10 15 2015 THE2000 Midterm Study Guide Video Lectures MODULE 1 Lecture 1 What is Theatre 1 How would you describe Theatre at this moment o Personal question one must ask themselves 2 How do Theatre professionals describe theatre Aristotle The original Theatre scholar Poetics 355BCE Still being used by scholars today A scientific approach to Theatre All human beings have a mimetic impulse unique desire to imitate and because of this theatre is universal mimesis 3 What must be present for Theatre to exist Actor Performance o Audience o Space o Liveness Action communal live shows o Text Arrangement i e script although not necessary Drama vs Theatre Drama The text the skeleton of the body Personal individual Fixed not changing Theatre The whole experience sensory the whole body Communal Interpretive Ever changing no two shows are the same o What makes theatre unique lasting for a very short time Ephemeral Collaborative art form Richard Wagner complete total work of art created word Gesmtkunstwerk which means Hybrid art form which is subject to all of the strengths and weaknesses of other art forms 4 How does the audience approach Theatre o Theatrical Conventions rules of the game Mutual agreement about what certain words gestures images and actions mean i e puppeteers male actors as females o Willing Suspension of Disbelief Audience agrees to not disbelieve what they see onstage while in the Theatre i e Superhero movies this doesn t happen in reality o Aesthetic Distance Allows audience to separate themselves from the events on stage and to recognize that these events are not part of their objective reality o 5 How does Theatre function o depends on when where it is happening Entertainment Educational Social Change and cultural diversity Theatre nowadays receives very little government funding compared to television and movies Lecture 2 Cultural Diversity and the Origins of Theatre 1 What is cultural diversity and why is it important o UNESCO Reconizes cultural diversity as a common heritage of humanity Cultural diversity is essential to long term survival of humanity o Melting pot idea United States Israel Zangwill The Melting Pot Romeo and Juliet adaptation All of these different people coming together 2 How can we approach the origin of Theatre o Theatre emerges from Dance Shamanism Ritual enactments 3 What are the origins of Theatre o EUROPE Ancient Greece 534 BCE 1 Ritual dithyramb choral song chanted at festivals for god Dionysus o Thespis man who steps out of chorus and begins to wear masks and converse with chorus First actor o Tragedy o Phallic processions Trages goat Prizes Satyrs Celebratory parades in honor of Dionysus Morphed into competitions like Lenaia festival in 486 BCE 2 Great Man Theory by Gerald Else 1908 1982 Argues that major historical leaps are often made by one or two ppl that happen to be alive at the right time o Thespis first actor o Eschalus added 2nd actor o THE AMERICAS Olmecs Mother culture of the Americas Created stoneheads Mayans 1500BCE 1000BCE Art was in every facet of Mayan life 1 Held festivals to Gods o Had dances communal art form 2 Had theatre focused more on words such as plays with music dance dialogue masks etc o Spanish came in and wiped out a lot of evidence o Rabinal battle btwn two mayan tribes Capturing and sentencing of opposing lead warrior o Religious importance o Entertainment o Celebration o Reinforced cultural norms o AFRICA Egyptian Ritual Religious ritual morphed into performance 30 000 YA masks Abydos Passion Play 2500 BCE 2000 years before Ancient Greece Annual ritual Myth of Osiris Important God Abydos was capital of Egypt at the time Function 1 Renew spirituality of community 2 Reinforce fertility of women and changing of seasons Proof of Abydos Passion play 1 Herodotus talks about real deaths in performances of this myth o But this was long after this took place 2 Ikhernofret Stela o a stone that is engraved and talks about performance of Abydos Uncertainty about performance Diaglougue Reenactment Elaborate Funeral o ASIA China Shamanistic rites 3000BCE Book of Documents by Confucious o to communicate with spirits and gods o To please and entertain o Reveal a world in which anything is possible Chinese word Xi means both game and play India Actors would be multi talented Natyastrata 2000 years old Science of Theatre by Bharata Brahma passed it down to Bharata Marks the beginning of Theatre in India Sacred text One of the most detailed documents of early theatre that remains Basis for traditional performance in India Theatre s function in India 1 Religious 2 Educational o Lecture 3 Dramaturgy o 1 What is a dramaturg A person who is skilled in the writing and revision of plays responsible for selecting and arranging the repertoire and often coordinates with and advises the producer in the course of rehearsal 2 What does it do o Biggest Task is to ask Why this play now o 1 Research and Production Work person who knows stuff about history playwrights and language o 2 New Play Development Write playreader reports o 3 Outreach and Education Lobby displays Program notes Study guide and discussion questions Online Materials o 4 Artistic Planning Stay current on important issues Stay current on new writers and creators Season selection 3 Why is a dramaturg important o Is there to remember the play o Ask Questions What are we doing Why How does it impact the audience Why does it matter Why this play now MODULE TWO Lecture 4 Greek and Roman Theatre o 1 What conditions did theatre emerge from 534BCE 146BCE Evidence o Artifacts vases pottery statues etc Ruins Primary sources Play texts Cultural context Polytheism multiple gods Dionysus o God of theatre and celebrations Patriarchal society focused on men Competition Beauty and harmony Humanism idealization of male human body Agon debate Cities Athens arts rhetoric science Sparta soldiers athletes 2 What was theatre s function in Ancient Greece o Audience 15 000 ppl audience decorum definitely male citizens maybe women and slaves Theatre parts Orchestra dancing place stage Theatron viewing place audience Parados passageways entrances Skene tent costume house o City Dionysia Festival to honor Dionysus Birth of theatre 534BCE Thespis was actor Festival was dedicated to Day 1 3 parades sacrifices Day 4 6 tragedies satyr plays Day 7 comedies o Lenaia festival dedicated to comedy 3 What forms did Theatre take in Ancient Greece o 3 major greek Tragedians 1 Aeschylus added a 2nd actor The