The History of Theater

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The History of Theater

• Play Production
• Mrs. Gugel

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Theater or Drama is one of the oldest art forms
known to humans!

• Drama tells a story through the speech and
  actions of characters in a story.
• It is a form of literature - it expresses
  thoughts in a creative way.
• Drama is effective because of its ability to give
  clarity to the human experience.

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4 Major Elements of Drama

• Feelings
• Desires
• Conflicts
• Reconciliations
• .are the major ingredients of the human
  experience...

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Early Types of Drama

• Shamanism
• priestly figure communicates with gods through
  ritual
• Employed elements of performance such as
  characterization, dialogue, music, dance,
  illusion, clowning, ventriloquism, and hypnotism
• Linked to origins of Western theater because of
  connection with the worship of the Greek god
  Dionysus

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Dance

• Expresses rhythms of life common to all humanity
• Included animal imitation, pantomime, gymnastics,
  and rhythmic movement
• Masks, costume, and sound heightened impact of
  dance

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Ritual

• Through the repeated, unvarying, and symbolic
  actions of ritual, early humans
• sought to achieve success in battle and hunting
• were able to ensure adequate rain and sun
• expressed their duty to the community and the
  gods

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Storytelling

• Myth and Stories
• Have entertained and educated human beings since
  the beginnings of language
• The Illiad and The Odyssey
• Greek epics by the poet Homer

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Forms of Drama

• Tragedy
• Serious Drama
• Melodrama
• Comedy

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Tragedy

• Mood that emphasizes serious intention
• Tragic hero
• Exceptional yet flawed individual brought to
  disaster and usually death
• Heros fate raises questions about meaning of
  existence, nature of fate, morality,
  social/psychological relationships

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Example of Tragedy
Romeo Juliet
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Serious Drama

• Developed out of tragedy
• Serious tone and serious purpose
• Concentrates on unhappy events
• Heroes
• More ordinary than tragic hero

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Melodrama

• Involves a villain who initiates actions that
  threaten characters with whom the audience is
  sympathetic
• Situations are extreme and often violent
• Endings are frequently happy
• Good and evil are clearly distinguished

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Example of Melodrama

• An Eye for an Eye

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Comedy

• Tries to evoke laughter
• Usually ends happily
• Can raise surprisingly serious questions

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Farce

• A form of comedy
• Sometimes considered a distinct dramatic form
• Uses ridiculous situations and broad physical
  clowning for humorous effect

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Some Examples of Farce

• Saturday Night Live

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Austin Powers
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The Structure of Drama
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6 Fundamental Elements

• Aristotle
• Poetics (300s B.C.)
• Identified elements of a tragedy to be
• plot
• character
• thought
• diction
• music
• spectacle

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Plot

• Summary of plays story overall structure of the
  play
• Most important element of drama
• Includes exposition
• gives audience information about early events,
  present situation, characters

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Plot (continued)

• Early in plot of most plays, author focuses on a
  question or a potential conflict
• Inciting incident sets the actions in motion
• makes audience aware of a major dramatic question

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Plot (continued)

• Complications
• Discoveries decisions that change the course of
  the action
• Complications lead to climax
• Previously concealed info partially revealed
  major dramatic question is answered
• Resolution
• Pulls together various parts of action to reach
  conclusion

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Character

• Principal material from which a plot is created.
• Incidents develop mainly through speech and
  behavior of dramatic characters
• Must be shaped to fit the needs of the plot, or
  plot must be shaped to fit needs of characters

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Thought

• Ideas and emotions implied by the words of the
  characters
• Also includes overall meaning of the play (theme)

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Diction

• Also referred to as dialogue
• Use of language to create thought, character, and
  incident

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Music

• Musical accompaniment or arranged pattern of
  sound that makes up human speech

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Spectacle

• Visual aspects of the play
• Scenery
• Costumes
• Makeup
• Stage lighting
• Props