Origins of Theatre 1 What is Cultural diversity Why is it important 2 How can we approach the origins of theatre 3 What are the origins of theatre in Europe Americas Africa Asia or an institution Question 1 What is Cultural Diversity Why is it important 1 The cultural variety and cultural differences that exist in the world a society Inclusive a Appreciates the differences b c Many societies throughout the globe are all different d UNESCO Recognizes cultural diversity as a Common heritage of Safeguarding cultural diversity is a concrete and ethical imperative inseparable from respect for human dignity Thinks of cultural diversity as something that parallels humanity biodiversity UNECO argues that cultural diversity is essential to the long term survival of humanity Problems o Difficult to prove that this is true o Ethics surrounding Barbaric practices is it ethical first world nations to sit around and allow these barbaric cultures in third world nations a Such as cultures that endorse human sacrifice or having a woman burned with her man e US Melting pot crucible f Play the Melting Pot an adaption of Romeo and Juliet set in NYC How can we approach the origins of theatre 2 Three Main Types a Dance b Shamanism c Ritual Enactments 3 Looking at Europe Ancient Greece 4 Ritual Theory a Ancient Greece b Theatre began at about 534 BCE One theory is that ritual started theatre Dithyramb Choral song chanted at festivals in honor of Dionysus God of wine fruitfulness vegetation sex etc Dithyramb shifted from being choral ode when Thespis stepped out of the chorus and started wearing masks to start acting as characters Marks the beginning of theatre Dithraymb is connected to tragedy Tragos goat o Prizes o Satyrs Phallic Processions o Celebratory parades o Popular entertainments in honor of Dionysis o Eventually morphed into comedic type events like the Lenaia festival in 486 BCE 5 Great Man Theory a Founded by Gerald Else b Argues that major historical elapses are often made by one or two people or a small group that happen to be alive at the right time c Not looking at gradual evolution looking at something that suddenly advances quickly due to one person d Argues that Thespis first great man who stepped out of chorus and started dialogue 6 Both theories have strengths and weaknesses agreed that it s a combination of both The Americas North Central and South 7 25 000 40 000 years ago arrived here in Americas 8 Pointed to one group called the Olmecs a Mother culture of the region b Lack of evidence aside form stone carvings 9 Mayans a Literate and left various marks of their history behind b Mayans 1500 BCE 1000 ACE c Art permeated every facet of Mayan life d Most spectacular form of performance from Mayan culture is cutting out the heart of enemies and dancing in skin of enemy e Held festivals to celebrate the gods Each festival had its own dances Over 1000 different dances mostly religious in origins Some dances performed by over 800 dancers and sometimes the entire community would participate Usually accompanied by percussion f Had theatre focused more on words such as plays with music dance dialogue masks etc We don t know much because of Spanish sdf Most famous one we know known as Rabinal o Battle between 2 tribes o Capture and sentencing of the opposition s lead warrior o About the conversations and respect between one another as this goes on o This play is something that didn t come through until 19th century o BUT the source is suspect g Performance served a variety of function in society A number of these events had religious importance Entertainment Celebrations of art beauty love and life Reinforced cultural norms Moments that ended in parties and orgies African Theatre 10 Egyptian Ritual a Religious ritual morphed into performance b Began more than 30 000 years ago c Priests impersonated deities wearing masks and recited prayers and hymns 11 Abydos Passion Play 2500 BCE 2000 years before Greek theatre a Annual ritual b Myth of Osiris c Happened Abydos and throughout Egypt d Also performed other places in Egypt e Function renew spirituality of the community and commitment to spirituality f AND to reinforce fertility and the changing of the seasons g Story Follows Osiris A king when he dies becomes Osiris god of the underworld And the new king is Horus Osiris is slain by Set and Set tears Osiris corpse into 14 parts and spreads it across Egypt Isis buries Osiris pieces Osiris gains power to grant life form the underworld vegetation ensured the flooding of the Nile After Osiris descends into the underworld Horus kills Set and avenges his father and is the new King h Herodotus saw the passion play and wrote about it In addition to the passion play there was popular drama and How Horus grew from a little baby to a massive thing that had comedy a massive diet Also records the very real deaths that come out of the battles talks about how the soldiers would become injured and killed as a part in enacting this ancient myth i Evidence we real have is from Ikhernofret Ikhernofret Stella Ikhernofret was treasure of the Egyptian king Was sent to be a part in the passion play and he talks about his part and what it was like to be apart of the production Sounds like a performance j Uncertainty about the performance Dialogue Reenactment Elaborate funeral procession Vital moment to think about Asia China 12 Shaministic rituals and rights a Book of Documents Confucius Shamans third millennium BCE Shang Dynasty 1500 BCE Shamanistic rituals use dance and music Hunting dances and more b Function invoke and communicate with spirits and gods c And to please and entertain d Culminated in spectacle e Reveal a world in which anything is possible f Chinese word XI means that both Play and game 13 India a Traditional theatre in India is a combination of theatre b In India a single artist would be skilled in many different areas not just actor singer dancer you would be all of them c Natyasastra Science of Theatre Bharata 2000 years old Sanskrit treatise on dramaturgy Passed down by Brahma to Bharata Marks the beginning of theatre in India Sacred text brought from heaven for the people d Theatre s function in India Religious and educational Does this by entertaining the audience e First story we know of is Brahma Features embodiment of good and evil on stage Brahma also talks about how no one good or evil should be excluded from the theatre f Natyasastra is one of the most detailed explications of early