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534 BCE
Thespis Wins
Thespis enters into a drama competition in Athens. During this competition he stepped out from the crowd and began to recite dialogue, at which point he became the first actor. Thespis won the competition. Picture found at: https://bnhstheatre1.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/aeschylus.jpg -
Apr 10, 1170
Mystery of Adam
This is the first known mystery play. The play was originally preformed in France outside of a church. Picture found at: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/510F24G40SL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg -
Jan 1, 1576
London's First
James Burbage has the idea to build a theatre within London. This theater is named "Theatre". Picture found at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Burbage%27s_Theatre%2C_Holywell%2C_London_-_site_plan.png -
Tamburlaine the Great
Marlowe makes his mark on theatre by introducing blank verse. This style has become closely associated with Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. Picture found at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/4e/83/0e/4e830e37781bdcf97f00ea82be030d68.jpg -
Last But Not Least
The Tempest, Shakespeare's last show is preformed for the first time. This show will go on to be one of his most preformed pieces. Picture found at: http://bloggingshakespeare.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/5050122033_602a17a16e_b.jpg -
Hamlet
The world renowned Hamlet is first preformed. The show strongly expresses the ideas of the Renaissance age. Picture found at: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/content/uploads/2016/04/Ladi-Hamlet-800x500.jpg -
Globe on Fire
The Globe Theatre goes up in flames while a performance of Henry VIII is going on. The theatre isn't reconstructed right away. Picture found at: http://the-globe-theatre.weebly.com/uploads/4/8/6/9/4869232/3725558.jpg -
Period: to
Kabuki
A theatre style popular to the Japanese culture. This style is developed as a cafe entertainment. -
A Great Fall
Moliere, french playwright, falls ill during a performance of his own show. The show he was preforming is Le Malade Imaginaire Picture found at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Moliere2.jpg/200px-Moliere2.jpg -
Lady Windermere's Fan
Oscar Wilde writes Lady Windermere's Fan, and it's a wondrous success. The show opened at the St. James Theatre, in London. Picture found at: https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/entertainment/stage/2013/06/09/lady_windermeres_fan_review/lady_windermere.jpg -
Period: to
Sonic Boom
During this time span muscial theatre had a large increase in productions. Largely due to the fact that during this time theater was considered one of the main forms of entertainment. -
Period: to
Over 250 shows debut on broadway
Over 50 of the shows debuted were musicals -
Around and Around
The Musical Carousel opens on Broadway and audiences are captivated. The partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein is shown to be a match made in musical theatre heaven. Picture found at: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/POcEsIzx8io/hqdefault.jpg -
Who's Fair Lady?
During this year the Julie Andrews takes the Broadway stage as Eliza Doolittle in the musical My Fair Lady. The show was written by Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Loewe. Picture found at: http://media.rvanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MyFairLady-01.jpg -
The Story
The brilliant Musical, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story is created. The musical features great songs such as "America", "Jet Song", "Maria", etc. Picture found at: http://media.vanityfair.com/photos/54cbf9d0998d4de83ba3c11d/master/h_590,c_limit/image.jpg -
A First
Stephen Sondheim reaches Broadway for the first time as a lyricist and composer of the show, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." The show went on the win a Tony for Best Actor within a musical. Picture found at: http://www.tworivertheater.org/images/plays_events/FORUM-Press-4.jpg -
More Volume
The musical Hair tackles the controversies of the sixties by attacking it from a new angle. The show opened on Off Broadway in the Joseph Papp's Public Theatre at Astor Place. Picture found at: http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-08-06-handsup.jpg -
The Phantom
Andrew Lloyd Webber writes The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom of the Opera is one of broadway's longest running musicals. Picture found at: http://broadway.showtickets.com/cdn/site/cs-1232-st-the-phantom-of-the-opera1_banner_1024x422_1_20.jpg -
Period: to
Revive Me Please
The Broadway stage is a pit of Resurrection as five shows once again see that spot light. The shows include, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown", "On the Town", "Peter Pan", "Little Me", and "Annie Get Your Gun." -
Just Past Avenue P
The musical "Avenue Q" opens, and shocks all when it wins the Tony Aware for Best Musical. The show decides not to tour and instead becomes an exclusive attraction only for those to see in Las Vegas. Picture found at: http://avenueq.com/photos/AvenueQPhoto1.jpg -
Works Cited
"HistoryWorld - Musical+theatre Timeline." HistoryWorld - Musical+theatre Timeline. History World, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
"HistoryWorld - Theatre Timeline." HistoryWorld - Theatre Timeline. History World, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
"Timeline." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
