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Challenges of Theatre History • Challenge: to cover 3-4 thousand years of theatre history across the globe in 3-4 weeks. We will be making generalizations• We will be focusing on western theatre, there is a lot of theatre going on all over world• We don't know a lot about theatre history because theatre is ephemeral• Sources of information about Greek theatre• Extant text: inexistent texts. Not many. Only 45 out of 1000. They are translations of translations. Only 4 confirmed playwrights. Limited evidence• Archeological remains of theatre- Plays from 5th century BC, but ruins of theatre from 4th century BC• Visual art-primarily vase painting (used masks, fallow-leather penis replicas used in comedies) -Visual evidence is in the eye of the creator. So we have to piece info together and make a• Written accountNONE of these provide accurate account of what went on behind stage.Greek Theatre• Based on Greek mythology• The Greek world: lots of mountains, not so big, a lot of water. Fairly isolated cities, seafaring peoplewith navy.• People from Greece visited all over, Africa• Each place developed its own local flavor.• The Spartans valued warfare, physical fitness• The Athenians were known as politicians, scholars, thinkers• Delphi: mystical orical• Characteristics Greeks Shared -language: Greek-competition-polytheistic: many different gods, but shared same set of gods-humanism: humans are at top of pyramid of everything. Can train human body and mind to become perfect.-trained mind and fit body-snobs: believed they were the best. To be civilized you had to speak Greece and believe in their gods.• First time in history of western theatre that we have proof they had all of things to make theater• Across Greece they had specific roles for men and women:• To vote and be a citizen you have to be native male. • To hold political office you have to be male.• Greatest kind of love was brotherly love (between solders)• Men were away at war a lot. • Women were believed to be promiscuous and ruled by passion• Women were supposed to stay home produce children and run household (not everyone lived their lives like this)• Men and women are not equals in society• Chronology• Trojan war- 1200 BCE• Thespis- 545 BCE• Playwrights: 525-385 BCE• Surrender of Athens 404 BCE• Rome came well after poeticsDionysia, Dithyrambs, and Thespis• City Dionysia• Religious festival, turns into 5 day play competition every march in Athens1.welcoming ceremonies 2,3,4. day the playwrites submitted their plays. Day 5. winner was determined• Celebrates Dionysus (god of wine)• First- Dithyrambs• Later- theatre• Dithyrambs• Hymns• Dancing, singing• Troupes of 50• Thespis• A dithyramb singer• He had brilliant idea to step out of chorus with a dialogue "the first actor" 536-533 BCE• He was huge success, eventually Dithyrambs died outThree types of plays• Comedy• Featured everyday people• Started with crazy "happy idea"• Had sex jokes, scatological (potty) jokes, lampooning famous people• Term comedy is from "komodia"= "revel song"• Satyr play: kind of like comedy• Satyrs are part man, part goat• Satyrs attend Dionysus, they love wine• Parodied mythical stories• One extant satyr play- Cyclops• Tragedy• Features mythic or heroic figures (gods, kings, heroes)• Kings, queens, warriors• The hero has a character flaw that will ultimately bring him down (usually)• Katharsis: the audiences response is to cry and purge, and then get on with life. The audience comesto a great realization (an epiphany)• From "tragodos"= "goat song" because the winner would win a goat, for sacrifice.Aristotle and The Poetics• Wrote the poetics in 335 BCE (give or take, because it looks like a first draft)• He was a philosopher• "The tragic effect (katharsis) is quite possible without a public performance or actors." • This tells us he's not talking about theatre, the poetics is designed to figure out how dramatic construction works, what makes tragedy effective. He liked to find out how things worked. The one he liked best was Oedipus.• 6 Elements of Tragedy • Plot (most important): the order of the actions/activities of the play• Character:• Thought/ Idea: (where characters express their viewpoints)• Verbal language• Music: song• Spectacle• Aristotle believes a tragedy doesn't need a lot of special effects• These 6 ideas are useful when analyzing a play• Other terms from the Poetics• The moment of Recognition: when the character realizes things are about to go badly• Peripety: the reversal of fortune (rich loses wealth, famous loses status). Usually happens at same time as moment of recognition. • Pathos• Simple plot- Episodic plot: easy to write, not well constructed• Complex plot: well constructed plot, beginning middle and end, makes sense, everything is working together• Katharsis:• Aristotle is writing about the plays that we are reading. • The plays were being changed by actors, that's why Lycurgus law was passed.Playwrights• Upper class men• Well educated• Not making money (doing it for recognition and pride, celebraty)• Actor and coach• Tragic authors-Submit 3 trageties+1 satyr play (tetralogy)• Comic authors-submit 1 comedy• Aeschylus (525-456 BC)• First playwright• Introduced the idea of the 2nd actor• Sophocles (496-406 BC)• Introduced the 3rd actor• Wrote Antigone and Oedipus• Euripides (485-406)• Wrote violent, sensational plays (we have more of his plays than any other playwright)• Wrote Media• Aristophanes• Our only comedy writer that we have play from• Wrote lyssestrataBehind the scenes: City Dionysia• Archon: selects plays , sponsors, and judges• Choregos• One of richest men• Paid to house, feed, and train the chorus• It was a Civic duty• Theatrones• Building manager• Tickets, enforcing rulesTheater PracticeMonday, October 26, 20092:26 PMThorikos, Epidarus, Athens• These cities had theaters. • Circle, reactangle theaters with great acoustics• Thorikos is oldest example of theater. (rectangle)• Not all from same time period.Physical space of theaterTheatron: where audience is sittingOrchestra: dancing place, where chorus was (in center) The stageSkene: a structure built behind playing area used for scenery and actors changing room. Also changed, first was


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UMD THET 110 - Challenges of Theatre History

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