HISTORY OF GREEK THEATRE

Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, a theatre flourished,

which to you and I would seem strange, but, had it not been for this Grecian
Theatre, we would not have our tradition-rich, living theatre today. The
ancient Greek theatre marks the First Golden Age of Theatre.

GREEK AMPHITHEATRE- carved from a hillside, and seating thousands, it

faced a circle, called orchestra (acting area) marked out on the ground. In
the center of the circle was an altar (thymele), on which a ritualistic goat
was sacrificed (tragos- where the word tragedy comes from), signifying the
start of the Dionysian festival.
- across the circle from the audience was a changing house called a
skene. From this comes our present day term, scene. This skene
can also be used to represent a temple or home of a ruler.
(sometime in the middle of the 5th century BC)

DIONYSIAN FESTIVAL- (named after Dionysis, god of wine and

fertility) This festival, held in the Spring, was a procession of singers
and musicians performing a combination of worship and musical revue
inside the circle.
**Women were not allowed to act. Men played these parts wearing
masks.
**There was also no set scenery.

A- In time, the tradition was refined as poets and other Greek states
composed plays recounting the deeds of the gods or heroes.
B- As the form and content of the drama became more elaborate, so
did the physical theatre itself.
1- The skene grow in size- actors could change costumes and
robes to assume new roles or indicate a change in the same
character’s mood.
2- ECCYCLEMA- moving platform where scenery was moved on
stage for the audience to witness.
Ex. murder off stage—wheeled on for audience to see.
3- Costume/Sound- Roles were distinguished by the size of the
costume. The bigger the costume, the bigger the part.
 Ex. elevated boots, stilts, big robes, and masks.

The person most responsible for theatre greatness was and still is the
PLAYWRIGHT- writer of the play.

THESPIS, in 534 B.C. introduced the first actor. He stepped out of the
chorus and uttered the first words of DIALOGUE- verbal words where
exciting and important exchange of ideas and emotions can be transcribed.
Thespis paved the way for several of the greatest playwrights in theatre
history.

AESCHYLUS (525-456 B.C.)

- Deeply religious- dealt almost exclusively with the gods and
attempted to lift their deeds to great heights.
- Acted and directed in all of his own plays.
- Dramatic writer of TRAGEDY- lead character spends entire life in
search of something or someone, never achieves it, and usually
dies.
- Famous work- “Oresteia”- dramatization dealing with guilt and
retribution.

SOPHOCLES (497-406 B.C.)

- Tragedy writer
- To many, the greatest Greek writer and playwright of all time. He
had the perfect blend of content and form. That is, he knew what
to say, and how to say it.
- Dealt largely with the heroes of ancient Greece.
- Famous works- “Oedipus the King”- dealing with the rational mans’
search through darkness for light, and “Antigone”.

EURIPIDES (485-406 B.C.)

- Rebel writer of the time (most modern).
- Wrote about real men rather than the gods or heroes.
- Famous works “The Trojan Women”- blistering attack on war.
“Medea”- lashed out at injustice in many forms.
ARISTOPHANES (450-380 B.C.)
- Writer of Comedy- some of the wittiest writing in the entire
history of drama.
- Learned that nothing was as devastating and as effective in gaining
social and cultural reform as laughter.
- Famous works- “The Clouds” and “The Frogs.”

ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.)

- Philosopher
- Rules for tragedy (POETICS) are still observed and used today.
o Poetry
o Tragic Flaw
o Plot of Action, Time and Place
o Role Reversal
o Purged Spirit
- Defended superiority of poetry.

The rise of the Roman Empire marks the end of the Greek, or First Golden
Age of Theatre.
 HISTORY OF ROMAN THEATRE

A superior Roman military force wipes out the Greek Theatre and the Roman
era of theatre starts.

I. The following are characteristics of Roman Theatre at its start:

1- Stereo-typical characters
2- Mimes and dancers
3- Wanderers who set up their platforms and gave on-the-spot
performances anywhere they thought they might have an
audience.

II. Rome adapted the Greek Hillside Theatre-

- Raised the acting area and called it PULPITUM- it was
elaborately carved and decorated and brings us the
word PULPIT today. The Orchestra became the Pit and
the Pulpitum became the Stage.
- Built of wood at first, then stone to look like the famed
Coliseum.
- Added a front curtain
- Reduced the Acting circle to a semi-circle
- The Romans liked borrowing and enlarging ideas, but
never really improved anything.
- The famous playwrights of the day borrowed plots and
themes from the Greeks, but never challenged for
brilliance.

III. Top playwrights of the Roman era.

PLAUTUS (254-184 B.C.)
- Top roman writer of comedy.
- Comedy of Jerry Lewis and Danny Kaye are rooted in
Plautus.
TERENCE (185-159 B.C.)
- Another writer of comedy.
SENECA (4 B.C.-69 A.D.)
- Writer of tragedy.
 - His plays were called “closet dramas”, because they
were intended to be read at home rather than
performed.
- He lacked great poetry or important ideas in his
dramas, but it was his influence that is demonstrated in
the works of the great English playwright William
Shakespeare.

The theatre in Rome beings to decline quickly, and the fall of Rome
is on the way.

IV. Instead of watching vulgar, slap-stick comedies or over-written

elaborate, gruesome tragedies, the entertainment of the day
becomes the following
1- Christians being fed to the lions.
2- Gladiators and slaves fighting full-fledged battles, to the
death, for the Roman Hierarchy.
3- Mimes doing vulgar, erotic pantomimes.

Rome falls in 476 A.D. The church takes over and promptly closes
all of the theatres. Theatre then falls into what we refer to as the
Dark or Middle Ages.

And so, almost 1000 years after Thespis steps out of the chorus to
become the first actor, the classic theatre, as we understand it,
draws to a shabby, banished, disreputable close.
 HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL THEATRE

With the fall of Rome, in 476 A.D., theatre slipped into what can be
referred to as the Middle or Dark ages.

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE DURING THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

- Illiteracy was widespread.
- Trade and travel diminished.
- Cemorship from the church continued- THERE WAS NO
THEATRE.

HOWEVER;
II. THEATRE LIVES, BARELY
- Wandering actors kept Theatre alive on a small scale.
- Mimes and acrobats brought crude theatre to villages.
- Minstrels sang of legendary heroes.
- Jesters (fools) preserved the vanishing art form.
- Church’s continual condemnation of the theatre is proof that
theatre continued to live.

III. THEATRE REBORN

Somewhere not recorded, Theatre is reborn, and, ironically by the same
church that suppressed it:
- Priests, in desperation, turned to dramatizing their Latin
sermons so their illiterate parishioners could understand.
- Church eventually developed 3 forms of Ecclesiastical Drama:
i. Mystery Plays which dealt with Bible stories.
ii. Miracle Plays which enacted the lives of martyred saints.
iii. Morality Plays which portrayed the eternal conflict
between GOOD & EVIL.

In time, Ecclesiastical Dramas became rowdier and less concerned with

religious affairs. They moved out of the church and into the city squares,
where non-religious groups took over their supervision.
What was left in the church? They came up with the first of what we still
know today as the Passion Play, which is a dramatization of the life and
crucifixion of Christ.
- These were extremely well written.
- No expenses or time was spared.
- Sets and costumers were very elaborate. ex. clouds and angels
hoisted down from Heaven. Gigantic floods on which the ark
floated.

Keep in mind, that although drama continued, it was still banned. Structuring
got tighter.

IV. IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD

HROSVITHA (935-1000)
- She was a German nun.
- Writer of formal drama.

HANS SACHS (1494-1576)

- Writer of farces and comedies.
- Some of his works are said to be still playing well today.

Late in the Medieval Period, a rebirth of curiosity and classic learning took
place:
- Travel started up again.
- Ancient plays by Plautus, Terence, and Seneca were reopened,
reconstructed, and reperformed.

This rebirth of curiosity and classic learning came to be known as the

Renaissance.

V. IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF THE RENAISSANCE

ARIOSTO (1474-1533) Two comic playwrights whose comedy was

ARETINO (1492-1556) funny and amusing, but often immoral and
lewd.
 VI. COMMEDIA DELL ‘ARTE (IMPROVISED COMEDY)
- Women appear upon the stage for the first time.
- There is no script or pre-planned action.
- Impromptu comedy.
- Charlie Chaplin is an example.
- VILLAIN in melodrama comes from here (Capitano).

So, although thought of as unproductive, the Middle Ages were actually a

launching pad for several developments in Theatre. Theatre began to move
away from Rome, Italy, and the rest of Continental Europe. It really took
off in Elizabethan England, and that’s where we will go next.
 ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

The dying out of the Medieval Period of Theatre brought theatre away from
Greece, away from Rome, away from Continental Europe, into England and
what is referred to as the Elizabethan England era in theatre history.

This era is named after Queen Elizabeth I, who succeeded her father King
Henry VIII, who died in 1558.
- She was a very dynamic person with a vibrant personality.
- A very staunch supporter of the theatre, so this is why theatre
takes off during this era.
- Her reign lasted 84 years until 1642.

Prior to Elizabeth’s reign, some of the foundation for theatre greatness was
laid.

JOHN HEYWOOD (1500-1580)

- Instructor at a boy’s school.
- Contributed interludes for his students to perform.

NICHOLAS UDALL
- Wrote first English comedy in 1550 called “RALPH ROISTER
DOISTER”.
- Highly farcical in style.

SACKVILLE AND NORTON

- Wrote first English tragedy called “GORBUDUE”.

None of the above were great specimens nor indicative of the theatre
greatness that was to come out of England, but they did indeed provide
foundation.
- We finally have an end to the wandering performer.
- Players being building their own theatres.
 Little or no scenery.
 Ease of Movement
  Magnificent flights of poetic fancy
and description which became typical
of Elizabethan drama.

First such playhouse “The Theatre”, built in 1576.

- Built by James Burbage
- Two-level stage
- Sat 1500
- Opposed by Lord Mayor of London, but protected by Queen
Elizabeth, who permitted it to flourish.

IMPORTANT PLAYWRIGHTS

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616)

- Supreme writer of great tragedy
- Master playwright
- All plays contained the essential ingredient of any drama-ACTION
- Wrote some 37 plays
- Closest thing to the perfect playwright since Sophocles.

CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE (1564-1593)

- He alone challenged Shakespeare for supremacy as writer of great
tragedy.
- Writer of masterful verse/mighty individual line.
- Died in a street brawl at the age of 29.
- Speculated that had he not died so young, he might have surpassed
Shakespeare for greatness.

The Elizabethan England era of theatre is called the 2nd Golden Age of
theatre. It was the age of giants. But, all too soon, reached an end. By
1625, Elizabethan drama was practically over.

The Civil War in England brought this era to an end in 1642.

- Oliver Cromwell (Puritan Leader) had the King beheaded.
- The rest of the nobility fled to France.
- The theatres were closed up as “Dens of Iniquity.”
 RESTORATION ENGLAND

Oliver Cromwell closed the English theatre in 1642. The nobility fled to
France where theatre was flourishing. The kind of theatre that was found in
France had a later influence on British theatre, so, for that reason, let’s
take a look at it.
- Built indoors, which was something new.
- It was entertainment and hobby for the aristocracy.
- The French were excellent poets.

One comic playwright stood out as the master playwright of the era.

MOLIERE (1622-1673)
- He was a student and participant in the Commedia dell ‘arte.
- Characteristics of his writing include:
 Social and personal criticism.
 Moliere knew how to write without offending anybody.

In 1660, Cromwell’s Regime fell. The English nobility returned to England

and brought with them ELEGANCE and ARISTOCRACY as trademark of the
New English Theatre. This would begin a restoration process that would
eventually bring English theatre to the level of greatness it once possessed.
It would turn into the 3rd golden Age of Theatre.

Some qualities characteristics of the New Theatre were:

- Women acting
- Flamboyant performers
- Bigger auditoriums/larger stages to accommodate growing crowds.

Characteristics of the play themselves were:

- Polished and sophisticated
- An idea of a “new morality”- the only sin is sincerity.
- An idea that the city is brilliant/country is boring.
- Flattery was expected and highly accepted.
- The tone of these plays was light, cheery, and comic.
In 1698, the Reverend Jeremy Collier lashed out in a writing entitled “The
Short View”. Here, he angrily condemned the liberties and immoralities
which were taking place on the Restoration stage. And, although they
continued for some time, the death-blow had been struck. Within the next
40 years, the Restoration Period of theatre in England would end.

In 1737, the English Licensing Act went into effect. The act provided for
stringent censorship before a license was granted to a theatre. This
conveniently marks the end of the Restoration Period. Theatre is now
RESTORED in England.

What was to follow, would be a transitional period in European theatre.

 EUROPEAN THEATRE IN TRANSITION

Theatre has been restored in England, but what about the rest of Europe?

FRANCE
- La Comedie Larmoyante (Tearful Comedy)
 Combination of humor and semi-tragic complications.

VOLTAIRE (1694-1778) - Dominant figure in French Eighteenth Century

literature, philosophy, and theatre.
- Dramatic writer who wrote well
- Wrote to push for social reform
- Possessed hatred of the clergy
- Best know for:
 Removing the spectators from the stage-theatre
goes would rather be seen than watch what was
going on.
 Raising acting standards through criticism.

BEAUMARCHAIS (1732-1799)
- The Barber of Seville
- The Marriage of Figaro
Both reflect the rising democratic
sentiments raised by the American Revolution
and eventually resulting in the French Revolution.

With the French Revolution and the inventing of the Guillotine, theatre was
set aside as a means of excitement until Napoleon restored order. Then,
theatre took its place in the cultural lives of Frenchmen.
Napoleon falls and Europe plunges into a series of crises and cultural and
political revolutions.

VICTOR HUGO (1802-1885) – In 1830 introduces the first play on

ROMANTISCISM, HERNANI, into the theatre.
- This was a romantic escape into the heroic, the beautiful, or the
colorful.
- Characteristics of most modern theatre today.
No sooner had Romanticism established itself as a dominant force:

REALISM

ANTOINE (1858-1943)
- Amateur actor/director.
- Opened the renowned Theatre Libre’, meaning free theatre.
- Realistic presentation of current and down-to-earth problems.

True masterpiece of Realism were to come, not from France, but Scandinavia
and Russia.

HENRICK IBSEN (1828-1906) – Norwegian (Scandinavian) playwright

- Wrote about social problems
- Considered the greatest writer of Realism ever
- Wrote on issues of:
 The position of women in society
 Syphilis
 Do-gooders
 Aspirations of beauty
 Community hypocrisy

RUSSIA

KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKI (1863-1938)

- Opened the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898.
- Developed what has been called “The Method” or “Method Acting,”
although he never called it that. This method deals with character
objectives, goals, beats, sense memory and subtext.

ANTON CHEKHOV (1860-1904)

- Serious writer of drama/ and some comedy
- He wrote for the Moscow Art Theatre
- Wrote on characters whose lives wear pathetically away, with only
a few rare moments of “drama”.
18th CENTURY ITALY
- Operas were the main attraction
- Actors and actresses became much more responsible for theatre
greatness
- Plays were bad, but performers made them good.

GERMANY

HANSWURST (HANS SAUSAGE) – stock devilish character in Germany. He

was full of mischief and was the popular hero.

JOHANN GOETHE – Actor who dominated German Romantic Drama.

ADOLPHE APPIA (1862-1928) – Swiss Architect/ Theorist of stage lighting

and de’cor.

FATHER OF LIGHTING- Designed a simple lighting system for a German

Opera.
- His lighting concept is still used today.
- Lighting used to create mood, atmosphere, and locate.

That’s a broad look at theatre in the rest of Europe. Next, we return to

England. Here we’ll observe English theatre in the Nineteenth Century.
 NINETEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND

The outstanding, prosperous theatre, which began with the reign of

Elizabeth I, reached its final stages under another queen, VICTORIA (1838-
1901).
- Characteristics:
 Straight-laced
 Prudish-proper
 High-society
 Ritzy

Era was, for the most part, a continuation of what had gone on before.
- Tearful comedy
- Righteous melodrama
(Both were taken seriously)

This era produced only one playwright worth mentioning, and he arrives later
in the century.

This was the age of the actor.

As in the rest of Europe, Romanticism had a profound impact upon English

literature.
- Most Romantic plays written were “closet dramas”.
- There were some worthy of performance:
 Lord Byron
 Lord Tennyson

OSCAR WILDE (1856-1900) – Most famous playwright of the era.

- Witty language
- Flair for the unexpected
- Hilarious farce

SIR HENRY IRVING (1838-1905)

- First actor to be knighted
- Very respectable actor
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856-1950)
- Wrote comedies that blasted man and society
- England’s greatest playwright since Shakespeare
- Most important playwright of this era.

Nineteenth Century Theatre was not particularly brilliant, but quiet progress
and improvements were made.

Two world wars would interrupt this progress, but the groundwork of
theatre had already been laid in 19th Century England.
 EARLY AMERICAN THEATRE TO W.W. 1

1598 ONATE (EXPLORER) held the first theatrical production in

America.
1665 First play was present in English in America called “YE BARE
AND YE CUBB”.
1787 First American Comedy produced called “The Contrast.”

Early theatre, in America, was viewed as sinful. There was a lack of support
because of this. It was thought that English actors were just reflecting
British tastes and fashions.

The beginnings of American drama were soon to be found.

MINSTREL SHOWS - Black variety shows containing a lot of ballads and

dances. THOMAS RICE was largely responsible for the popularity of the
minstrel shows.

VAUDEVILLE SHOWS- Also variety shows, but of a different nature.

- At first, they were acrobatic, juggler, or comic routines.
- TONY PASTOR- cleaned them up and refined them.
 Introduced great dramatic and musical stars.
 Cleaned up the material.
 Incorporated an amazingly high level of production and
performance.

This, too, died after a while due to several reasons.

- People got tired of watching the same acts over and over.
- Movies and radio came along and stole a lot of the best
performers.

AUGUSTUS THOMAS (1857-1934) - Wrote of American themes.

CLYDE FITCH (1865-1909) - Writer of social comedy.

- Material contained good dialogue.
- Introduced the COWBOY into the theatre.
Two world wars followed, and, out of these, the United States emerged as a
world leader. The time from W.W. II to the present is referred to as
MODERN AMERICAN THEATRE.

20th CENTURY DRAMA (Modern American Theatre)

IMPORTANT PLAYWRIGHTS

THORNTON WILDER
- 3-time Pulitzer Prize winner
- Our Town
- Matchmaker

EUGENE O’NEILL
- Considered the greatest American playwright of all time.
- 4 Pulitzer Prizes
- Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936
- He was an experimenter in the theatre
 His style ranged from Realism, to Naturalism, to Expressionism,
to Impressionism.
- Hairy Ape
- Desire Under the Elms
- Long Days Journey Into Night
 This was first performed 4 years after his death, and won him
his 4th Pulitzer Prize.

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
- The Glass Menagerie
- A Streetcar Named Desire- won him a Pulitzer.
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

ARTHUR MILLER
- Death of a Salesman
- The Crucible
WILLIAM INGE
- Playwright of the 50’s
- Picnic- won him a Pulitzer
- Bus Stop- starred Marilyn Monroe

EDWARD ALBEE
- Playwright of the 60’s
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

TYPES OF MODERN DRAMA

REALISTIC – Create an illusion of reality on stage.

NATURALISTIC – Reality is determined by heredity and environment.

IMPRESSIONISTIC – Creating a mood.

SYMBOLIC – Symbols used to invoke feelings.

EXPRESSIONISTIC – Expresses the subjective life of characters.

EPIC REALISM – Places emphasis on social implications.