Mid-term Study prt 1

Hymns to and about the poet Dionysus, the performance of which led to the creation of Greek Drama

- Great people brought low by making the wrong choices, usually set in mythic past, and always deals with serious topics, often ends in death; performed in trilogies

Followed tragic trilogy, the chorus was always dressed as satyrs; very lewd humor, often adapted well known myths(greek)

Common people trying to rise up; set in modern day; mixture of bawdy humour and sophisticated political and social

Not individual characters, but have a collective voice as a group of characters in all Greek Drama, often providing vital exposition and commentary on the events of the play

‘god in the machine’; ancient theatrical technology that utilized a crane to lower an actor dressed as a god down to the stage in a basket so that the deity could resolve complicated plot situations

Greek God of Wine, Fertility, & Theatre

First permanent theatre ever built for the Festival Of Dionysus in which Athens became the city ‘Dionysia’, featured a play competition

The ‘Inventor of Tragedy’, the First to use mask first real greek actor

greek Tragic Playwright, wrote the Oresteia (only tragic trilogy where all three plays survive)

greek Tragic Playwright, wrote Oedipus Rex

A man unwittingly fulfills a prophecy stating he will kill his father and marry his mother

Tragic greek Playwright, wrote The Bacchae

a play about the Greek god Dionysus and his journey for retribution.

greek Comic Playwright (Old Comedy), wrote Lysistrata

Greek Philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexnder the Great; wrote The Poetics, the first aesthetic writing on theatre, including the Six Elements of Tragedy

refers to the failure of the hero, meaning ‘to miss the mark’; though sometimes thought of as a ‘flaw’, the Greek view seems to be more about whiffing

refers to the release of real emotions in reaction to great theatre

Plot, Character, Thought, Diction, Song, and Spectactle

roman playwright born in Northern Africa, may have been the first playwright of colour, and nearly as influential as Plautus

used masks until the 1st century AD, white for female characters, brown for male

meaning/ or relating to human construction, skill, or cunning(Ingenuity)

is anything created by human artifice.

generally used to refer to how people relate/react to art and beauty

is the study of value and aesthetics can be understood to be the study of the value of art and beauty

approach examines a work of art independently for its craftsmanship and beauty, its inherent aesthetic value

look at the ‘context’, the history, geography, and place in broader sociological and artistic movements to determine value

Performer

Audience

Live(Shared Space)

Proscenium Stage: Most popular stage because of broadway. The audience is entirely opposite of the stage.

Thrust: Surrounded by the audience on three sides. Uses an intimate connection due to the proximity.

Arena: A stage that is surrounded by all sides, also called ‘circle’ or ‘in-the-round’ Stage directions are described by cardinal signs or clock positions

Traverse: Also called ‘alley’. Stage is between the audience on two sides. Set pieces are placed at the ends. Less common than other stages

Black Box: Not a particular shape but malleable with minimal set pieces. Experimental, educational,

derives from conflict, though not necessarily interpersonal characters in works of fiction have a Task, Objective, Goal, Motivation, or intention

Further away from audience is “upstage” Closer to audience is “downstage”

is a type of comedic work of drama that involves buffoonery, slapstick (physical comedy), broad characterization, and ridiculous and improbable plots

exceptionally, vulgar(improvised)

a stereotype people could recognize, which carried from Greece, Rome, and Renaccicne

a Greek tunic

cloak worn over the chiton

Purple – Wealth

Red – Poverty

Striped Togas – Boys

Yellow robes – Women

short cloak – Soldiers

Yellow tassel - Gods

The first ‘Roman’ playwright, Livius Andronicus was a Greek Slave who translated Greek work into Latin(He also translated Homer’s Illiad)

one of the famous roman playwrites, wrote comedies that influenced menander

was sometimes linked to religious festivals, but there was less sense of community and civic pride than Greece

were entirely professional, and theatre was just one of many competing forms of entertainment(were not considered entirely respectable)

were competing with nude mimes, live staged sea battles, acrobats, and prisoners being fed to wild animals

first roman theater ever built

The great Roman orator, lawyer, and statesman a fan of theater (Died b/c Marc Antony had him executed)

A (Roman) comedic actor, was so celebrated for his skills that his name became synonymous with brilliant acting of any kind

The great American Shakespearean, Roscius’(meaning great actor) first man knighted for his skills as an actor(First African American Actor)

The greatest roman tragic actor in the time of Cicero, during the transitional period from Roman Republic to Roman Empire

greatest roman tragic playwright

First woman actor of rome, climbed up the ranks became empress; Justinian’s reign was notable for the expansion of women’s rights and protections under the law

upon the next life and theatre was seen as a sinful waste of time

could not be baptized, marriage to an actor ended in excommunication

spread across the world through Rome had outlasted the Roman Empire people were no longer united in Europe by a single political power, they remained tethered to one another through their shared faith

at the beginning of the Medieval period, the only church, but schisms fractured Christianity throughout the medieval period and through the Renaissance

Theatre all but disappeared from the European world

The First Woman Playwright, loved comedy but was troubled by the lewdness of the Roman playwrights Inspired by Terence, whose plays were more polite decided to write her own plays

is a nun of high rank, afforded her the opportunity to have servants and receive a great education

written to be read rather than performed, though it was probably read aloud as a performance in the medieval period

recreating favourite stories from the Old Testament with an increased focus on costumes and props(Church members took on the role of angels and the three Marys discovering the resurrection)

for small stages to be setup outside

arranged in small stages to be setup outside, called ‘mansions’; followed the story of the Old Testament up to the Resurrection, some going to the Last Judgement

Guilds, like carpenters, tailors, and blacksmiths, referred to their trades; Actors were amateurs, people saw more than forty plays over several days had pageant/float stages

If the subject was the Resurrection, still performed by Catholic Churches

If the subject was a saint

plays about folklore emerged in the late 13th century, including the first dramatization of Robin Hood

were themed around death and preparing for the afterlife “Everyman”, written in the late 1400s in Middle English, is an example

God music performed by preistesses

Monkey Music was a popular form of dance entertainment which included animal acts, nudity, and dance theatre

Sarugaku noh which was revised by Buddhist Monks into a cleaner version which was also used as an educational tool.

invented by the deity Ame-no-Uzume, goddess of merriment and the dawn, who put on a striptease dance to lure Amaterasu, the sun goddess, out of a cave

considered the greatest playwright and theorist of Noh Drama, Son of sarugaku noh actor Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, established the Kanze School of Noh Drama, developing the form as it exists today(Retired as a monk)

Through his patronage, Noh became the preferred theatrical entertainment of the samurai aristocracy; besotted with Zeami, and impressed with his brilliance as a performer

Story of a sacred Shinto shrine

Warriors

-‘Wig Plays’, feature women played by men

naturalistic stories

sad ‘wig plays’ about a woman losing a child or lover and going mad

Demon Plays

Short comic scenes played between Noh plays or sometimes with parodies of Noh (similar to Satyr plays) Or Scenes of Everyday life (like Roman comedies)But Kyogen was NEVER vulgar

is the main character, the only to wear a mask in noh

the Shite’s companion

, the witness for the antagonist

Itsukushima Shrine, Miyashima

The 26th Grandmaster of the school of Noh He became Director of the Kanze School at age 31

Old Men

Women

Gods

Demons & Spirits

only actors playing animals or gods Less distinct designs of the masks

The ‘exquisite woman’s kimono’ Word translates as “Chinese style fabric” modelled after the Chinese Shokko brocade.

Chikamatsu,wrote Kabuki and puppet theater Bunraku

the founder of kabuki performed it in a dry river bed, onnakabuki when only women did it. Kabuki had crazy makeup