THAR 281 Lecture 9Outline of Last Lecture: Acting StylesRomanticism and Melodrama 1800-1875I. 1800-1875 EventsII. Major Categories of Dramaa. Romanticismb. Melodramac. Well Made PlayIII. Rise of the StarOutline of Current Lecture: RealismI. Scenic PracticesII. Costume PracticesIII. Realisma. Realistic Beliefsb. Characters in RealismIV. Contributors to Realisma. NaturalismV. Opposition to Realisma. Independent Theatresb. Konstantin StanislavskiCurrent LectureRealismScenic Practices- Box Set:  Represents a room with practical elements- entire room on stage! As real as possible Popularized by Edwin Booth in the U.S. New at the time- - Hydraulic liftsThese 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.- Stage elevators: effort to make more realistic sets- Turntable- disk that turns w/ dif. props etc..- Moving Panorama- long scene that turns ( picture that drags across stage)- Double Stage System:o Two stages- one built on top of anothero Stage Elevator used to moveo Allowed for huge sets, and more than one scene.Costume Practices:Up until this point, actors didn’t accessorized, or were creative costume. At this point costume, and accurate presentation becomes important.Realism: 1875-1915What’s going on in the World?Rise of working class, voting rights, woman’s suffrage, unionization, increased life expectancy, industrialization, urbanization.*Important- longer life expectancy allows more time for goals, and becoming successful. You can retire more, enjoy life, live longer, and have more leisure time. Now different goals than having to work until you die. People start to question what their purpose is in life.Philosophers and Scientists:o Freud- psychoanalysis (the analyzing the brain & subconscious)o Einstein: relativity- space time, gravity is not a force, science.o Nietzsche: “God is dead”  * Important idea- he believed there was no god. How would this impact people in the world? Religion was part of life and atheism wasn’t as prevalent at this time in history.Inventions:Telephone, airplane, light bulbRealism: o Modern Theatre: “World is mirrored in Theatre”o Want to convince the audience that theatre is real, and stage action represents everydaylife.Changes:o Real people rather than stock characters- stereotypes weren’t always realistic, over the top acting wasn’t real! o Prose rather than verse- No more rhymes.o Common people rather than extraordinary heroes: realism, not magical people… They want stories about common normal people.o No supernatural figures.Realistic Beliefs No subject matter off limits: can put everything in plays!!! Economic injustices Sexual double standard Unhappy marriage Religious hypocrisy Sexually transmitted diseaseso Refused to make moral judgments- it’s not always right or wrong in real life.o Didn’t believe in the necessity of neat resolutions- nothing has to be resolved peacefullyo Realists believed in using drama as a means of calling attention to social issues-  Why? In hopes to instigate social change. Drama as a means of bringing about social changeCharacters in Realism:o NO stock characters!o Complicated personalitieso Characters shaped by heredity and environment: idea, we all become who we are because of where we came from and how we lived. Example: Southerners are polite: say yes ma’am, no ma’am, etc…o Characters used colloquial and conversational languageContributors to realism: Heinrick Ibsen: founder of modern realism, Norwegian playwright, wrote A Doll’s House,Hedda Gablero His Plays: Social problems Character coming to terms with what society says they must do. The repression of woman Infidelity. A Doll’s Housewomen married to man, who treats her like a child, calls her a doll. Her husband becomes ill and can’t work. The wife forges her father’s signature to take a loan and move her husband to a better climate, while he gets well from being sick. Man black mails wife, causing stress and anxiety confesses to her husband, who is upset at her. At the end of the play, she leaves her husband and two kids, to go into the world and find herself.George Bernard Shaw  (1856-1950) Dublin, Ireland believed that Drama should inspire social reform. primarily wrote comedies (satire and ridicule) Most popular play Pygmalion (1914)" Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 1925Mrs. Warrens’ Profession:o Play about Mrs. Warren who owned whore houses for a living.o Originally banned by the Lord Chamberlin"o New York production in 1905, the entire cast and crew were arrested due to Mrs. Warren’s profession.Anton Chekhov:o Originally a physician, Russian, wrote The Cherry Orchardo First wasn’t successful as a playwright.o He focused on everyday life.o Middle class provincial life – typical for Russianso Intertwines comedy and tragedy Tragic comedy To make the play that much more sad.o Outside forces that change people’s lives:  Example: cherry orchard, death of husband and son.Naturalism:o “Slice of life” theatre- not the same as realism!!! You could literally cut out a chunk of life and turn into a play…o 19th centuryo EXTREME realism- has many of the same ideas…o AUTHENTICITYo Short-livedEmile Zola French man, with the biggest push towards naturalism Wrote a couple of naturalist plays “Scientific Objectivity”- o Idea that the actor should present someone’s real life w/o putting their own interpretation in it. Act 100% like the character being portrayed. Therese Raquin (1881) Novelist, critic, political activistNaturalist Plays:o Lower classo Loosely structuredThe Vultures, The Weavers, The Lower Depths Modern day Examples: documentary, real life television.Opposition to Realismo Censorship: England, lord Chamberlin refused licenseso Theatres refused to produce works of realistsIndependent Theatres:o Subscription companieso Not for commercial successo Introduce new forms of dramao You bought a subscription to go see plays.  Most well-known: Moscow Art Theatre1898 in Moscow Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Memirovich- Dancheno foundedMoscow Art TheatreFirst production at Moscow Art Theatre: The Seagullo Huge SUCCESS!!! (unlike first showing in Russia) o Still in production today.Konstantin StanislavskiDeveloped the first system