History of theatre

By sophroche1800
  • 700 BCE

    Ancient Greece

    Began with festivals in honour of their Gods, in particular, Dionysus: the God of wine.
  • 500 BCE

    Development of theatre in Ancient Greece

    by this time, 3 genres of dramatic theatre, including Tragedy, Comedy and the 'Satyr play'
  • 300 BCE

    Ancient Roman Theatre

    Roman theatre began in early 4th Century BCE. Some notable playwrights include:
    - Livius Andronicus
    - Plautus
    - Lucius Accius
    The public opinion of Roman actors of this time was low. They were placed as low as criminals, prostitutes. A career in acting of this time was thought of as being 'illegitimate' and 'repulsive'
  • Period: 400 to Apr 6, 1400

    Medieval theatre (Miracle & Morality)

    During the Middle Ages, there were many different types of theatre being performed. This includes Miracle and Morality plays.
    Miracle plays were usually about the life and actions of a Saint. For example St. George and the dragon.
    Morality plays were created to teach audiences lessons on how to live their life.
  • Period: Apr 3, 1500 to

    Commedia dell' Arte

    Commedia dell' Arte began in 16th Century Italy, roughly translating to 'Comedy of Art' created a major influence on future trends of theatre, including having professional theatre companies and speaking roles played by a female.
    It was popular with audiences as it depicted the lower social status characters higher up than upper-class characters. As most audience members would have been in the working class.
    Some conventions of this form included:
    - Stock (2D) characters
    - Slapstick
    - masks

  • Melodrama

    This style of theatre began to rise in the early 19th Century, particularly in France. Some playwrights of this form of theatre include
    Dion Boucicault
    René Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt
    Melodrama became so popular as the Industrial revolution was beginning and audiences want to forget their problems and see colour, romance, thrillers and comedies. The stage was large, however, there were no microphones in this time so every move they make had to be highly stylised.

  • Realism

    Realism was created in order to contradict Melodrama as audiences started wanting to see a 'slice of life' on stage.
    Some playwrights of this form include:
    -Henrik Ibsen
    -Eugene O'Neill
    Some conventions include:
    -Realistic set
    -Realistic blocking
    -3D characters
    A lot of actors also used Stanislavski's techniques, which is a sort of scientific approach of how an actor gets into character. This includes the 'Fundamental Questions'.

  • Expressionism

    Expressionism began in the early 20th century to contradict realism. Due to the uncertainty of audiences with the post-Industrial Revolution, WWI and WWII. Audiences wanted to see a subjective reality on stage. Some notable people of this form include
    - August Strindberg
    - Ernst Toller
    - Oskar Kokoschka
    Some conventions and techniques of this style include:
    - Soundscape
    - lighting and sound
    - chorus

  • Absurdism

    This form of theatre was most popular in the post-WWII world. This form was mostly popular in 1950's Paris. This form was practised by a small number of European Practitioners. This form was also known to be:
    - Chaotic
    - Illogical
    - Uncertain
    Some notable Practitioners include:
    - Samuel Beckett
    - Jean Genet