History of Theatre

Timline
BY CHARLIE SMALL
Ancient Greek
Theatre
Ancient Greek Theatre began in Athens in the 6th Century BCE. They
Began performing tragedy plays at religious festivals. And then that
inspired Greek comedy plays. These two genres od plays would go on
to become very popular in the Mediterranean Region.

Because of their popularity, the playwrights Sophocles, Euripides and

Aristophanes formed the foundation upon which all modern theatre is
based.

Even the aesthetic of the architecture in Ancient Greek Theatre still

inpsired theatres today.
The origins of
tragedy
The precise origins of tragedy are still debated
among scholars today. Some think the genre
is connected to an earlier art form. Such as
the lyrical performance of poetry. Others think
it started with the rituals performed in the
name of Dionysos, such as the sacrifice of
goats – a song ritual called trag-odia – and
the wearing of masks in this sacred ritual. This
then lead to Dionysos becoming the Greek
God of theatre.
 Greek plays
- Tragedy

Photograph
from the British
Museum
Plays were performed in open-air theatres, or
‘Theatron’, as they were called. And was
open to the male population. The presence of
woman at these events is still put to question.
But there was no entrance fee.

The plot of these plays were almost always

based on Greek mythology. These plays often
dealt with moral rights and wrongs. Fighting
and combat was not allowed on the stage,
and any character’s death had to be off
stage and not seen by the audience.
Performers were also not allowed to make
political statments on the stage or in the play.
The origins of
comedy
The exact origins of the Greek comedy genre
are lost to history. But there is no doubt that men
dressing up and mimicking others goes far back.
Before written records. The first iteration of this
came from ancient Greek pottery, where in 6th
Century BCE, these ornaments often depicted
actors dressed up as horsed, satyrs, and dancers
in elaborate costumes. Other early sources claim
that the genre originated in the form of poems
by Hipponax in 6th century BCE, and Archilochus
in 7th century BCE. And these poems contained
explicit humour of the sexual kind.
 Mark Cartwright
(CC-BY-NC-SA)

The picture shown on the right

is a Greek Marble Comedy
Mask.
Greek plays
- Comedy
 The Greek comedy play followed a conventional
and consistent structure. Part one was the
‘Parados’, where the chorus (with up to twenty-
four performers on the stage sometimes) entered
to engage the audience with a series of songs
and dance routines, dressed in extravagant
Parados costumes that could be depicting anything from
knights riding another man who acted as a horse.
To giant bees with disproportional stingers. And
even on occasion, kitchen tool. And more
common than not, the play was named from the
chorus.
For example: Aristophanes’s ‘The Wasps’.
 The second part of the performance, or the

Agon ‘Agon’, was a witty, verbal dual between the lead

performers. This would add plot elements and
could even involve improvisation.
 Part three was named the ‘Parabasis’, this was
Parabasis when the chorus would directly address the
audience.
 The final part of the Greek comedy play was the
Exodos ‘Exodos’, when the chorus would execute another
song and dance routine for the audience.
And in all Ancient Greek plays, the performers were strictly men.
Ancient Roman
Theatre
Ancient Roman plays were a loose
conveyance or imitations of Ancient Greek
theatre. Or from other places they had
conquered. They’d even wear Greek
costumes.
Entertainment at the time wasn’t just about
the performance. It was a way for the rich
and powerful to showcase their liberality.
And the oranizers of the event would
benefit generously from their patronage.
Entertainment in this time period also had
another use for boosting morale and
decreasing the risk of a revolt.
It was around 364 BCE when theatre was first introduced by the
Etruscans to the city of Tiber.
At first, the performances were of dancers doing their act with
musicians. And these early performances of Ancient Roman theatre
were not just about entertaining an audiecne, but also pleasing the
Gods.

It was some decades later when famous Ancient Roman playwright,

Plautus, was writing comedies.
 Plautus

World History Encyclopaedia

Titus Maccius Plautus was an Ancient Roman playwright, from 205 – 184 BCE. Fact
about his name, the (nick)name Plautus translates to ‘Flatfoot’.

Plautus is most known for a comedy play called, ‘Fabulae Palliatae’. Which was a
Greek themed play, and is one of the earliest surviving works of Latin theatre.

Plautus is also commemorated for his development in characterisation and has

been called a ‘Master of Verbal Acrobatics’.
Medieval
Theatre
Plays in the 15th and 16th century are
very different from the modern
plays we have today. They were
about mystery and morality, and
were often performed in public
spaces by the typical person. These
performances were funded by
merchants and the craftsmen of
the time.

These plays were typically

influenced by scenes from the Bible,
to encourage the people to lead
good and honest Christian lives.
One of the most fascinating artefacts of theatre from this era, was the
religious dramas of towns, such as, Coventry, Chester, Wakefield, and
York.
The British
Library
[Add MS 35290]
The Mystery Plays were a series of performances, that are
sometimes referred to as the ‘Cycle Plays’, because the
performances were made up of roughly forty-eight short
playlets. These performances were performed annually in
the biggest towns and cities of England.

The reason they are known as the ‘Mystery Plays’, is

because their primary theme is the mysteries of God. They
aimed to show, what they believed at the time, the entire
history of the universe – from the creation of Heaven and
Earth, till the last judgment, and how God will decide who
goes to Heaven or Hell.

These plays also gave an opportunity for craftsmen to

show off their work. For example, shipbuilders would
sponsor a play about Noah’s Ark, and they’d built the Ark
for the performance, advertising their wok and business.
Another reason Medieval Theatre
us different from modern theatre, is
the mobility of them. The stage
would often be a wagon on
wheels, so therefore they could
move around the country,
therefore, making the mysteries of
God and the Christian word more
accessible for everyone.
Renaissance/Elizabethan Theatre
Renaissance/Elizabethan Theatre is classed as plays written between the
reformation period and the closing of theatres after the Puritan revolution in 1642. It
also known as the ‘early modern English theatre’.
Renaissance/Elizabethan Theatre
continues some Medieval Theatre
traditions such as the ‘Mystery Plays’.
There were companies of performers that worked for noble houses who
would perform at various locations, these then formed the foundation
of professional performers who would perform on the Elizabethan
stage. And this is what Elizabethan/Renaissance Theatre is most known
for; creating professional players to perform plays in theatre’s purpose
built for entertertainment, the first one being built in 1576 in London.
That and a certain famous playwright...
These theatres would host daily performances, for both genders, and all social
classes. And one of the most famous theatres of the time, the Globe Theatre, would
showcase the works of William Shakespeare.
William
Shakespeare
Shakespeare was born in 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, and it was in
1592 that he started to become well known. He joined Chamberlain’s
Men only two years after that. From there he went on to become a
permeant member of staff at the Globe Theatre, and held his position
there throughout his writing career.

On average Shakespeare wrote two plays a year (thirty-seven titles in

total throughout his career).
Shakespeare’s first play is said
to have been ‘Henry VI Part
I’m written around 1589 CE.
His more popular plays,
however, include: ‘A
Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

Written roughly between 1594

– 1596.

The story follows the story of a

wedding between Greek
hero ... And Amazon
Hippolyte.
Romeo and Juliet

Written roughly between 1591

– 1596.

This story is a tragedy, where

the two main (title) characters
fall in love, despite the fact
their families are mortal
enemies.
Henry V

Written in 1599, and is a

fictional retelling of King Henry
V’s speech at the Battle of
Agincourt in 1415.
Hamlet

Written in 1601.

Is a story of the Danish Prince’s

(Hamlet’s) revengful plot
agaisnt his villain uncle.
Macbeth

Written in 1606, and was

inspired by the Scottish king
who descended into
madness.
Melodrama
In western theatre, Melodrama, is a sentimental piece of drama with
an improbable plot that is about the change (whether welcome or
unwelcomed) endured by the virtuous at the hands wicked, but
ultimately ends happily with the virtuous victorious.

This genre is generally referred to having been developed in France, as

a result from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ‘Pygmalion’, and was first performed
in 1770, during a time when the country was divided by violent political and
social uproar.
An innovative dramatist who had influenced
melodrama in other countries, was German, August
von Kotzebue. His most famous play was
‘Menschenhss und Reue’, which became
tremendously popular in 18th century England.
Naturalism
It can be difficult to decipher the
difference between naturalism and
realism, but they are not the same.
Realism, is things that are real. And
Stanislavski believed that performers
could not truly believe that what they
were acting, and staged, was real. But
he did built up a system (which go on
to be known as ‘The Method’) which
helps performers to use what is real,
their real goals, their real fears, and use
that to create something natural.
Stanislavski techniques

Starting off with the most well-known Stanislavski technique,

The magic if: this technique requires imagination from the actor.
Stanislavski didn’t believe possible, nor necessary, to truly believe that a
staged event was reality. Instead, #stanislavski taught actors to put
themselves in their character’s shoes, and ask, what if?

Emotional memory: for this technique, the actor (in their own time)
recount a memory that triggers the emotion their character may be
feeling in a certain seen, and then be able to use that emotionally
memory to make your character’s more naturalistic.
Epic Theatre
Epic Theatre, or German Episches Theatre, is a form of drama that is
intended to convey information and instruction as well as being an
form of entertainment, by performing a sequence of loosely
connected scenes to avoid misleading the audience, but also
interrupting the story line to address the audience directly.
Epic Theatre is now more commonly associated with the dramatic
theory and practice devolved by playwright/director Bertolt Brecht, in
1920s Germany.

Brecht’s outlook was Marxian. And his goal was to appeal to an

audience of intellect by presenting moral problems, and using a
contemporary way to reflect social realities. And his pieces of theatre
he used ‘alienating’ or ‘distancing’ effects to make to audience react
in a way that would make them think objectively about the play and
understand it, and to draw their own conclusions.
Surrealism
Surrealism, is stripping a
performance of anything
logical or real, to create
an unconventional piece
of drama and create a
dream-like atmosphere
on stage and allowing
imagination to take over
the piece.
Surrealism, is a style of theatre that
developed in the early 1920s, and it’s
known for the use of unexpected, illogical,
scenes to create a dazed like atmosphere
on the stage. It often takes a dive into the
unconscious mind.

While some might take the development of

surrealism in theatre as a move against
traditional, and realistic, theatre, it is also
inspired by a much earlier movements, such
as Dada and Expressionism.
European artists used the
aftermath of World War I,
to depict illogical and
frightening scenes to
create the movement
known as surrealism. This,
in turn, allowed them to
developed techniques
that permitted the mind
to express itself.
And it was in Gulliame Apollinaire’s poem,
‘The Unfinished World’, where the original
concept surrealism and of an independent
reality existing beneath our conscious
reality.
 Eugene Lonesco Antonin Artaud Samuel Beckett

Playwrights from this genre such as, Samuel Beckett, Eugene Lonesco and
Antonin Artaud wanted to push the boundaries of theatre and to give the
audience some unconventional, and sometimes disturbing, visions.
Elements of Surrealism Theatre can
still be pinpointed in works of many
contemporary playwrights and
directors. And this style of theatre is
still used in performance.
In Yer Face Theatre
In-yer-face Theatre is a style that captures the
audiences attention and doesn’t loose it until
they get the message. The term ‘In-yer-face’
was originally used by American sports journalists
in the mid 70s, this then became more
mainstream slang during the late 80s-early 90s to
describe something being aggressive,
provocative and/or brash. And it suggests that
your being forced to see something close up.
Crossing the normal boundaries.

Another origin of the term ‘In-yer-face’ is often

ascribed to a critic named Aleks Sierz, who wrote
a definitive book on the In-yer-face movement.
But he does deny coining the term.
In-yer-face Theatre is intended to shock the
audience with use of extremism to unsettle the
audience by its directness.

The style often gets criticism for being too over-

the-top and flashy. But, this doesn’t mean it
should be dismissed, the genre has a beauty of
its own that shouldn’t be undermined.
Often used as a stylistic descriptor for contemporary work, the In-yer-
face movement began in British theatres in the 1990s, and it explores
diverse topics such as, violence, addiction, mental health, class
struggle, sex and sometimes war.
Verbatim Theatre
Verbatim theatre is in a way a documentary in theatre form, based on
the spoken words of real people – and strictly Verbatim theatre
makers, exclusively use only real people’s recorded words. These could
be from newspapers, documentaries and diaries.
The term ‘Verbatim Theatre’ was utilized by Derek Paget during his
researches into documentary drama. This entails using recorded
materials from the real origins of the events and characters you are
bringing to life through theatre.
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