Primitive (?-600 BC)
Greek/Roman (600 BC-600 AD)
Medieval (925 AD-1537 AD)
Medieval theatre began by churches
trying to explain new religions to the
illiterate population. They began
staging dramatizations of biblical
events on certain days of the year. The
four main types of plays in this time
period were mummers plays, mystery
plays, morality plays, and miracle
plays.
Tragedy, comedy, and satyr play all emerged from
the Greek city of Athens. The drama masks are
an iconic convention of classic Greek theatre.
Roman theatre is very similar to Greek theatre.
Two genres, drama and comedy, were prominent
in the Roman empire. The Roman stage was laid
out like the Greek theater were you had a
backstage area, a place for the audience, and an
orchestra.
Medieval theatre began by churches
trying to explain new religions to the
illiterate population. They began
staging dramatizations of biblical
events on certain days of the year. The
four main types of plays in this time
period were mummers plays, mystery
plays, morality plays, and miracle
plays.
Renaissance (1537 AD- 1660 AD)
Restoration (1660 AD- 1750 AD)
Romanticism (1750 AD- 1850 AD)
The first permanent theatre, the Red Lion,
opened in 1567, and soon, many others
followed for example, The Theatre. The drama
genre became a huge phenomenon in England.
The theaters were generally built from plaster
and timber, and were three stories tall. Many
theatres were closed during the time of plague.
Restoration theatre speaks of English
comedies produced during that time
period. Many of the performers who were
on stage during this time became the
first celebrities. The decline of comedy
was due to two theatre companies
converging, bringing a decline to the
amount of comedies being written.
Napoleon led Europe from Rationalism,
into Romanticism. It was sometimes
referred to as a return to the Middle Ages
because of the return of the church. In
the later years of Romanticism theatre,
the industrial revolution evolved the
theatres because of things such as gas
lighting.
Realism (1850 AD -1875 AD)
Realism (1850 AD -1875 AD)
Modern (1875 AD- 1915 AD)
Realism focused on everyday drama,
normal speech, and normal settings.
Realism came around for three main
reasons. One, August Comte developed a
theory known as Positivism. Two,
Charles Darwin published the book
called The Origin of Species. Three, Karl
Marx created a political philosophy
against urbanization.
Realism focused on everyday drama,
normal speech, and normal settings.
Realism came around for three main
reasons. One, August Comte developed a
theory known as Positivism. Two,
Charles Darwin published the book
called The Origin of Species. Three, Karl
Marx created a political philosophy
against urbanization.
Tragedy, comedy, and satyr play all emerged
from the Greek city of Athens. The drama
masks are an iconic convention of classic
Greek theatre. Roman theatre is very similar to
Greek theatre. Two genres, drama and comedy,
were prominent in the Roman empire. The
Roman stage was laid out like the Greek
theatre were you had a backstage area, a place
for the audience, and an orchestra.
Musical
Musical theatre is a form of modern theatre
that incorporates songs and dance into
theatre. Many plays were aimed to urge racial
harmony such as West Side Story. Musicals
are very similar to operas except for a few
factors. Musicals have much more spoken
dialogue, and there is usually more dancing
incorporated within the song numbers.
Significant
playwrights
include:
Laurents, Elton John, Gaston Leroux
Arthur