Unformatted text preview:

Theatre Exam ReviewHISTORYA. Greek Theatre (Theatre very important, 167 theaters and centered in Athens)1. Origins of Greek Theatrea) City Dionysian celebrates Dionysus (home to the first form of theatre: Dithyrambs)b) *Thespis*- the first actorc) Dithyrambs were hymns in praise of Dionysia and included a chorus of 50 men and boys dancing and singing2. Types of Playsa) Comedies were about everyday people and had “happy ideas”(1) Aristophanes- big time Greek comedy playwright (wrote Lysistrata)b) Tragedies consisted of mytic kings, queens, and warriors and included a hero with a tragic charac-ter flaw(1) Main character wore elaborate clothing while the chorus dressed alike but only masks to dif-ferentiate their class, age, and status(2) 6 elements: Plot (complex vs. Episodic), Character, Thought/idea, Verbal Language, Music, Spectaclec) Satyr ’s were performed after tragedies and parodied mythical stories(1) There is only one extant, “Cyclops” which was part man part goat and attends Dionysus(2) Aeschylus added the 2nd actor and shrank the chorus; he focused on “fate”(3) Sophicles added the 3rd actor and focused on “hubris”(4) Euripides wrote disillusioned and violent plots3. Elements of Greek Theatrea) Theatron: Audience b) Orchestra: Stage/Dancing Placec) Skene: Backstage Aread) Parados: Entrance way- chorus movese) Thymele: altarf) Actors: All meng) Costumes: Masks show gender/race/job/class; Comedy = fallice; Chorus costumed alikeh) Special effects: Ekkylema (hidden platform); Mechane (crane- god characters)B. Roman Theatre1. Much more Comedy than the Greeks (Included mistaken identities & farce)2. Para Theatricals entertained the masses and kept them out of troublea) Beast fighting, Gladiatorial Combat, Naumachia (flooded theatre and had naval battles)b) Anti-theatrical prejudice in Rome (specially Christians were against forms of entertainment)C. Medieval Period1. After the fall of Rome the Roman Catholic Church Takes overa) Theatre was practically gone (500 years of no theatre)D. English Renaissance (Rebirth and return to classics of Greece & Rome)1. Well Known Theatresa) The Swan Theatre had 3 levels, thrust stage, balcony, and a tiring houseb) The Globe Theatre was Shakespeare’s theatre and caught on fire during Henry the 8thc) Blackfriars was indoors and in the city (built by shakespeare’s company)2. Elements of the Theatrea) 3 levels of seatingb) Thrust Stage; Overhand; Balcony (lords rooms); Columns; Tiring House (backstage)c) Not Much Scenery (stories told by words)d) Costumes: Actors wore clothing of their own time no matter what settinge) Audience was active, interactive relationship (they were poor, rich did not attend the theatre)3. Shakespeare was a lead playwright, actor & shareholdera) Richard Burbage: Famous Actor for Shakespeare4. Where were they performed?a) Private Playhouses: indoor, pricey, candlelitb) Public Playhouses: outdoor, bare stage, daylightISMS: NEOCLASSICISM, ROMANTICISM, NATURALISM, AND REALISM (after Shakespeare dies)A. Neoclassicism (boring)1. Rigid and rule based, classic Greek2. **Unity of Time, Place, & Action3. Had tragedy about nobilityB. Romanticism1. Consisted of revolutions which led to shifts in literature (Les Miz) (opposite of neoclassicism)2. Went against the law and had ugly characters that were virtuous3. Victor Hugo & Hemani4. Richard Wagner directed operas at the Beyreuth Opera house5. Melodrama involves middle class characters, threats that resolve in a happy ending, spectacle, and good is rewarded/bad is punishedC. Realism & Naturalism1. Naturalism was brought up by Emily Zola who said that theatre should be a slice of lifea) The germs under the microscopeb) Not long lived, boring and unsuccessful2. Realism focused on the artist and asks what happens when someone of a certain heredity exists in a certain environment (portrays stories of the middle class)a) Henrik Isbsen : A Dolls Houseb) Germs in a petri dishc) Changed theatre by including voluminous stage decorations and detailed sets3. Influenced by Industrial Revolution (urban, poor slums), photography, and interest to see the “real”4. Iconoclasts of 19th Centurya) Gregor Mendel : Father of Geneticsb) Karl Marx : Marxism/Communismc) Charles Darwin - Origin of species, survival of the fittestd) Sigmund Freud: unconscious/superegoe) August Comte: Father of Sociology5. Reactions to Realism:a) Futurism was violent and aggressive (short scenes)b) Expressionism featured motions & Feelings “Scream”(1) Sense of angst & suffering(2) Inner beauty replacing outer beautyc) DADA involved intensity, the idea that the world was nonsense, the thought that all logic and ra-tionality does nothing, and Hugo Ball (pushing the boundaries of art)(1) Against Logic; Chance; Non-sense6. Surrealista) Artaud (1) Theatre is instrumental(2) Wanted to shock audience(3) Catorsis: intense emotional experience. Get all the bad emotions out of youb) Brecht was a German playwright and director who was against capitalism(1) Alienation effect: create a distance between audience & stage(2) Juxtapose odd elements (placards that told you what was happening in the next scene, break-ing the 4th wall, keeping the lights on)(3) Theatre of crueltyWORLD THEATREA. Africa Theatre1. Pre-Colonial: Rituals, Ceremonies, Enactments2. Colonial: Usually western playwrights; supported by colonizing governmenta) Theaters looked like those of mainlandb) Adaptations such as Zulu Macbethc) *Purpose: “civilize” native people and teach colonials language (educate them)3. Post-Colonial: Building cultural identity outside of colonizersa) Indigenous languages; non-western formsb) Critiques of governmentc) Wole Soyinka Nigerian- Nobel Prize in Literatured) Ngugi wa Thiong (Kenyan): writes local languagese) Athol Fugard: Public Critique of apartheidB. Asian Theatre1. Very in context, historically remote, has language barriers, is geographically distant, has social and cultural codes, and has aesthetic value2. Synthesis of many skills, highly stylized, many theatrical conventions, not realistic3. Bunraku is traditional puppet theatre a) There is a chanter who recites all dialogue and narrates the story, there is a musician that plays 3 stringed instruments called shamisen, and there are puppets that are manipulated b) Low wall that actors stand beyond and the chanter and narrator are stage leftc) Chikamatsu :


View Full Document

UMD THET 110 - Theatre Exam Review

Documents in this Course
Notes

Notes

19 pages

Notes

Notes

2 pages

Canon

Canon

2 pages

RENT

RENT

18 pages

Canon

Canon

12 pages

Notes

Notes

10 pages

Final

Final

5 pages

Notes

Notes

2 pages

PEOPLE

PEOPLE

4 pages

Notes

Notes

1 pages

Load more
Download Theatre Exam Review
Our administrator received your request to download this document. We will send you the file to your email shortly.
Loading Unlocking...
Login

Join to view Theatre Exam Review and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view Theatre Exam Review 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?