History of Theater

By c.lamb1001
  • 3500 BCE

    Egypt

    Ancient Egyptians acted out religious rituals. Priests most likely wore masks of gods. This was one of the first recorded instances of an organized civilization performing things.
  • 534 BCE

    Greek tragedies

    First dramatic festival in Athens, which became an annual event. Tragedies, usually based on epics and myths and involved a human struggle against gods, were common and were performed in amphitheaters. All performers were men, even female characters.
  • 520 BCE

    Theatre of Dionysus complete

    The Greek Theatre of Dionysus' construction was finally complete in the late 5th century in Athens. This theater was massive and used frequently by the Greeks. Much of the seating structure remains, though almost everything else has decayed over time.
  • 404 BCE

    Greek Comedies

    Athens was defeated and tragedies were on the decline. Comedy became popular. It was less religious and more focused on everyday people.
  • 200 BCE

    The start of Roman Theater

    Roman theater, much like many of Rome's other art forms, was much like Greek theater, often directly copied, but Roman pantomime and mime became popular. These forms of theater didn't have dialogue, but rather involved dramatically gesturing to tell a story. Pantomime is still around, usually reserved for children.
  • 55 BCE

    First Roman Theater

    Rome's first permanent theater was built.
  • Jan 1, 925

    Medieval Europe

    Theater was religious, focused on Christianity. Folk theater also developed on a smaller scale, but wasn't as popular
  • Jan 1, 1110

    First miracle play

    First miracle play is performed in England. They start as entertainment for calendar festivals, later being performed independently at festivals.
  • Mar 18, 1200

    Ireland's bards

    Bards, who were poets and musicians, became popular in Ireland around this time.
  • Jan 1, 1402

    Acting companies appear

    Acting companies and playhouses started appearing in Europe. Theater became more popular as a form of entertainment.
  • Jan 1, 1500

    Commedia dell'arte

    Commedia dell'arte, or "comedy of professional artists," developed in Italy, the basis of which is improvisation with a vague plot to guide the performance.
  • Mar 18, 1558

    Religious Plays Banned in England

    Elizabeth I banned religious plays
  • Mar 18, 1576

    First English playhouse

    First permanent English playhouse opened, called the Red Lion. It was located just outside of London, in Whitechapel. It only lasted a year before it was no longer active.

  • The Globe Theater Built

    Shakespeare's Globe Theater built in London. It was later burned to the ground in 1613 and was rebuilt in the same place it originally stood a year later. That structure remains to this day.

  • Teatro Farnese

    Teatro Farnese, a massive theater, was built in Italy, which still stands to this day.

  • Théâtre du Marais

    Théâtre du Marais was a theater company founded in Paris, France. It was the first theater company to form in the city.

  • Theater banned in England

    All theater was banned by parliament in England at the start of the English civil war, since royalists were using them to meet and discuss political matters. All theaters were closed and acting companies were shut down, despite being quite profitable up until then.

  • The return of English theater

    Theater returned to England when the monarchy did and the puritans lost their power over parliament.

  • First American Theater

    First American theater is built in Williamsburg, VA, the capital at the time. It wasn't in use for long before a second theater was built in the same city.

  • First play in New York

    First known play is performed in New York in 1732, and will later become one of the most famous cities in the world for theater.

  • Melodrama

    Melodrama becomes very popular in the United States

  • Madison Square Theatre

    Madison Square Theatre opened in New York, which implemented advanced technology at the time. It was later demolished in 1908.

  • Futurism

    Futurism develops in Italy. It brought with it many new ideas that opposed the views of the past. This can still be seen in the arts today.

  • Dadaism

    Dadaism became popular around this time. It aimed to have no proper structure or rules, and seemed almost like randomized design. While its popularity was short lived, it was also very influential, especially with movements like surrealism.

  • Realism

    Realism became very popular in theater in England, France, and the US. It contrasted the romanticism of the time. Antirealism also appeared during this time.

  • Surrealism

    Surrealism appeared in France in 1927. Like futurism, surrealism was found in the paintings of the time, as well as the theater. It's still very popular today.

  • Workers Drama League

    Workers Drama League was formed in the United States.

  • New Playwrights' Theatre

    New Playwrights' Theatre formed in the United States following World War I.

  • Factual Theater

    Around the time of the Great Depression, facts and realistic information started having more of a presence in American theater. The "living newspaper" technique became popular.

  • Musicals

    The addition of music in American theater, specifically when it came to Broadway productions, became increasingly popular as time went on.

  • Theatre of Cruelty

    A genre of theater which aimed to make the audience think about their own humanity in an alarming way, aiming to make unsettling productions.

  • A low point for Broadway

    Although it has improved significantly since then, that area of New York City was becoming more dangerous and rough during the 70s and 80s, making it an undesirable place for audience members to visit to see plays. Despite this, many famous Broadway productions were from that era.

  • Disney joins in

    Disney's first show to hit Broadway, Beauty and the Beast, began in the mid 90s. It was only the first time Disney would do this, as The Lion King was soon to follow, and several more still to come.

  • Current Theater

    Theater productions now use many of the storytelling tools that theater has always used, but has adapted it with modern technology, social issues, and trends. Musicals continue to be very popular, but they now cover talking points that are more common in modern times. In addition, the variety of performers and genres has grown immensely in the past 20 years.