Theatre History

1. Theatre History

2. Classical TheatreWhere did it begin? Ritual played an important role in the development of drama in the days of early people. Ritual had a religious purpose, an instructive purpose, and an entertainment purpose. Common elements found in ritual: music, dance, and elaborate movement, masks and costumes.

3. Greece Dionysus- Greek god of wine and fertility 1200 BC in Greece, the “Cult of Dionysus” practiced ritual celebrations- Theatre became the centre of the celebrations. A key part was the dithyramb- performed by a chorus of 50 men. (this was religion) In 500 BC, we see the beginnings of Western theatre in Athens (2,000 years before Shakespeare!!!) Drama competitions introduced us to Comedy and Tragedy. The dramatic festivals at which dramas were performed were called “The City Dionysia”- performed in the spring and the Lenaia and Rural Dionysia in the winter *A Dithyramb was a lengthy hymn or choral ode in honor of Dionysus

4. These competitions took place in Athens. Some plays that were given to us by the Greeks are still performed today. Thespis added an actor to interact with the chorus and won the first drama competition in 534 BC. “Thespians” Aristotle (a Greek philosopher) tells us that one of the chorus leaders, Thespis, left the chorus, jumped onto the alter, and assumed the roleof “the god” Thespis was the first Playwright as well. He won the first Greek Tragedy contest in 534 BCE

5. Greek Mythology and Drama Greek Mythology is the legends and stories behind Greek gods. The earliest Greek Dramas, drew their plots and characters from these myths.

6. Playwrights The following Greek playwrights were famous for their Tragedies: Euripides Aeschylus- Added the second actor- creating dialog. Sophocles- Added a third actor. *We have more plays by Euripides than we do of Sophocles or Aeschylus. *Sophocles’ most important drama is Oedipus Tyrannos a.k.a. Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King.- It is ranked with Shakespeare’s Hamlet and King Lear * Aeschylus is the first of the three whose work has survived. He won 13 dramatic contests. We have seven of the approximately 80 plays that he wrote, including the only complete trilogy: Orestia (458 BCE)

7. Playwrights Aristophanes and Menander wrote Comedies Aristophanes is the only Greek comedy playwright whose work has survived

8. Playwrights Each Greek playwright is significant due to their attributes to theatre. Aeschylus, for example, is considered the earliest playwright and introduced the idea of an antagonist. Sophocles added the concept of a third actor to the play. Euripides and Aristophanes were known for developing plays with more dialogue and realism.

9. Greek Plays Greek plays are written in a climactic structural pattern meaning that the intensity of the action increases to a point (the climax) until there is no where else to go but down (the falling action/resolution)

10. Greek Plays/Vocabulary Each Tragic playwright would submit four plays for competition: a *trilogy (3 plays), and *satyr. *Only one satyr play has survived: Cyclops by Euripides Greek Vocabulary trilogy is a set of three short plays tied together by a common plot line, character, or idea. satyr was generally believed to have been a comic treatment of the serious material that was covered in the tragedies. Deus ex Machina- a Latin expression that literally means God out of the machine. It is a playwriting term used to describe a contrived ending. It means that the dramatic problem is not solved by playwright’s characters, that a solution is forced upon them by the playwright.

11. Old and New Greek Comedy Old (written before 400 BCE) New (after 400 BCE) Old comedy was political satire. New Comedy dealt with domestic affairs

12. The competitions Play competitions drew in as many as 30,000 spectators. Because there was no electricity, the plays had to be held during the day. Actors wore masks- some say which helped to amplify the voice and show characters through exaggerated features. No Costumes or sets- the focus was on the chorus and later, the actors. Only Men acted.

13. Fifth Century Greek Theatre The theatre of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, was a temporary wooden structure built for the festival (City Dionysia). It was dismantled at the conclusion of the celebration. The audience most likely sat on wooden benches, while the actors and chorus performed on a dirt floored acting area called the orchestra. A small wooden hut or tent, called a skene, was probably added in the middle of the fifth century. The first permanent theatre was built under Macedonian rule in the fourth century BCE.

14. Ground plan of a Greek Theatre

15. Theatre of Dionysus This permanent Greek theatre was built between 342 and 326 BCE

16. Greek Theatre Vocabulary Theatron- the semi-circular seating area. Generally (but not always) carved out of the side of a hill. It is the source of our word: theatre. “seeing place” Orchestra- Circular area t the foot of the hill, where the chorus and actors performed. Skene- The (palace or “scene house”)- had atleast one to three openings that could be used as entrances. Machina- a crane mounted on the roof of the skene. It was used to lower gods into the action of the play. Hence the term deus ex machina---God out of the machine.

17. The Greek Actors • How many actors were used in Greek tragedies? • It was depended upon the playwright. • Women did not perform on stage. • Acting in the Greek culture was considered an acceptable profession- this will not always be the case as we move throughout the history of theatre through different times and cultures. • The function of the chorus: • They were a character in the play- usually sympathetic to the protagonist • They presented the writers POV • They were the ideal spectator. • They broke the drama into scenes.

18. The Critics Greek drama’s major critic was Aristotle. 384-322 BCE He wrote about 100 years after Sophocles major tragedies were produced. The Poetics- the sourece of six elements of dramatic structure.