Theatre History

cavemanSome form of theatre has been around for as long as man has been alive.

I’m sure cavemen would come back from the hunt, sit around a fire and act out the most exciting parts of the quest to brag and entertain. However, when we talk about theatre’s history and its foundations, we are talking about the formal theatre where a script has been written, a time and place set, and an audience gathers for a performance.  We are also talking about the Western form of theatre.  There are many ancient forms of theatre from all over the world, which are not discussed here.

In truth, very little has changed over time as to how formal theatre is set up.  What you would have experienced 2,500 years ago is actually very similar to what you would experience today.  They main differences being in the technology, such as lighting and sound equipment, and also in the genres, styles and purposes!  But the basic foundations of what theatre is and its power to express humanity have not.  And so to discover formal theatre’s basic foundations, we need to venture back to 534 BCE, to the ANCIENT GREEKS.

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images-14As the Greek government declined, the Roman Empire was growing.  The Romans borrowed almost everything from the Greeks, including their gods.  They did rename them, for example, Zeus became Jupiter, Poseidon became Neptune, and Aphrodite became Venus. Dionysus became Bacchus.  Only one stayed the same – Apollo! Unlike the Greeks who wanted to conform to nature, the Romans wanted to conquer and control everything.  The Romans also copied the Greeks plays, but unfortunately, they did a poorer job of it. They went in more for the arenas and sports.  They held chariot races, gladiator fights, and sometimes even the slaughter of humans and animals. Not many playwrights are known from the era, some, but not many.   The society of the time was also more on the vulgar and crude side. The Romans did some amazing things, just not for theatre.   

images-16As the Roman Empire began to fall, theatre all but died.  The Middle Ages, or the Dark Ages, saw the rise of to the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague was also know as black death and it ravaged Europe and Asia. It is estimated that 50 million people died by 1350’s, 25 million of those in the 5 years between 1247-1352.  Many people blame rats for carry the plague, and, while they were carriers of a sort, it was actually the fleas on the rats the carried the plague. The plague killed with amazing speed.  The Italian writer Boccaccio said its victims often “ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise.”   When you are not sure if you are gong to be alive tomorrow, art, education, and beauty no longer mean anything to you. Only one thing becomes vitally important – the after life!  As theatre started as a religious ceremony to the Greeks, theatre again found its survival in the Christian Church.  Let’s take a look at MEDIEVAL DRAMA.

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Near the end of the 14th century, the pandemic started to wan.   There has never been a definitive explanation as to why the Black Death subsided, but it was mostly likely a number of factors, such as better hygiene, quarantine of those infected, and reduced travel.  Whatever the reason, the effect produced an explosion of education, science and, most notably art!  Art in all forms found it life and vitality.  This was known as the Renaissance.  The era is known for its fabulous architecture, paintings, sculpture and invention.  Theatre, too, breathed the fresh air of life and new forms sprang forth.  In Italy, a new kind of performance developed – the COMMEDIA dell’ARTE.

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"This above all:  To thine own Self be true."             ~Shakespeare

“This above all: To thine own Self be true.”
~Shakespeare

 

The last aspect of of theatre history unit that we will discussing is the Elizabethan Theatre and the most noteworthy name to come from this era is, of course, William Shakespeare. William was born in Stratford upon Avon in 1564.  He died in 1616, leaving a legacy of 37 plays and 154 Sonnets.  His plays are usually divided in to 3 categories:   Histories (Richard II, Henry VIII), Tragedies (Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth), and Comedies (Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

shakespeare-phrases
Most people know that Shakespeare is the most popular dramatist and poet the world has ever known, but why?  Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare’s, declared, “He was not of an age, but for all time!”  Shakespeare’s ability to illuminate human emotions in simple yet eloquent verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity.  Many playwrights are good at one type of story, but Shakespeare did all types, and did them well.  Shakespeare’s stories transcend time and culture. Modern storytellers and movie makers continue to adapt Shakespeare’s plays to the modern world, because his stories have a universality to them.  Who can’t understand two teenagers who fall in love with only to find their parents disapprove?  His characters are complex and fascinating. Shakespeare has infused himself into our own everyday language in so very many expressions, and most of us don’t even realize it. You use them all the time and never know whom you are quoting! So let us take a look at Shakespeare’s world and the ELIZABETHAN RENAISSANCE

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Well, you have reached the end of the Theatre Histroy unit.   Beyond Shakespeare is kind of considered modern theatre which we will tackle in Theatre 2.

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