Professional Documents
Culture Documents
History of Theater
History of Theater
History of Theater
Theater
Primitive (600 BC)
Very little is known about primitive theatre other than it was most likely
used to re-enact hunts.
Greek/Roman (600 BC - 600 AD)
Tragedy, comedy, and satyr play all emerged from the Greek city of
Athens. The drama masks are an iconic convention of classic Greek
theatre.
Significant playwrights include: Plautus, Seneca, Lucius Accius
Medieval (925 AD - 1537 AD)
The first permanent theatre, the Red Lion, opened in 1567, and soon,
many others followed for example, The Theatre. The drama genre
became a huge phenomenon in England.
Significant playwrights include: William Shakespeare, Christopher
Marlowe, Ben Jonson
Restoration (1660 AD - 1750 AD)
Realism came around for three main reasons. One, August Comte
developed a theory known as Positivism. Two, Charles Darwin published
the book called The Origin of Species. Three, Karl Marx created a
political philosophy against urbanization.
Significant playwrights include: Emile Augier, Henrik Ibsen, George
Bernard Shaw
Modern (1875 AD - 1915 AD)