[PRELIM] History of Theater Flashcards
The terminology ‘theater’, meaning ‘____’, originated in Ancient Greece some ____ years back.
- a place for viewing
- 5,000
What are the 3 classification of theater categories?
- Drama
- Musical theater
- Comedy
How are theater and ritual similar?
- a form of knowledge,
- didactic,
- influence or control,
- to glorify, and
- to entertain and give
pleasure. - music,
- dance,
- spectacle,
- masks,
- costumes,
- speech,
- performers,
- audience,
- stage,
- makeup
Similar themes, pleasure, power, duty
The origins of Greek theatre lie in the revels of the
followers of ____, a god of ____ and ____. In keeping with the god’s special interests, his cult
ceremonies are exciting occasions. His female devotees, in particular, dance themselves into a state of frenzy. Carrying long phallic symbols, known as ____, they tear to pieces and devour the raw flesh of sacrificial animals.
Dionysus; god of fertilty and wine; thyrsoi
In the ____ century BC a priest of Dionysus, by the name of ____, introduces a new element which can
validly be seen as the birth of theatre. He engages in a dialogue with the chorus. He becomes, in effect, the first actor. He was also the first winner of a theatrical award. Actors in the west, ever since, have been proud to call themselves ____.
6th; Thespis; Thespians
Theatrical contests become a regular feature of the annual festival in honor of Dionysus, held over four
days each spring and known as the City ____. Four authors are chosen to compete. Each must write
three tragedies and one satyr play (a lascivious farce, featuring the sexually rampant satyrs, half-man and half-animal, who form the retinue of Dionysus). The performance of the plays by each author takes a full day, in front of a large number of citizens in
holiday mood, seated on the slope of an ____.
Dionysia; Athenian hillside
The first plays were performed with just one actor (called a protagonist) and a chorus of people who helped him to tell the story. However, throughout the 5th century BC playwrights continued to innovate. The playwright ____ added a second speaking role, called the antagonist, and reduced the chorus from 50 to ____. His play “____”, first performed in 472 BC, is the oldest surviving of all Greek plays.
Aeschylus; 12; The Persians
An exclusively Greek contribution to architectural history is the ____ for watching theatrical performances (appropriately, since the Greeks are also the inventors of theatre as a literary form).
raked auditorium
In the ____ century a stone auditorium is built on the site, and there is still a theatre there today - the ____. However, this is a Roman reconstruction from the time of Nero. By then the shape of the stage is a semi-circle.
In the first Greek theatres the stage is a full circle, in keeping with the circular dance - ____ - from which the theatrical performance has evolved. This stage is called the ____ because it is the place where the chorus sing and dance.
4th; the theater of Dionysus
the choros; orchestra
Build in 340 BC, it is the best example of classical Greek theatre.
Epidaurus
What makes Western theater different from Eastern theater?
- Myths – relationship between gods and humans
- Change and progress are the sense of reality – constantly changing
- Conflict is the essence of our lives – the struggle
What makes Eastern theater different from Western theater?
- Myths – oneness between man and gods
- Change and progress are illusions – peace and tranquility are truths
- Tradition and stasis
What are the 2 forms of modern theater?
- Representational (Realism)
- Presentational (Stylized)
In theater, drama, as in a play, is meant to be performed on a stage in front of an audience at the theatre. So, drama refers to the ____, while the word theatre is the ____ of the
____.
Script; performance of the script
This word comes from the Greek word meaning “action”.
drama
