Theatre 100 November 6 2012 Epic Theatre Surrealism Emerges from Dadaism Movement started in the art world of the 1920s Salavdor Dali Dreamlike Juxtaposition Idea of hot scorching desert clock and having it melt Theatre of Cruelty Invented by Antonin Artud in his book Theatre and It s Double Seeks a connection of a more primal experience for audiences and actors Wants to destroy current theatrical practices so it may begin anew Don t do shows without relevance Burned all post theatre s Stat Flesh Point is to make you feel something Best seen in the surrealist films in 1920s Bunel created juxtaposition in his early films to get a reaction fro the audience Erwin Piscator Famous director Proletarian Theatre Political and meant to instigate social change Utilized multi media Staging techniques which are still used today Doesn t want an audience to be emotionally affected Bertolt Brecht German playwright Felt stories are episodic in nature Creates learning pieces Believes audiences should be alienated from story Ex Mother Courage and her Children Alienation effect tell audience you are spectators these are actors not get emotionally involved Caucasian chalk circle A Marriage of Ideas Emerges from directors Russia s Vladimir Meyerhold Germany s Erwin Piscator Playwright Bertolt Brecht Epic Theatre is born Epic Theatre 1 Must alienate the audience 2 Must never adhere to realism 3 Must always remind the audience it s a theatrical piece 4 Must always intigate social change Theatre of the Absurd 15 20 year movement 1945 1960 Broadway Largely centered theatrical community West end 1914 The Great War 37 5000 000 deaths Germany vs France Yellow journalism William Hearst 1928 Global Depression 12 000 000 1933 Hitler Elected Chancellor Humanity killing humanity 1939 Invasion of Poland Helman 1st successful playwright on Broadway Watch on the Rhine 1941 The Holocaust 78 000 000 Movie Night and Fog Hiroshima and Nagasaki 22 500 Samuel Beckett 1906 1989 Waiting for Godot 1949 KINDESS Becket pause Eugene Ionesco 1909 1994 The Bald Soprano 1950 LAUGH Domestic Theatre African American Theatre Sub Humanity Identity Fuels African American Theatre for a large part of history Grand Total 127 524 903 lives killed in 31 years Man s inhumanity to man Not really a human Not really an animal Constitution s Article 1 section 2 Have to wait till the 1960s to fully be able to vote Reconstruction Laws 3 5 a person The Minstrel Show 1700s Thomas Rice as Jim Crow White actors donning Blackface Comedic in tone Mocked African Americans Created a stereotype Step Forward Paul Robeson Lawyer Rhodes Scholar Artist Activist 1927 Showboat 1930 Othello in London 1959 Othello in NYC Predecessor of Ira Alridge Old man River song Theatres were segregated as well Playwrights Lorraine Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun George Wolfe The colored Museum Film and Television Nicholas Brothers Harlem Renaissance August Wilson The Pittsburgh Cycle Account of the African American experience Each play set in a different decade from 1900 1990 s All set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh PA Directed by Lloyd Richards Lloyd Richards First African American actor to work on Broadway Fences 1983 Pittsburgh PA 1950 s Hill District Competition between Father and Son over attention Use of Griot August Wilson s most universal play Early Female Voices Women in peril Dominant shrews Since life was dominated by men no real female voices Pro Women Shaw Ibsen and Euripides Modern Playwrights Lorraine Hansberry African American women Lillian Hellman Women in positions of power Criticizes America Considered to be un American and communist Shows women in power The Children s Hour Wendy Wasserstein Jewish Women In any play dealing with Gay and Lesbian prior 1960 the gay character has to go to jail kill them or get killed Eve Ensler The Vagina Monologues 1996 Creates V Day Major actresses participate in readings Brings strong attention to domestic violence and violence against women It was rape it was a good rape monologue Early Gay Voices Looked upon as shameful and sinful Plays dealing with homosexuality were banned in most areas Pro Gay Voices Wilde Porter Coward Hart Modern Playwrights Robert Anderson Shameful homosexuality Tennessee Williams Blatant homosexuality Mart Crowley Open homosexuality Terrence McNally Heterosexual vs Homosexual The Boys in the Band Mark Crowley Larry Kramer Angry playweight Brings attention to the AIDS crisis Found inspiration from the Dachau Concentration Camps Creates ACT UP The Normal Heart Angels in America Aids and the 1980 s Millennium Approaches Sexual revolution o 1970 s o Coming out about premarital sex masturbation erotic fantasies pornography use and sexuality o Sexuality o Sex would not kill you was embraced with a try anything once policy Homosexuality o Kinsey says 46 of men responded to persons of both sexes o Pre stonewall shame o Post stonewall celebration o Bath houses o The Ramblings HIV AIDS o Destroys the immune system o 1978 US men start dying Patient Zero o 1981 recognized by the CDC o 1985 Reagan mentions AIDS Rock Hudson dies o Celebs take up the cause Rock Hudson 1925 1985 o Romanic comedies o Everyone thought he was straight o He came out and said he had AIDS a month later he died Ronald Reagan Roy Cohn o Return to America o Return to conservative value o Fix the damage done by Johnson Nixon and Carter o High social circles o Wife Nancy is very influential o Closeted homosexual o Most feared in man in politics o Convicted Rosenberg s o McCarthy s right hand man o Charged multiple times with professional misconduct Joe and Harper Pitt o Mormon o Utah in NY o Married young o Prayer o Delusions o Can you love gender but be attracted to another o How much can you ignore Louis and Prior o Prior HIV positive o Louis is afraid o If your partner was deathly ill would you stick around Musical Theatre Up to 1964 Musical theatre is up to the cultural landscape Why study it 1 Baseball jazz and musical theatre are America s greatest contributions to culture 2 We do this better than anyone else 3 Musicals blow the dust off you soul Mel Brookes 4 The foundation of entertainment in American culture Who is needed Composer writes the music Lyricist writes the lyrics of the song Librettist writes the dialogue between the songs Choreographer creates the dances Director supervises the show Producer gives the money If a musical fails it is usually the librettist fault Prior the 1980 s one person produces musical 30 40