Theatre History

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Theatre History
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Our Earliest Theater

• In our lives theater begins with make believe and
  storytelling

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Evolution Reasons for theater

• Storytelling
• Religion
• Rituals
• Little other entertainment
• Uneducated
• More superstitious

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Firsts

• First participant on record
• IKHERNOFRET
• 1860 Passion Play
• First Theatre
• In Crete between 1700 and 1400 B.C.

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Greek Theater

• Foundation of Theater

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Heritage

• Earliest some of the greatest plays still in
  existence came from the Greeks
• Thespis was the first actor known to speak
  alone
• More Greeks attended theater than any other
  civilization per capita
• By mid 5th century they had built a theater tha
  cold hold 15,000 people

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Why was theater so popular?

• Primitive man was closer to nature, intuition and
  creativity
• Plays were still evolving from religious rituals
• Earliest themes dealt with fate and the gods

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Theaters

• Greeks would often consolidate entertainment
  areas combining temples, sports stadiums, large
  theaters and odiums (small theaters)
• They would conform the theaters to the earth
• Amphitheater
• Were first made of wood but some collapsed so
  they then made them of wood

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3 most Famous Theaters

• Theater of Dionysus
• Built around 600 B.C.
• Holds approximately 15,000
• Theater at Epidarus
• Built approx 350 B.C.
• Best preserved
• Still hosts performances
• Holds 15,000
• Great acoustics whispers can be heard

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3 Most Famous Theaters (cont)

• Theater at Ephesus
• Built 3rd century B.C.
• Holds 25,000

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Greek Conventions (traditions)

• Citizens chorus
• Violence would happen offstage with a messenger
  sent to report it
• Every character wore a mask
• Pronounced their features
• Would pick the most important expression of their
  character
• Hurt variety and realism but stimulated
  imagination
• Make a Mask!

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Greek Playwrights their plays

• Greek plays are still performed but not as much
• The Greek language doesnt translate well
• Western Americans didnt typically show as much
  emotion so the plays felt phony overdone

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Greek Playwrights their plays (cont)

• Tragedy Playwrights
• Aeschylus earliest dramatic texts
• First playwright to have 2 actors speak to each
  other
• Plays explained how Greece went from a primitive
  society focused on revenge to a civilized society
  with a court system
• Emphasized the chorus and used them to express
  what the citizens thought
• Works Oresteia, Prometheus Bound

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Greek Playwrights their plays

• Sophocles
• Emphasized individual characters
• How the individuals felt
• 1st to use 3 speaking actors
• Works Oedipus Rex (considered most famous play
  in history)

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Greek Playwrights their plays

• Euripides
• Very modern but not respected in his time
• Often chose Taboo subjects
• Works The Trojan Women, Medea

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Greek Playwrights their plays

• Comedy Playwrights
• Aristophones
• Known for satires of Greek society politics
• Works Birds, Clouds, Frogs

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Greek Playwrights their plays

• Menander
• Last great Greek playwright
• Wrote over 100 plays but only one complete work
  still exists today
• Works The Grouch

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Satyr Plays

• Short comic relief plays presented at the end of
  tragedies
• Like cartoons
• Satyrs were half man half beast characters
• Greek plays expressed conflict between man and
  fate and man vs man
• The characters were heroes
• The actors usually sang their speeches