Theatre History Timeline

Roman- 4th Century

Jan 1, 1004

• Began when Romans tried to adopt Greek Theatre
• Comedy surpassed Greek predecessors
• Tragedy not as successfulPlaywrights:
Plautus
Terence
Seneca
• Romans added more realistic scenery to plays
• Setting usually outdoors
• Since Roman plays were about Greeks there was always an alter on stage
• More speaking actors than Greeks
• Actors played one part
• Masks still used
• Stock Characters embellished
It was meant to be fun and entertaining with very little subtext unlike Greek

Greek- 550 BC and 220 BC.

Mar 24, 1006

The city state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and military power, was its centre, where it was used as part of a festival called the Dioysia.Honouringthe god Dionysus
Playwrites:
• Adrastus
• Linus
• Cycnus
• Eumenides
• Philoctetes
• Pirithous
• Theseus
• Œdipus
Conventions:
- Masks
-dialogue
set design
-lighting / sound design,
-Subtleties in performance.
Greek theatre will also have a "lesson" involved meant to enlighten the the audience.

commedia dell'arte- 16th Century

Jan 1, 1008

• Italy commedia was a response to the political and economic crisis of the 16th century and, as a consequence, became the first entirely professional form of theater. Playwrights: Carlo Goldoni ,Andrea Calmo Conventions: Costuming, Masks, Stock characters , Music, Slapstick, Noises , Props • Art during this period of time was suppose to be dedicated to the church, • The Commedia Dell’ Arte plays usually poked fun at political problems by delivering political statements.

Miracle/Morality/Medieval- 16th Century

Mar 24, 1010

• English Mystery Plays: -Bible stories.Clergymen were the actors.One stage was located right outside the local church.Might be staged in a wagon that was pulled through town. Stories included the Birth of Jesus, The Wise Men, Miracle Plays: Miracle plays were plays about the lives of the saints and the miracles they performed. Again, the clergy were the actors. Morality plays: The church hired actors to perform these plays. The stories were about virtues,fellowship,good deeds.

Melodrama- 18th Century

Mar 24, 1012

Melodrama refers to a dramatic work that focuses on plot and characters in order to appeal to exageration of emotions. Playwrights:
J. E. Eberlin's, Anton Schweitzer, Georg Benda.
Same character traits, for example a hero (always the fearless one), heroine (the love of the hero, usually the one that the hero saves), villain (usually likes the heroine too).
providesr traditional values that were threatened by war and industrialization in the 18th century.

Realism- 19th Century

Mar 24, 1014

Realism focus's on everyday (middle-class) drama, colloquial speech, and mundane settings.Playwrights:
Stanislavski, Otto Ludwig, Gustav Freytag, Royall Tyler, William Dunlap, and John Howard Payne, Eugene Scribe
some conventions:
- Realistic, fully functioning set
- Realistic acting
- 3 dimensional characters
Key issues/concerns:
-Focus's on everyday life and everyday people and the problems they face.

Expressionism- 1930'

Mar 24, 1016

Expressionism originated in Germany at the start of the 20th-century. Reaction to Realism and otherm ovements such as naturalism Express the meaning of "being alive" and emotional experience rather than physical reality. Tendency to distort reality for an emotional effect. Playwrights: Strindberg, Gerrge Kaider, Ernst Toller

Conventions: Lightening, sound effects,colour, Masks- represents of different realties, make up, Language and dialogue- short, loss of the individual,dehumanizing

Absurdist theatre -1950's

Mar 24, 1018

Expressed the belief that human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication is useless.
 Playwrghts: Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter,
ConvVoice, sound and noise ,unusual use of silence
Movement: mix of realistic, non-realistic, ritualistic, circus,Gesturesorientated towards hands and feet, Language, Mood and Atmosphere, pace/temp, dance, tumbling amagic. The Absurism play takes the form of man’s reaction to a world apparently without meaning,