10/23-Transition to Romanticism and Realism3 ENGLAND· 1642 Charles I beheaded by Puritans who establish commonwealth-o They shut down theatre· 1660 The Restorationo Charles II returns to England from France and brings with him women onstageo Neoclassicism- new classics§ Rigid and rule based§ Unity of time, place and action§ Purity of genre- tragedy about nobility and comedy lower classesRomanticism· Values imagination and emotion over rules and order.· Rousseau (1712-1778)- o Nature over civilization· Revolutionso 1776 in Americao 1789 in France· In literatureo The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frankenstein, Robin Hood,Zorro· On stageo Victor Hugo and Hernani (1830,)§ Claques- riots because the story is so unexpected and shockingo Melodrama§ Offshoot of romanticism§ Characteristics· Middle class or common characters· Black and white moral universe, where good is rewarded andbad is punished· Spectacle· Teach moral message· Temperance melodrama - discourage people from drinking§ Theatrical form that is most still with us today§ Under the Gas Light (1914 silent film melodrama)§ MazeppaRealism· Late 19th century· Industrial revolution· Urban poor and slums (further down it says realism is about middleclass), Naturalism is about poor *Can someone elaborate on what this issupposed to mean?(essentially both realism and Naturalism focus on the dulllifestyles of the middle/lower class, has a focus on ordinary speech, andeveryday drama, They differ in their views on where the power lies. NaturalismReal life is not interestingRealismFoundational Ideas- The artist…..o Asks what happens when someone with a certain heredity exists ina certain environment o Based the work on direct observation of contemporary life whichthe playwright shows impartially and objectivelyBased on a A Doll's House, what are the principles of realism- Stories of the middle class- Observation of contemporary life and manners- Contemporary settings and language- Contemporary social issues- No longer living in Shakespeare--Ibsen- During women’s suffrage movementstates that all events are an effect of the sum of external forces on theinternal decision making process, while realism assumes that the power ofchoice comes from within the individual.)· Technology and invention· Louis Daguerre and daguerreotypes (1839) o Photographyo Pin-hole camera 10/30Iconoclasts (destroyers of cultural beliefs, reformers) of the 19th century- Karl Marxo Studied economic patterns- Charles Darwin and Origin of the Specieso Natural selectiono Survival of the fittest- Sigmund Freudo How we are as kids turn up when we become adults (nature vs. nurture)o Predictable pattern of trait (id, ego, & super-ego).- August Comteo Father of sociologyo Pattern of social behavior- Empiricism:o Scientific method --the world can be explainedo Heredity and environmentFoundational Beliefs of Realism and Naturalism- Audience is like a doctor- Art to better humans- Naturalism--short lived form because life is boring- Realism- still real to us today- Truth is discoverable- Solutions can be found with scientific methodNaturalism: Emile Zola (1840-1902)- Theatre should be a "slice of life" on stage- The playwright and audience are like a doctor who looks at maladies tofind a cure.o The audience should go , "oh, that's interesting. We can fix thisproblem if we…." Emile Zolao "The Lower Depths" by Gorki- Not very successful- depressingHenrik Ibsen- Father of realism- Alternate ending to A Doll’s House (which Ibsen called a "barbarousoutrage")o "Oh this is a sin against myself, but I cannot leave them"- "A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is anexclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicialsystem that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view"-Ibsen- Controversial ending-leaves children and family behind Ways Realism changed Theatre- Voluminous stage directions and detailed set design- Andre antoine and the fourth wallo "the front of the stage must be a fourth wall, transparent for thepublic, opaque for the player"- Actor trainingConstantin Stanislavski- The system or the method- Direct observation on life- Foundation of acting- "the life of a character should be an unbroken line of events andemotions, but a play only gives us a few moments on that line--we mustcreate the rest to portray a convincing life."o An actor preparesNaturalism: "a germ under the microscope"Realism: “a germ in a petri dish”Reactions to Realism: The Avant Garde and "The Isms"- Avant garde: military; advanced guard- Futurism- Expressionism- Dada- Absurdism- Brecht and the epic theatre including the alienation effect- Artaud and the theatre of cruelty- Come from World War I (European movement)Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud- Art is not a mirror to reflect realityThe theater of cruelty: Artaud,- "like the plague, the role theatre has been created to drain abscessescollectively- Taking the boils of life- A confined place for human to experience all animal instincts- Purge themselves--catharsiso Shrill sounds, waves of light, violent physicalizations- Fully immersed- Sensory Bombardment - Artaud believed that theatre should represent reality and, therefore, affectthe audience as much as possible, therefore he used a mixture of strangeand disturbing forms of lighting, sound, and other performance elements.←-Spurt of Blood is a good example for this!Bertolt Brecht- The dramatic theatre vs. epic theatre- Dramatic: "yes I have felt like that too-just like me-- its only natural”- Epic: "I'd never have thought it--that's not the way--that's extraordinary"- Marxisto Capitalist systems repress peopleo Evils of capitalism- Theatre is didactic--teachingo Not for art, for teachingo Make audience think about certain social conditions- Methodical- Intellectual response- Alienation effecto Interrupt audience's emotional engagement- Juxtapose odd elements (feel shocked)- Placards, historicized, break 4th wall (uses narrators)-->tell audience whatto think about- Placards: signs and spoilers so that you knew
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