THTR 3011 1nd EditionExam # 1 Study Guide Exam 1 Study Guide—THTR 30111. Where did it all begin?- Ancient Greek Theatre—competitions- Renaissance- Shakespeare2. American Musical Theatre- Visceral—proceeding from instinct rather than intellect; your “gut” instinct- Libretto—the spoken words- Librettist—person who writes the book- Composer—writes the score- Choreographer—writes the choreography- Lyrics—words sung in musical- Lyricist—person who writes the music- Score—the mix of music and lyrics- Opera- story told through music/lyrics- romantic setting- dramatic storyline- emotions are displayed well (visceral)—not necessarily understanding the words/language but understanding the plot based on emotions- Camerata—cohort of scholars from Italy; wanted to revive drama- Sung all the way through- Dramatically serious- Depict tragic stories- Big instrumentation—big orchestra- Ballad Opera- sung dialog- “gutter” behavior—about the common man- Representations of royalty- Comic Opera- Light hearted- Classic/comic material- Use of Greek and other languages- Vaudeville- made up of comedians, singers, dancers, musicians, acrobats, etc.- designed to entertain- Tony Pastor—shift toward families- 1st type of entertainment to cross racial and social boundaries- The Bowery—neighborhood associated with vaudeville- Subject material—achieving the “American Dream”- Minstrel Show- comedy founded on the enactment of racial stereotypes- black paint face- Positive aspects: “bad popularity—brought a huge influx of African Americans to thestage- Burlesque- exotic dance is an “art form”- elements of humor- “escapist”- Strippers become popular and kill burlesque- Operetta- lyrical entertainment- romantic story line with musical comedy- takes place in a foreign distant setting- cheerful- decorative sets- “escapist” in nature- Happy ending usually ending in a wedding- Stock characters- Example: Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert and Sullivan)- Where did it all begin?- Ancient Greek- Renaissance3. Musical Theatre Pioneers—Early 20 th Century- Oscar Hammerstein- Bought several plots of land and began building colors- Florenz Ziegfeld- “Father of the American Musical Revue”- Huge productions—spectacle- Produced Showboat- Ziegfeld’s Follies- George Cohan- “Father of the American Musical Comedy”- Patriotic; “birthday on the 4th of July- The “American” archetype- Hook—catchy tone- Riff tune—repetition of a series of notes- Sampling—a small part of a well-known song put together to make an original piece- “show doctor”—fixed musicals and tunes- Bert Williams- Always performed in “black face”- 1st Af. American to be on Broadway- Ziegfeld Follies star performer- Huge influence on musical industry- “In Dahomey”—1st all black musical (Williams and Walker)- “Nobody”—very popular song which haunted him b/c it was everyone’s favorite- Something submissive in the music he was writing- Jerome Kern- “Father of American Musical Theatre”- Showboat- Princess Theatre—a place for experimentation- Composition style—master of bringing different styles together and making them onebig cohesive work- Oscar Hammerstein II- Showboat and Oklahoma!4. The Jazz Age (1920s) and The Great Depression (1930s)- Harlem Renaissance—huge explosion of African American are that stared to influence others in surrounding areas- What’s going on in the 1920s?—H. Renaissance, Revues: developed stories for music to take center stage, Escapism/Musical Comedies—thinly developed plots/funny/musical, operetta- “Suppertime”—Ethel Waters (who started in vaudeville and black face) sings this song about her husband who has been lynched - George and Ira Gershwin- George wrote the music- Ira wrote the lyrics/words- George wrote Rhapsody in Blue- Blue Note—flattened 3rd/7th note; melancholy- Jewish cantor music was a big influence- “Of Thee I Sing”—1st Pulitzer prize for Drama; Ira did not want to accept the award but George convinced him; George then awarded posthumously- Porgy and Besso 3 writers: George and Ira Gershwin and Dubose Heywardo Importance?—all black audience; a stepping stone in to the “golden age”; subject material brought up big subjects to stage such as race, rape, drugs anddisabilitieso Inspiration—Gullah culture in S. Carolina (George lived there for 5 weeks)o Originally a novel called “Porgy”o Produced by the Theatre Guild b/c of the all black cast- Cradle Will Rock- Directed by Orson Wells- Workers who unionized- Not successful—shut down by gov’t but was staged and performed anyways- Importance?—pushing the envelope; theatre is growing rapidly; free speech; 5. The Golden Age of American Musical Theatre- Ascension of the Director- Rodgers and Hammerstein—Oklahoma!- Rodgers—music- Hammerstein—lyrics and book- Devoted to the idea of the “musical play” aka the integrated book musical- Treatment of the “other”—white community still being portrayed; something different than you are used to (racial minorities and women)- Were not afraid to address issues of prejudice, controversial topics, etc.- Problem?—everything could be sacrificed for the sake of the entire production- Agnes De Mille- Choreographer for Oklahoma!- Rooted in natural movement of characters- Dream Ballet- “Allegro”- Major Writers of the Golden Age:- Lerner and Loewe—Bridagoon, My Fair Lady- Rodger and Hammerstein—Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music- Leonard Bernstein—On The Town, West Side Story- The 1940s:- Stage directors emerge- Mythologize nations past- Celebrates the American Dream- Domestic tensions - Calls for equality6. Other Plays of the Time- The Wizard of Oz- Somewhere Over The Rainbow- On The Town- “It’s a Wonderful Day, New York- Escapist- Carousel- Rodgers and Hammerstein- Heave subject matter- “If I Loved You”—quasi love song: not a traditional long song; hunting around the idea of love- Annie Get Your Gun- Irvine Berlin- Annie Oakley in a shooting competition- Brigadoon- Lerner and Loewe- Kiss Me, Kate- “To Darn Hot”- Superfluous Showstopper—integrated into the plot just to WOW the audience; not exactly needed- South Pacific- “There Ain’t Nothing But A Dame”- Rodger