Midterm Flashcards
What are the origins of theatre?
Hard to point to a direct origin. However, there was a discovery in South Africa where there was the first abstract mark.
What are epics?
Recited stories, narration and dialogue, narration gives you subtext.
What are rituals?
a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.
What is drama?
theatre, art that imitates every day life. Contains dialogue, up to actors and directors to read between the lines
What did the Cambridge anthropologists do?
These translators, archaeologists, theoreticians posited that theater has its origin in seasonal rituals
What are some examples of human action and nature combined for the Greeks?
- Prayers for rain, sun, etc. (Zeus provided storms, Persephone/Demeter spring)
- Corn King - coming of spring and generation of new grains in the fields, related to fertility.
- Burning of a wickerman then rebuilding (regeneration)
What is the critique of the idea that theatre has its origin from seasonal rituals?
Cultural Darwinism - Things evolve from simple to complex. This origin of theatre has been discounted, yet we still have rituals like weddings
What has been the source of art for forever?
Primitive Stories
In the study of ritual, what can human action be considered?
A tool
The Shaman Theory
certain figures who are identified by the community who is the conduit between humans and nature (or the divine).
- Allows the human to ‘speak’ to the cosmos and cosmos speaks back.
- Sort of like actors(?)
Differences between Ritual and Theater
In rituals, all participants contribute to the activity.
In theater, audience is separated from the performance
How different people are drawn to the theater
Greeks: theater was connected to religion
Romans: same as the Greeks
Medieval peoples: Still somewhat religious, but starting to move away.
Renaissance: Theater breaks loose and becomes a meeting place
Loses its ritual function and becomes more of a social event.
Theatron
Literally “The place for viewing”
Theater is a visual event (duh)
Skene
The place where the actors would go to change between scenes
Origin for the word scene.
Orchestra
Circular dancing floor for the chorus
Thymele
Center of the orchestra where we believe a statue of Dionysus was placed.
Parados/Paradoi (plural)
Entrance gate at the side of the stage for the chorus
Crane
Machine used to raise and lower actors playing gods and goddesses
Where the term “Deus ex Machina” came from.
Ekkeklyma
Cart that was used to reveal a pictorial event (usually a bloody scene of death)
Periaktoi:
3 sided scenic pieces, rotated to show different locations.
Scenery is introduced by Sophocles
Organic Development of Types of Theater
Tales and stories > Epics
Dithyramb (Choral song for rituals) Chorus > Tragedy
Phallic Song > Comedy
Chronicles
Fact after fact without much expanding with details.
List of dates and events
Earliest examples goes back to Middle Eastern Courts
Chronicler makes an account of the story.
History elaborates chronicles into a story while keeping the information into an accurate form.
Chorus
a homogeneous non-individualized group of performers, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action.
Originally 50 then down to 12 with the addition of a second actor.
Who was the first to introduce the second and third actor?
Aeschylus
