[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
What are the 3 genres of drama?
- Comedy
- Tragedy
- Satyr Plays
The first ____ were mainly satirical and mocked men in power for their vanity and
foolishness.
Comedy
____ dealt with the big themes of love, loss, pride, the abuse of power and the fraught
relationships between men and gods.
Tragedy
He is one of the greatest playwrights of tragedy.
Aeschylus
____ argued that tragedy cleansed the heart through pity and terror, purging us of our petty
concerns and worries by making us aware that there can be nobility in suffering. He called this
experience ____
Aristotle; catharsis
These short plays were performed between the acts of tragedies and made fun of the
plight of the tragedy’s characters. They are
classified by some authors as tragicomic, or comedy dramas.
Satyr Plays
They were mythical half-human, half-goat figures and actors in these plays wore large phalluses for comic effect.
Satyrs
As Christianity spread, theatre took a religious turn, which opened the door to the morality plays of the
____ Period. In Europe, during the ____th and ____th centuries, ____, which featured a hero who must overcome evil, were allegorical (symbolic) in nature.
Medieval; 15th and 16th; morality plays
____ is acted out live in front of an audience. The ____ is a drama that has been acted out to perfection and is presented as a recording to a live audience.
staged theater; movie theater
What are the other types of drama?
- Improvisation/Let’s Pretend
- Role Plays
- Pantomime
- Masked Drama
- Puppet Plays
- Performance Poetry
- Radio Drama
A scene is set, either by the director or the actors, and then with little or no time to prepare a script, the actors perform before an audience.
Improv
Actors are given a particular role in a scripted play. After rehearsal, the play is performed before an audience.
Roleplays
A type of drama in which actors use only facial expressions, gestures and body language to convey/express meaning or information without dialogue.
Pantomime
The main props are masks. Actors are given specific parts to play with a formal script. Using only their voices they must create the full picture for the audience. Interpreting content and expressing it using only the voice.
Masked Drama
Actors use puppets to perform mock drama before an audience.
Puppet plays
While reciting a poem the actors are encouraged to act out the story from the poem.
Performance poetry
Similar to script reading with the addition of other sound effect. The painting of the mental picture is important.
Radio drama
