American performing arts The American theatre In the early decades of the 19th century, the finest English actors, notably Edmund Kean, William Charles Macready, and Charles Kemble, visited the United States and provided a stimulus for the local actors with whom they worked. By the middle of the 19th century, the number of theatres in the United States had multiplied. Many of them were based on English models and offered a high standard of comfort and luxury. Styles of acting also leaned increasingly toward realism. Popular entertainment The last decades of the 19th century saw the rise of several forms of popular entertainment that often reached much larger audiences and created a new range of star performers. In these traditions lay the seeds of the 20th century’s most popular theatrical genre, the musical comedy. One of the greatest showmen of the time was P.T. Barnum. Founder of the American notion of “show business,” he promoted melodrama. Another form that enjoyed enormous popularity in the United States and England throughout most of the century was the minstrel show, inspired by Thomas Darthmouth Rice. The performers were at first white men with black makeup, though, later, African Americans appeared in the shows. Theatre of the 20th century and beyond Theatre in the 20th century reflected all these new ideas and technologies. In fact, it was early in the 20th century that theatre came to be considered a mirror on reality – a way for the audience to reflect on the world we are all living in. The plays and methods of performance embraced the new philosophical ideas. The many new economic theories and practices affected theatre, too. Another major area that worked its way onto the stage was science. The discoveries of scientific principles and technological applications are a subtle, but significant element of 20th century theatre. Realism Naturalism 1.representation of reality 1.reality on stage 2.walls painted to represent brick, wallpaper, etc 2.walls must be real brick, wallpaper, or whatever 3.actors acknowledge that the audience is present a)project voices to be heard b)don’t turn backs to the audience 3.actors do not acknowledge that the audience is present a)don’t project their voices b)turn their backs on the audience 4.continues as the major “ism” of theatre 4.virtually disappeared as a viable theatrical form Departures from Realism •Symbolism •Expressionism •Futurism •Surrealism •Theatre of cruelty •Epic theatre Broadway theatre Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. Broadway theatre, or a Broadway show, refers to a performance (usually a play or musical) staged in one of the thirty-nine larger professional theatres located in the New York City borough of Manhattan, with 500 seats or more, that appeal to the mass audience.
