Theatre 2 History

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Theatre 2 History
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A. Medieval Theatre

• A. Middle Ages
• 1.Drama developed differently in Europe.
• 2.Earliest evidence of medieval theatre came in
  the form of liturgical dramas in the late 10th
  century A.D.
• 3.Christianity, specifically the Roman Catholic
  Church, established prohibitions against secular
  drama.
• A. This action suggests the existence of other
  types of performing arts.
• acrobatics
• mimes
• dancers

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B. Liturgical Drama

• 1. 1st began as a question and answer song
  performance by monks on Easter.
• A. Originally performed in Latin, later
  translated to the vernacular of a region.
• B. Originally performed by priests, choirboys,
  and nuns. Later, members of the congregation
  were invited to perform.
• C. Popular entertainment during the Easter
  service. Later, became self-sustained Christian
  tradition.

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B. Liturgical Drama

• 2. Saint Mystery Plays
• A. Very popular form of church drama
• B. Saint Playsbased on legends and tales of the
  saints
• C. Mystery Playsbased on biblical history

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B. Liturgical Drama

• 3. Passion Plays
• A. Drama about the last week of Christ's life
  (ex. The Passion, Jesus Christ Superstar)

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C. Mansions

• 1. Stages in churches set on elevated platforms.
• A. Represented biblical settings (i.e. Heaven,
  Hell, Temple of King Solomon)
• popularity of these plays moved them into town
  squares and out of the churches.
• A. Mansions placed in a straight line
• B. Some stages were permanent
• C. Evidence exists of touring troupes who
  traveled and performed in various towns/cities.

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D. Craft Guilds

• 1.Late 14th century, became dominant presenters
  of Saint Mystery plays, in England.
• A. Most were performed during the festival of
  Corpus Christi
• B. Instituted in 1311 A.D.
• 2.Guilds were secular (not religiously
  affiliated) in nature but member were associated
  with the church.
• 3.Each guild presented one part of the biblical
  text (i.e. the shipwrights presented the Noah
  pageant)

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E. Pageant Wagons

• 1.Craft Guilds toured on these mobile stages on
  wheels.
• 2.Most were divided into two levels
• A. Upper Level used as the main platform
  plying space
• B. Lower Level functioned as the dressing
  room and properties storage space.

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Pageant Wagons

• 3. Pageant wagons were often decorated according
  to which play in the cycle was presented.
• A. Cycle a series of short plays depicting
  religious history from Creation through
  Armageddon.

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F. Folk Drama

• 1. Developed clandestinely and simultaneously
  with secular drama.
• A. 1st recorded in the 12th century A.D.
• 2. Performed during planting time, harvest time,
  and Christmas.
• Some stories herald back to the Gaelic and
  pagan traditions of pre-christian
  Europe.
• Tales of the Fey, faeries, leprechauns, etc.
• 3. Presented as folk festivals to hide their
  non-church sanctioned entertainments
• A. Robin Hood plays arose out of these
  performances (c. 1300 A.D.)

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G . Morality Plays

• 1. Didactic in nature.
• A. Taught difference between right wrong
• God Satan's war for souls.
• 2. Took the form of allegories.
• A. Symbolic characters representing
• abstract qualities
• EverymanHumankind
• Only morality play still performed today.

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H. Moral Interludes

• 1. Shorter than Morality plays.
• 2. Included more lighthearted and humorous
  characters situations.
• 3.Presented by secular dramatists.
• A. 1st acting companies...their primary
  occupation!
• B. Came under the patronage of
  nobility(royal sponsorship).

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Vocabulary

• Liturgy- customary public worship done by a
  specific religious group, according to their
  particular traditions.
• Didactic- intended as a means to instruct/teach.
• Allegories- story in which people, things,
  happenings have another meaning, often
  instructive ( i.e., Brothers Grimm fairy tales)

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Renaissance Drama

• (Renaissance means Rebirth) The Renaissance
  describes the transitions from the medieval to
  modern world.

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I . RenaissanceItaly

• A. Italian advances in drama
• Architecture development
• Stage equipment development
• Perspective colored lighting introduced
• B. OperaAttempt to revive the simplicity
  humanism of ancient Greek Drama.
• 1.Scholars in Florence, Italy attempted to
  recreate the chorus music of ancient Greek
  drama.
• 2.Music was designed to emphasize words.
• A. Solo vocal line
• B. Simple instrumental accompaniment
• 17th CenturyOpera imitated by England France

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RenaissanceItaly

• C. Commentate Dell'arte-- (Comedy of the
  Profession)
• 1.Comic improvisation troupes
• A. New interests in theatre during the 16th
  through 18th centuries
• taste in drama similar to ancient Rome
• B. Manager led troupesoften wrote
  scenarios for performances

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RenaissanceItaly

• 2. Comic Scenarioplot outlines posted
  backstage before each performance.
• A. Commedia troupes mastered comic scenarios
• B. Scenarios were detailed plot outlines that
  included lazzi certain memorized lines
• LazziHumorous bits of stage business. (Ex.
  Stage action continues while a comic actor
  laboriously tries to catch a fly.)
• Most scenarios were based on comic intrigue
  involving fathers who put obstacles in the way
  of their childrens' romances.
• Troupes learned stock jokes, proverbs, songs,
  and speeches such as declarations of love,
  hate, and madness.

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RenaissanceItaly

• 3. CommediaSocial Class/Characters
• A. All Commedia characters
  represented two (2) social classes
• Upper class
• Servant class
• B. Characters identified by costumes and masks
• 1. Innamorati Innamoratae Beautifully
  dressed young lovers, speak refined language.
• ONLY characters not to wear masks.
• C. Commedia stock characters evolved into
  modern characters
• 1. Pulcinella foolish character with hooked
  nose peaked hat. Ancestor of Punch from
  Punch and Judy Shows. (puppet shows popular in
  Great Britain in the 18th 19th centuries.)
• 2. Pedrolino Male servants, eternal
  moonstruck lover, sad gentle, too romantic
  sad. Later called Pierrot paired with
  Pierrette, his devoted sweetheart.
• 3. Pagliacci Male servant, comedian who makes
  other laugh while his heart breaks.
• 4. Scaramuccia Ancestor to the wicked
  mustached villain. Later called Scaramouche.

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II. Renaissance Theatre elsewhere in Europe

• A. Spain Written Drama
• Notable authors of the period
• 1. Cervantes (1547-1616)
• 2. Lope de Vega (1562-1635)
• 3. Calderon (1600-1687)
• Don Juan DemarcoSpain's foremost theatrical
  contribution. Based on Spanish legend.

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Renaissance Theatre elsewhere in Europe

• B. France Professional theatre developed,
  patrons of the state.
• Notable plays of the period
• 1. The Cid--Corncille (1606-1684)
• 2. The Miser
• 3. The Misanthrope--Moliere (1622-1673)
• 4. The Imaginary Invalid
• 5. Phaedra--Racine (1639-1694)
• C. Miscellaneous Traveling Players Life of
  Drama
• 1. Performed in village squares
• 2. Performed before nobility in castles
• 3. Create melodramatic history plays, rowdy
  comedies romantic comedies
• These plays are the origins of later
  generations great dramas.

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III.RenaissanceEngland

• A. Elizabethan Age Climax of Renaissance Drama
• 1. DramaExpression of the soul of a nation.
• 2. DramaVital force in lives of the people.
• B. English Playsmodeled after Roman Greek
  style.
• 1. Comedies
• A. Nicholas Udall (1504-1556) wrote Rolph
  Roister Doister (1552)
• modeled after the plays of Plautus.
• 2. Tragedy
• A. Gorbeduc (1562)--1st true English
  tragedy.

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RenaissanceEngland

• 3. Glorious Elizabethan Dramatists
• -Christopher Marlowe
• -Ben Jonson
• -William Shakespeare
• All still produced to this day.

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RenaissanceEngland

• 1. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)--killed in
  tavern brawl.
• A. Introduced 1st important use of blank
  (unrhymed) verse
• Mighty Line of poetic drama.
• B. Produced plays that present the glory
  horror of the age
• 1. Tambourlaine
• 2. The Jew of Malta
• 3. Edward II
• 4. Doctor Faustus
• Story of a man who sells his soul.
  Bridges the gap between medieval and
  renaissance ages.

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RenaissanceEngland

• 2. Ben Jonson (1572-1637)--master of English
  comedy.
• A. Widened the scope of the humors to
  Elizabethans, humor referred to a personality
  trait not an attitude of amazement.

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RenaissanceEngland

• Believed all matter, even the human body, to be
  made up of four elementsair, earth, fire, water.
• Each humor had its own effect on a persons
  personalitythe balance of elements in body
  determined personality.
• Black bile was the most interesting humor to
  Elizabethan playwrights
• -gtMelancholy characters fit into three main
  types
• The Lover (Ex. Romeo)
• The Malcontent (Ex. Iago)
• The Intellectual (Ex. Hamlet)

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RenaissanceEngland

• William Shakespeare ( 1564-1616)--Considered the
  Greatest Dramatist of all Time.
• A. Towering literary giant Shakespeare was
  not of an age, but for all time.-Ben Jonson
• Memorable characterizations
• Beautiful poetry
• Never to be forgotten lines.
• B. Plays were meant to be seen-not read!!
• Shakespeare's Audience loud, shouting their
  approval or hissing disapproval.
• Plays had to be exciting, moving or violent
• Filled with fury, humor and human truth

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RenaissanceEngland

• C. Shakespeare's Characters center of
  interest in plays.
• Felt emotions--gtlove, jealousy, ambition, joy and
  grief.
• Universal characters--gtspeak to the lives of
  people today as they had 400 years ago.
• Soliloquy--gtreveals characters inner most
  thoughts. Used to define a characters
  personality immediately.
• Soliloquy-- A speech delivered by an actor alone
  on the stage.
• A soliloquy is different from an aside, a
  speech performed so as not to be heard by the
  other actors on stage.

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RenaissanceEngland

• D. Elizabethan Playhouse
• Inspired by innyards (audience stood around a
  platform stage OR watched from rooms around the
  courtyard.)
• 1. Audience Area
• A. Multi-sided building.
• B. Two (2) levels for acting
• C. Three (3) levels for seating refined
  audience members occupied the gallery seats.
  The most expensive seats were next to, above, or
  even on the stage.
• Groundlings- members of the audience who paid a
  penny to stand in the pit area around the stage.
  Most were soldiers, apprentices, country folk and
  pick pockets.
• Pit Area- open to sky to supply sunlight (no
  electricity). In case of rain, floor sloped to a
  drain. The floor was a mixture of ash, sand,
  silt and hazelnuts. Audience ate nuts and apples.

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RenaissanceEngland

• Acting Area
• A. Unlocalized platform stage-five to six feet
  above pit floor. Little to no scenery was used.
  (lines from the play or a symbolic object used to
  indicate locale)
• B. Tiring House-gt behind stage dressing room
• C. Study-gt upstage center curtained recess
• D. Tarras ? Second level acting area, shallow
  balcony.
• E. Chamber ? used by musicians or audience.
• F. Heavens-gt roof supported by two ornate columns
  above stage.
• Sun, moon, clouds,stars zodiac signs painted on
  underside of roof