
finally lost their popularity when plays based on the
plays of Roman and Greek playwrights were revived.
During the Middle Ages another type of play, the
Morality Play, also began to flourish. Similar to the
miracle play, these dramas contained characters who
were not individuals but personified abstractions – for
example - Everyman, Good Deeds, Knowledge, Death,
and Beauty.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages – One of the best known
surviving Morality Plays is titled Everyman. It is a
dramatized allegory. In the drama, the character of
Everyman, a typical human being who has neglected his
spiritual life, repents his sins in time to be saved.
A woodcut of Death leading
Everyman to his Final Reckoning.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Middle Ages –
A version of the play performed in
2006 in Saltzburg, Austria.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance –
As the centuries passed,
theatre became more
interested in non-religious
topics and it also revived
some of the plays from the
Greek and Roman eras.
Groups of players would
ally themselves with nobles
or universities and perform
plays on a variety of topics.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance
–
At first plays were
produced by wandering
troupes of actors that
would set up a small stage
at an inn or tavern yard.
People could stand in
front of the stage or
watch from the balconies
at the side.
History of Theatre
Yet, theatre companies were still somewhat
beyond the pale of normal society during
this time. Fear of plague that might be
carried by the traveling companies, as well as
the possibility of civil unrest that might be
started by patrons who had too much to
drink, made civil authorities sometimes ban
the performance of plays.
History of Theatre
Theatres were also associated, in the minds of
merchants, with temptation for idle apprentices to
while away their time watching entertainment
instead of working. In the view of the wives of
play-goers, theatres were associated with the
women of ill-repute who frequented the areas
surrounding the play-houses. Ultimately, these
concerns led to the licensing of official companies
by the throne, and the domination of theatre by
the state.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance –
The establishment of large
and profitable public theatres
was an essential enabling
factor in the success of
Renaissance drama—once
they were in operation, drama
could become a fixed and
permanent rather than a
transitory phenomenon. The
crucial initiating development
was the building of The
Theatre in 1576.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance –
Once this theatre became
profitable in London, many
other companies were
formed, including the
Chamberlain’s Men, William
Shakespeare’s company.
During this period many
significant changes occurred in
theatres and theatre
production. Advances were
made in scriptwriting,
costuming and set design.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance – In Italy, Commedia
dell’Arte developed after about 1550. In this form of
theatre, traveling troupes would create a scenario and
then improvise various scenes using proven comic
routines and comic bits called lazzi .
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance – These Commedia
dell’Arte troupes would often have stock characters
who would perform these lazzi.
Some of the characters included:
Pantalone – the old man, a fool
Dottore – the doctor, a drunk or glutton
Capitano – braggart soldier
Inamorati – the young lovers – the only "normal"
characters
"zanni" -- foolish servants; Harlequin (or Arlecchino)
was the most popular
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance –
a late 16th-century Flemish painting .
Commedia dell'Arte troupe Gelosi in
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance –
The Pantalone and the Zanni.
History of Theatre
Drama of the Renaissance –
The plots of the plays were
usually basic and unscripted.
They were held outside and
few props were used. Since
the productions were
improvised and held together
with Lazzi, dialogue and action
could easily be changed to
satirize local scandals, current
events, or regional tastes,
while still using old jokes and
punch lines.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century – Theatre continued to
progress, although there were times when theatres
were closed down due to fears of plague and civil
unrest.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century – Theatre continued to
progress, although there were times when theatres
were closed down due to fears of plague and civil
unrest. For example, in 1642, six years before the
execution of Charles I, Parliament closed the theatres
in England and, until the Restoration of Charles II to
the throne in 1660, there was little of theatre in that
country.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century –
Nevertheless, theatres began
to display the proscenium style
of architecture, although the
forestage remained the
principal place where the
acting took place, and the area
behind the proscenium was
reserved for the display of
scenery changes which were
slid into view by means of
panels on tracks.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century –
Theatres began to display the
proscenium style of architecture,
although the forestage remained
the principal place where the
acting took place, and the area
behind the proscenium was
reserved for the display of
scenery changes which were slid
into view by means of panels on
tracks. It was also during this
time, when theatre was designed
specifically for royal pleasure, and
that meant that theatres began to
be roofed in.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century –
It was also at this time, in countries such as France
women started to appear in theatrical
productions.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century –
It was also at this time, in countries such as France
women started to appear in theatrical
productions.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century – The
best known playwright of the
century is undoubtedly Jean
Baptiste Poquelin de Moliere.
Many consider him to be France’s
greatest playwright. His 27 plays
poked fun at hypocrisy, greed and
arrogance. His plays were so
admired by King Louis XIV that
he actually acted in several.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century – The
best known playwright of the
century is undoubtedly Jean
Baptiste Poquelin de Moliere.
Many consider him to be France’s
greatest playwright. His 27 plays
poked fun at hypocrisy, greed and
arrogance. His plays were so
admired by King Louis XIV that
he actually acted in several. His
plays are continually performed
even in the 21st Century.
History of Theatre
Drama of the 17th Century – It was at the time
of the Restoration of the Crown in England
(1660), that women first began to appear on the
English stage (remember the French were doing it
already?), instead of female roles being played by
young men. Although theatres were again licensed
by the state, with the dawn of the 18th Century
approaching, it would not be long before the
popularity of theatre would increase. First, it was
to property owners and merchants, and then
ultimately to the masses.