The History of Western Drama

The History of Western Drama

Beginning Acting

Resource: Robert Cohen. Theatre, 8th edition.

Greek Drama534 BCE - 336 BCE

Greek Theater Dithyrambs Thespis Ritual festivals feature

competition of plays Tetralogy Singing and dancing

chorus 1 – 3 actors Use of masks to

portray a variety of characters

Aristotle’s Poetics

Dramatic Genres Tragedy

From the Greek word “tragos,” meaning goat song.

Serious portrayal of human suffering, through protagonist’s hamartia and decline.

Concluded with catharsis Satyr Play

Bawdy comedy that satirized accompanying trilogy.

One complete satyr play survived: The Cyclops, by Euripides

Comedy Humorous handling of political issues, sexuality,

and the gods. Often included nudity, animalistic characters Performed separately from tetralogy

Greek Playwrights Aeschylus – Orestia, Prometheus Bound Sophocles – Oedipus Tyrannos, Antigone Euripides – The Trojan Women, The Cyclops,

Medea Aristophanes – Lysistrata, The Birds

Greek Theatron Orchestra Thymele Skene Eisodoi (or

parados) Ekklyklema Deus ex

machina

Hellenistic Period Period spans the rule of Alexander the Great to

the rise of the Roman Empire. Greek culture extended into Europe and Asia, due

to military conquests. Drama included Greek tragedies and new comedy Chorus reduced in importance, and provided

music and dance, light entertainment. Playwright

Menander - Dyskolos (The Grouch), Epitrepontes (Men at Arbitration) Samia (Girl from Samos)

Roman Theatre240 BCE - AD 476

Roman Theater Adapted from Greek drama Mainly comedies, performed for ruling classes during

festivals and holidays Lacked religious and cultural meaning. Performed alongside circuses and gladiatorial

competitions. Chorus was removed from performance. Persona

Roman Playwrights Plautus – The Menachmi Twins, Aulularia,

Pseudolus Terence – The Eunuch, Andrian, The Brothers Seneca – Hercules, Octavia, Phaedra

Roman Auditorium

Platae Frons scaenae Vomitorium Orchestra

Roman Theater, Orange, France

The Middle AgesAD 900 - 1500

The Middle Ages Christian doctrine

dominated literature, culture Rise of feudal system,

nobles and peasants, and rural communities

Tropes – Quem Queritis 1210 AD, Pope removed

drama from the Mass Cycle Plays – The York

Cycle Morality plays – Everyman York Mystery Play, 2010

The Cycle Play First dramas written in

English Playlets relating the stories

of the Bible Community guilds

responsible for production of each playlet

Large scale productions lasted several days (40+) with large casts (300+)

No notable authors Rolling procession Performed at high religious

events Written in verse to elevate

status of characters, subject matter

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Renaissance Theatre

1500 - 1660

The Renaissance Creative movement that

influenced all of Europe

Emphasis on discovery, individual potential, creativity, reasoning

Rediscovery of Greek and Roman ideas, including humanism: “man is the measure of all things”

Decline of feudal system, religious dogma

England – Shakespearean Era 1559 – Queen Elizabeth I bans religious cycle

plays Drama written in verse, prose, and doggerel Included foreign locales, complex stories,

historical reference Travelling players

Named after sponsor: Lord Admiral’s Men, Lord Chamberlain’s Men

Skilled actors, musicians, acrobats writers All male troupes; boy companies

Public Theater Enclosed yard, with 3-story gallery for viewing Raised stage, backed by tiring house The Rose, The Globe

England – (con’t.)

Playwrights William Shakespeare –

Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest

Christopher Marlowe – Tamburlaine the Great, The Tragedy of Dr. Faustus

Ben Jonson – Volpone, The Alchemist

1642 – Puritans named actors and drama “sinful,” banning all theatrical performances. Ended with the return of Charles II to the throne in 1660.The Globe Theater, London, England

Italy Renewed interest in Greek and Roman culture by

elite society Developments in architecture, painting,

literature: Filippo Brunelleschi, Leonard da Vinci, Petrarch Proscenium Arch

Travelling troupes were skilled actors, musicians, acrobats, female performers

Commedia dell’arte Stock characters Use of masks, costumes,

portable stages, slapstick Lazzi

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Spain – Spanish Golden Age Spanish Inquisition (1480) 1400’s - Dramas were liturgical, religious in nature 1500’s – secular pasos performed by travelling

companies Women permitted to perform in productions Dramas included themes of personal honor,

chivalry, blended genres Corrales de comedia Playwrights

Lope de Vega – Fuenteovejuna Pedro Calderon de la Barca – Life is a Dream Miguel de Cervantes – Don Quixote, stage

adaptations

Restoration Theatre

1660 - 1700

Royalty became patrons of theater, commissioning plays and entertainment, establishing aesthetic standards

1600’s - Started in Spain, and progressed to France, then England.

Performances became social gatherings for elite society

The Royal Theater

France French Neoclassicism

Established strict format for playwriting, limiting creativity

Drama focused on social commentary, domestic issues; lacked plot and action

Tennis court performances Public theater - Parterre, proscenium arch, loges Playwrights

Pierre Corneille – Le Cid, Medee Moliere, (aka Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) – Tartuffe,

The Imaginary Invalid, The Bourgeois Gentleman

Jean Racine – Phaedra, Alexander the Great, Andromaque

England English Restoration (1660) Restoration Comedy – aka “Comedy of Manners” English Royal Patent of 1662 – allowed female

actresses at “legitimate” theaters The Drury Lane Covent Garden Raked stage, proscenium arch, bench seating in

pit Playwrights

William Wycherly – The Country Wife William Congreve – The Way of the World Aphra Behn – The Rover John Dryden – A World Well Lost

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18th & 19th Century Theatre

1700 – 1880

Developed in reaction to elitist styles of French Neoclassicism and Restoration Comedy

Began as sentimental comedy

Appealed to the masses Focused on appeals to emotion rather than intellect Reflected the virtues of private life Featured action, exotic locales and exaggerated

passion Evident in Opera and early musicals

Romanticism

Playwrights Richard Steele – Conscious Lovers Joseph Addison – Cato George Aiken – Uncle Tom's Cabin, based on

novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe Alexandre Dumas – Camille, The Three

Musketeers Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe – Faust Edmond Rostand – Cyrano De Bergerac

Realism – likeness to life Influenced all facets of theater: playwriting,

direction, acting, and design Examined social, psychological and political

complexities of life Complex characters and relationships David Garrick – Actor-Producer of the Drury Lane

Theatre Fourth Wall Playwrights

Henrik Ibsen – A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts

George Bernard Shaw – Major Barbara, St. Joan Anton Chekhov – The Cherry Orchard, The Three

Sisters

Naturalism – a slice of life Extreme form of realism where natural and social

environment override individual willpower Character development versus plot development Established in France by theorist, Emile Zola Playwrights

August Strindberg – Miss Julie Arthur Schnitzler – La Ronde

Modern Theatre1880 – Current

Antirealism – Began in Paris, 1880, by artists who saw Realism

as ordinary and mundane Plays explore the human condition; characters are

symbolic, facing universal conflicts, and withstanding adversity

No principles or formulas for aesthetics, but some with similar characteristics

Drama included verse, novelty, fantasy, superhuman abilities, extravagance

The Age of “Isms” Symbolism

Explored inner human reality not directly or literally perceived

Symbolic characters represent philosophical ideals or warring internal forces

August Strindberg – A Dream Play (1902) French Avant Garde

Abandoned conventions of Realism to create new theatrical style

Alfred Jarry – Ubu Roi (1896) Expressionism

Attacked senses with bright lights and color, abrasive sound effects, and aggressive pace

Eugene O’Neill – The Hairy Ape (1921)

The Age of “Isms” Theater of Cruelty

Explored the source of dreams, using cruelty, savagery, criminality

Employed language for its sounds rather than meaning

Theater of Alienation Use of theater to influence public issues and motivate

social action Bertolt Brecht – The Good Person of Szechuan, The

Caucasian Chalk Circle Theater of the Absurd

Themes based on the search for meaning or purpose in life

Samuel Beckett – Waiting for Godot, Endgame Harold Pinter – The Birthday Party, The

Homecoming

American Realism First major theatrical form in United States Confronted impact of social issues on normal

people Enhanced by realistic acting style developed by

theater companies Popularized by American film industry Playwrights

Eugene O’Neill – Beyond the Horizon, Mourning Becomes Electra, Anna Christie

Clifford Odets – Waiting for Lefty, Awake and Sing!

Arthur Miller – Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, All My Sons

Tennessee Williams – The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire

August Wilson – Fences, The Piano Lesson, Gem of the Ocean

Postmodernism 1970’s – sexuality,

profanity, violence, used to shock audience

1980’s – focused on diversity to raise public consciousness, global awareness

21st Century – became a platform to debate issues of terroism, war, religious rights, and political control

Theatrical styles Experimental theatre

Dadaism Nonlinear theater

David Auburn, Proof Harold Pinter, Betrayal

Open Theater Joseph Chaikin, Open Theatre Company

Diversity Feminist theatre ensembles Negro Ensemble Company Color blind, and cross gender casting Fusion theatre Macaroni theatre Exploration of sexual preferences – Tony Kushner,

Angels in America

Theatrical styles Spectacular Theatre

Advances in lighting, sound and computer technology Apparent in cinema, performance art, musicals,

music concerts Verbatim Theatre

Moises Kaufman – The Laramie Project (2002) My Name is Rachel Corrie (2005)

Workers’ Theatre El Teatro Campesino, California (1965) Free Southern Theater, Mississippi (1963) Cornerstone Theater, California (1986)

Movement art and dance theatre Solo performance

William Luce – The Belle of Amherst (1976) Jay Presson Allen – Tru (1989)

Asian Theatre

Asian Theater Developed in isolation from

Western culture Emphasis on imagery and

symbolism, rather than realism and literary merit

Drama includes dance, song, chant, mime, acrobatics, puppetry

Centered around folk history, cultural myths, ancient religion

Drama featured multiple authors, improvisation, and adaptations

India Sanskrit Dance-Theater

Documented in treatise Natyasatra, detailing play structure, stage buildings, performance, etc.

Died out in 10th century due to Mongol conquests and fragmented culture

Kathakali – “story play” Developed in 17th century Based on stories from the Mahabharata

China Shadow Plays Xiqu – “tuneful theater”

Performers must be skilled in all: singing, speech, acting, movement, acrobatics, martial arts

Teahouse performances Included both humorous and serious elements Beijing Opera 100 Words Festival

Japan No

Ceremonial drama, retelling myths and supernatural events

Characters include shite, waki, and chorus Comic interlude called the kyogen

Bunraku Developed in 6th century, using life-like puppetry All-male puppeteers, musicians, and chanters Three puppeteers per character, cloaked in

black Kabuki

Originated in 17th Century Multi-act play, utilizing stylized costumes, face

paint, scenery, movement

Notable Asian Playwrights Rabindrinath Tagore (1861 – 1941) - India

Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for poetry Challenged classical sanskrit, and wrote poetic, political,

and personal works Ts’ao Yu (1910-1996) - China

Influenced by Greek and Western drama, wrote “spoken theater”

Kuan Han Ch’ing (1241 – 1320) - China wrote in zaju style, The Injustice of Dou E

Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653 – 1725) – Japan Domestic dramas, usually ended with suicide of one or

both lovers