EUROPEAN

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EUROPEAN
THEATRE HISTORY
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PART THREE
French Renaissance
Restoration
19th Century
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French Renaissance 1630 1700

• For Nobility Aristocrats
• The plays dealt with much more frivolous topics
• gossip, aristocratic humor, sex, social tastes,
  wit and other topics of an unemotional nature.
• Actors still not seen as acceptable

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MoliereJean Baptiste Poquelin

• Molieres father was the royal upholsterer
  furniture maker in the court of King Louis XIII
• When Jean Baptiste decided to become an actor,
  his father requested that he change his name so
  Jean would not embarrass either his family or the
  King's court.
• Acting was still an unacceptable profession in
  France.

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Plays by Moliere

• Moliere's works divided into two groups
• Farcical comedies
• (primarily influenced by the Commedia)
• The Doctor In Spite of Himself
• High comedies (comedy of character).
• Tartuffe
• The Miser
• The Imaginary Invalid

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Neoclassical Ideal

• Anything which happens on stage must be able to
  happen in real life,
• Every drama must preach a moral lesson by showing
  that good will be rewarded and that evil will be
  punished,
• There could be no mixing of dramatic styles -- a
  play was either a comedy or tragedy, but not a
  tragicomedy
• A play must observe the three unities (time,
  place and action), and
• A drama must be divided into five acts.

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Neoclassical Tragedy

• A tragedy must draw its characters from the
  nobility.
• The plot must deal with affairs of state (who
  will be the next king)
• the ending must be tragic (everyone dies)
• The dialogue poetic.

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Neoclassical Comedy

• A comedy should draw its characters from the
  middle and lower classes.
• The plot should deal with domestic affairs (a
  love story),
• The ending should be happy (everyone gets
  married)
• The dialogue should be written in prose.

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Proscenium Theatre

• Cardinal Richelieu built the Palais Cardina,
  Paris' 1641.
• Renamed Palais Royal after the Cardinal's death
  in 1642,
• Became the home of Moliere's acting company.

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RESTORATION (1660AD 1700AD)

• The restoration period began with the reign of
  King Charles II.
• Charles II had stayed in France during the
  Puritan rule.

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Comedy of Manners

• It was in France were Charles was introduced to
  the French style of theatre and brought this back
  with him.
• Was performed for the nobility
• Dealt with more frivolous topics
• Call Comedy of Manners

gossip,
aristocratic humor,
social tastes,
sex,
wit
other topics of an unemotional nature
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RESTORATION THEATRE

• Influenced greatly by the Italians.
• The theatre resembles proscenium arch theatres of
  today with one exception.
• The apron of the stage protrudes further into the
  audience.
• The protrusion of the stage allowed the audience
  to see and hear the actors better.
• This stage is a leftover from the Elizabethan
  Era.

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RESTORATION THEATREAudience

• the Pit where the rowdiest people sat.
• First introduced - the Boxes where high class
  people sat
• mostly ladies with there husbands
• the Gallery which was for the middle class.

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AUDIENCE

• Filled with self indulged aristocrats more
  interested in themselves then the play
• Rowdy and rude.
• Women known as Orange Wenches roamed the
  audience selling fruit as well as themselves.
• One reason for this imbalance of audience was the
  plays were not written for the common man

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LIGHTS AND SCENERY

• Candle light to create a different depth.
• The first reflected light

• Scenery was introduced

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MAKE UP

• Thick make up was used by both men and women.
• In comedies the make up was even bigger.

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FIRSTSCommercial Managers Star Performers

• Commercial Managers.
• First introduced during this time
• They managed the theatres and the people in them

• Stars
• The introduction of Stars
• Audience came not for the show but to see their
  favorite actor.

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WOMEN IN THEATRE

• The greatest contribution to the theatre - women
  on stage.
• Italy had used women on stage first - comedia
  dell arte
• England made this practice acceptable
• Women were considered actresses.
• Many of these women became actresses to promote
  there status as prostitutes to supplement their
  small income.
• Many became mistresses of high level aristocrats

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19TH CENTURY (1800AD 1899AD)

• Romanticism - emotional escape into adventure,
  beauty, and sentimental idealism
• Variety of popular styles

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Realism

• Popular in the beginning of the era
• Attention to detail of plot line, sets, costumes
  and props.
• So specific that set changes sometimes took a
  very long time.
• Even exotic animals where used in the plays

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Melodrama

• Most popular style of theatre of the era.
• Developed first in France and Germany
• Plots where unbelievable
• Scenes marked with spectacular special effects.
• Intense action was a favorite of the common man.
  

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OPERETTA

• Gilbert and Sullivan
• Wrote operettas in melodrama style
• Pirates of Penzances

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Naturalism

• Naturalism grew out of a creative need to move
  away from the melodrama.
• Realistic scenes dealing with people in natural
  settings.
• A selected view of real life
• Plays did not receive much attention at first but
  then grew in popularity

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• Henrik Ibsen
• Commented on social problem
• Position of women in a male dominate society
• A Dolls House

• Anton Chekhov
• Pivotal at introducing the idea of realistic
  acting
• The Cherry Orchard

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• George Bernard Shaw
• Wrote satire cutting wit exposing life problem
  and pretentious through laughter
• Pygmalion My Fair Lady

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Actor / Manager

• Actors managing their own careers and their own
  companies.

Richard Mansfield
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Electric Light

• Prior to electric light gas was used starting
  in 1803.
• This allowed directors to have the stage
  completely dark if they chose.
• In Paris 1843, The Paris Opera house first
  experimented with electric light
• Savoy theatre in England that became the first
  theatre to use electric lighting

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Sets, Props and Costumes

• Became more grand and elaborate.
• Costume became and even more important part of
  the development of the character.

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Box Sets

• Side walls from back wall to edge of dawn stage

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Konstantin Stanislavsky

• Famous as an actor and director.
• Created a system of acting that is still used
  today.
• Wrote a book called The Actor Prepares which
  was called The Bible by actors.
• The Method

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AMERICA

• Vaudeville Comedy song and dance acts with
  costumes and make up

• Minstrel Shows Comedy song and dance acts with
  costumes and performers in black face make up

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