Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Improvisational theatre wikipedia , lookup
Theatre of the Absurd wikipedia , lookup
Development of musical theatre wikipedia , lookup
Augsburger Puppenkiste wikipedia , lookup
Theatre of the Oppressed wikipedia , lookup
History of theatre wikipedia , lookup
Theatre of India wikipedia , lookup
Theatre of France wikipedia , lookup
American Theater Beg, borrow, and steal The Puritans were so much fun… • Under strict Puritanical control for much of their youth, theatrical performances in the American colonies were outlawed. • Viewing dramatic or comic plays was thought to influence the behaviour of the young and lead to maliciousness. • When actors persisted despite strict laws, audiences were fined for viewing the devilish acts. • In the early to mid 1700s, things started to change. • Tantalizing stories of the glamour of the English theatre arrived with each docking ship. • As rebellious attitudes against England grew, so did the acceptance of new ideas. • Subsequently, many amateur plays were produced, likely in courthouses or coffeehouses, though virtually no documentation exists. Freedom! • When the people won their freedom from Britain, American theatre was born. • There were few original American-written plays at the time. • The tried and true works of Shakespeare and other British writers became the staple of local actors. • The first American theatre was built in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1716, but its existence was brief. • The mortgage was foreclosed in 1723. It was later used to produce amateur college performances. • The first American theatre was built in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1716, but its existence was brief. • The mortgage was foreclosed in 1723. It was later used to produce amateur college performances. Early Days • Travelling in family groups was easy and inexpensive for early American actors. • Each family member had a special trade and several stock roles. • Actors outside the families married into these groups and new theatre families were produced. • Children acted at an early age, and gravitated naturally toward acting careers. Famous Names • A famous early American theatre family was the Barrymores. They bridged the gap between early American theatre and modern film. • Irish actor John Drew travelled to the states in 1846. He married actress Louise Lane and they had three children. • Their daughter Georgiana married Irish actor Maurice Barrymore. • Their famous children, Lionel, Ethel and John Barrymore became some of the stage’s household names. Drew Barrymore • Even as it grew, American theatre lacked its own identity. • Companies capitalized on European plays until the early 20th century when writers like Eugene O’Neill ( Mourning Becomes Electra, Long Day’s Journey Into Night ), Tennessee Williams ( A Streetcar Named Desire ), and Arthur Miller ( Death of a Salesman ) appeared. Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965) • Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. She wrote A Raisin in the Sun, a play about a struggling black family, which opened on Broadway to great success. • Hansberry was the first black playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics’ Circle award. Throughout her life she was heavily involved in civil rights. She died at 34 of pancreatic cancer.