Theatre History
Theatre History Theatre history begins in primitive times. ... In any case, what is important to know about theatre is that it spoke a common language, the same as music and television do today. Over the years, this was refined into the modern theatre that we know today. ... The next major stage in theatre history is Greek theatre, which was in it’s hey-day from about 500 to 400 A. ... This is a fine example of how progressive Greek theatre was. ... Still, the Greeks improved theatre for us in more ways than one. ... Theatre, in the time of the ancient Greeks, was performed oudoors in an amphitheatre. ... The amphitheatre was improved upon by the Romans, whose era in theatre lasted from the year 0 (or so) to 350 A. ... The Romans, who had conquered the Greeks some years prior, adapted their theatre techniques as a basis for their own theatre. ... Theatre in this periodhad a greater degree of violence than its’ predecessor, and sometimes involved exhibition of inappropriate sexual acts onstage. This is unsurprising, really, when you consider the fact that Dionysus (or Baccus, as he was called by the Romans) was the god of wine and fertility -or sex and beer, to be blunt- and a central figure in theatre worship. This would also explain why theatre does not honor the Sabbath, but I digress. This lack of chastity and violent tendencies prompted the Roman emperor, Constantine, to ban theatre throughout his reign, which lasted from 306-337 A. ... ), organized theatre virtually disappeared. ... So if a Roman emperor decided to place a ban on theatre, there was a no arguing with it, for those who valued their lives, at least. Thus, theatre disappeared for the next 1,000 years. Theatre didn’t make it’s comeback until the Middle Ages (1350-1500 A. ... After awhile, theatre again became more of a mean of entertainment, than of education. ... The three main types of theatre you were likely to see at this time fell into the category of either Mystery (plays about Jesus and the Bible), Miracle, (plays about the lives of the saints), or Morality (plays that tell a moral). One interesting aspect about the rules of theatre from this period in time was that when an actor was assigned a certain role, he played that role for the duration of his acting career and never took another. The Elizabethan period (1500’s, England) brought about many new developments in the history of theatre. To begin with, the first actual theatre was built in London by John Burbage. It was fittingly called “The Theatre”. Also, from this era came one of the greatest playwrights in theatre history, William Shakespeare. ... He was friends with Richard Burbage, son of the previously mentioned John Burbage, father of The Theatre. ... It was also reflected in the construction of the Elizabethan theatre. This stage was built from the remnants of The Theatre, which was demolished due to a disagreement between the landlord and tennants (Well, here’s to recycling! ... A red flag was for history, and black on for tragedy, and a white one for comedy. This was a necessity, since the city was located on one side of the Thames, and the theatre was located on the other. ... ) Never, EVER, mention the Scottish play within the confines of the theatre. ... At around the same time of Elizabethan theatre, improvisation was taking wing in Italy, in the form of Commedia Dell’Arte. ... It was considered a spectacle by theatre-goers. ... French theatre followed immediately after it’s Italian counterpart (1500’s –1600’s) . ... Peasant theatre was performed outside, usually from the backs of wagons, and involved a lot of rude jokes, slapstick violence, basically a 16th century Three Stooges sorta thing. ... Theatre of this day was performed out of doors in an area similar in size and construction to a tennis court. The audience sat around on all sides, such as in the days of earlier theatre. ... He rolled together all forms of French and Italian theatre, and became one of the best-loved playwrights of his time. Following this period came the “restoration” period in theatre history. ... During this time, theatre-goers worked to undo the damage left by the Puritans following Shakespeare’s death in 1616.