THEATER 2040 1st Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I Dramatic Genre a Definition II 5 Types of Drama a Tragedy b Comedy c Farce d Melodrama e Tragicomedy Outline of Current Lecture I Greek Theatre a Chorus b Dithyramb c Thespis d Thespian II City Dionysia a Theatre of Dionysus b Choregus c Amphitheatre III Main features of ancient Greek Theatres IV Greek Tragedy V Ancient Greek Playwrights a Aeschylus b Sophocles c Euripides VI Greek Comedy Current Lecture I Greek Theater a Chorus a group of performers who sang and dances sometimes participating in the action but usually commenting on it i Choral passages were always sung danced or chanted ii Represented ordinary citizens 1 All parts were played by men iii Greek costume major element masks iv Provided moderate balance and philosophical observations These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute II III IV V b Dithyramb i Aristotle philosopher claimed theatre grew out of a ritual called the dithyramb 1 It s a hymn sun at the altar of the God Dionysus by a chorus of men dancing chanting and singing ii Dionysus god of wine fertility c Thespis a chorus performer of that time changed songs into drama i Stepped out from a dithyramb chorus to play an individual role as an actor ii First actor in ancient Greek theater d Thespian stage performer i Derives from the name Thespis City Dionysia a Annual festival to celebrate Dionysus b Greek theatre was deeply tied to Greek religion c Theatre of Dionysus largest ancient Greek Theatre i Held 15 000 17 000 spectators ii Amphitheatre large circular outdoor theatre with rising tiers of seats around open playing area d Choregus wealthy person who financed playwright s works producer e Playwright functioned as director Main features of ancient Greek Theatres a Orchestra circular playing area b Theatron seating area for audience c Skene building behind playing area storage and dressing room d Parados aisles at side of skene from which chorus entered and exited e Mechane crane used to ply characters to wings or roof of skene f Ekkyklema platform on wheels to wheel out performer from inside skene g Violence was banished from the Greek stage Greek Tragedy a In 5th century 900 tragedies produced 31 survived b More Linear structure i One event leads to another ii Takes place within a short span of time iii Takes place in one locale iv No secondary plots c Usually a reversal in fortune downfall of royal figure i Due to tragic human flaw error in judgment Ancient Greek Playwrights a Aeschylus i Father of tragedy ii Deep religious thinker iii Well known for his mastery of the trilogy 3 tragedies that make a single story VI VII b Sophocles i Influenced development of drama ii Wrote Anitgone iii Used a chorus of 15 men and introduced a third actor c Euripides i Rebel skeptical view of Gods ii Known for sympathetic portrayal if female characters and increased realism Greek Comedy a Elements i Light in tone ii Provoke laughter and amusement emotions aroused laughter and ridicule iii Issues aren t as serious iv Happy ending b 1 Old Comedy pokes fun at social political or cultural conditions and at particular figures i Saturday Night Live Colbert Report ii Agon scene with debate between opposing forced in play iii Parabasis chorus directly addresses audience members poking fun of them c 1 New Comedy Hellenistic era comedies that deal with romantic and domestic situations i Situation Comedies Sit coms Hellenistic Age a Further developments in Greek Theatre i Less original plays more revivals ii More focus on actor acting iii Enlarged masks iv Exaggerated headdresses v Platform shows to make performers taller vi Larger more permanent stages built out of stone