Spanish Golden Age and French Neoclassical Theatre

- Neoclassical models - Italian theatre - Scenic design

French theatre in the mid 17th century adhered to WHAT THREE THINGS.

I'Academie Francaise

He urged a literary group that formed to move towards an Italian style academy, which they did in 1636, creating WHAT. The academy was given a royal charter and was limited to 40 writers and intellectuals.

Confrerie de la Passion

In 1402, a religious group, the WHAT was organized in Paris to present religious plays.

Hotel de Bourgogne

In 1548 the group built a permanent theatre called the WHAT, which may have been the 1st permanent theatre since Roman times. IT was also the sole permanent indoor theatre for nearly a century. IT was not a proscenium arch theatre, but was a long narrow building with a platform at one end. There was a pit in front of the stage and boxes around the back and side walls with undivided galleries.

Confradia de la Novena

In 1631, actors founded a guild known as the WHAT to improve their own status in society.

Louis XIV

In 1680 WHO consolidated the Bourgogne troupe with the Moliere-Marais company and gave the combined company a monopoly on the performance of spoken drama in French.

Auto sacramentales

In Spanish Golden Age, until roughly 1550, religious plays in Spain were similar to those produced elsewhere in medieval Europe. In the last half of the 16th century, religious plays, known as WHAT, were written for Corpus Christi, a festival which celebrates the power of the sacraments.

Professional troupes

In the 16th century, WHO sprang up in other parts of France, and Italian commedia troupes performed in Paris and other parts of France.

Love and honor; minor noblemen

In the Spanish Golden Age in Secular theatre, they usually dealt with themes of WHAT TWO THINGS, and the leading characters were often WHO?

Episodic

In the Spanish Golden Age in Secular theatre, they were WHAT in form, did not adhere to the neoclassical rules, and were written in three acts rather than five. The supernatural was often an element.

Calderon

In the Spanish Golden Age, from 1647-1681 all the autos presented in Madrid were written by a WHAT. They were prohibited in 1765 because they had become more secular and carnival like and less religious, and there was a growing emphasis on the farces and dances interspersed between the autos.

Proscenium arch stage

Like in England, the WHAT was only used at court where lavish spectacles were staged.

Autor

Some companies were sharing companies similar to England's, while others were managed by the WHO who oversaw all artistic and business decisions.

Elizabethan drama

Spanish Golden Age plays are close in form to WHAT, but differ in subject matter.

Entrances, exits, and reveals

There were three openings for WHAT THREE THINGS and one or two upper level playing houses.

Special effects

There were trap doors in the stage that were used for WHAT.

Pedro Calderon De La Barca

- After Lope de Vega died, he became Spain's most popular playwright. - His plays are written in a variety of styles including religious, secular, and musical dramas. - Some of his plays revolve around favorite Spanish concerns like love and honor, and some examine violent family situations. - His plays influenced French neoclassic, English Restoration, and German romantic playwrights. - He became the director of court theatre in 1636 and was knighted for his services by Felipe IV. - His most famous play is Life is a Dream which was written in 1636.

Pierre Corneille

- He began writing for the theatre in his spare time, but as his plays became successful he devoted more time to playwrighting. - His first plays were comedies, but in 1636-1637 he wrote a serious play, El Cid based on an earlier Spanish drama. - The play was a huge success but was attacked by critics because it violated neoclassical rules. - He had mixed dramatic genres in El Cid since it was a serious play but had a happy ending, other issues were scrutinized too. - He wrote plays with heroic characters in suspenseful and surprising situations. - He was elected to the Academy in 1647 and continued to write until his death in 1684.

Jean Racine

- He was at first a lawyer but spent much of his time in literary groups. - In 1669 he published an ode and started to concentrate on a literary career. - Moliere gave the first performance of THIS PLAYWRIGHT'S works and gave him advice and encouragement. - He transferred one of his plays from Moliere's troupe to a rival company, after which all his plays were presented at the Hotel de Bourgogne. - In 1677, his enemies brought about the failure of his play Phaedra by having another play open on the same night of its premiere. - Even though Phaedra was at first a failure it has become one of the most famous French tragedies of all time. - Phaedra is based on a Greek play, Hippolytus, by Euripides. - The play is a perfect example of neoclassicism.

Lope Felix De Vega Carpio

- He was one of the most prolific dramatists of all time. - He is thought to have written around 800 plays of which 470 survive. - His plays were similar in structure to Shakespeare's and they lived at almost the same time frames. - He established the popularity of the three act verse comedia and wrote 21 volumes of prose and poetry. - He wrote "The New Art of Playwrighting" which defended his episodic style. - Translations of his works were circulated throughout Europe and were influential in the development of French Theatre. - He eventually became the director of court theatre under Felipe III.

Zarzuela

A unique Spanish court entertainment was the WHAT, influenced by Italian opera and the intermezzi. THIS was a stylized musical drama with a story based on mythology and incorporating ornate scenic effects.

Moliere

- His original name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin which he changed in 1643 when he left school and founded the Theatre Illustre. - His theatre went bankrupt in 1645 and he was imprisoned for debt. - The troupe toured the provinces for more than a decade and he became an accomplished playwright and comic actor. - In 1658 an influential patron secured a royal audience for the troupe and Louis XIV was much impressed with the troupe. - The troupe was allowed to share a theatre (le Palais Royal) with an Italian commedia troupe. - The king made his troupe the King's Men in 1665, afterwards he wrote many court plays and pageants. - Exhausted and suffering from a lung ailment, he collapsed during a performance of the Imaginary Invalid and died a few hours later.

Female playwrights

- There were a number of THESE in Spain during the 17th century, although most of their works were not produced during their lives. - Their texts subverted many traditions of the comedias and questioned traditional views of gender roles, love and honor, and political authority. - Six of THESE have gained attention although not much is known about their lives with some exceptions.

Courtyard

A raised platform stage was opposite the entrance to the WHAT.

Neoclassicism

A struggle between a less strict approach and the neoclassical ideals ended in WHAT winning in the end.

Cazuela

Above the main entry way was a gallery known as the WHAT (stew pot) where women could sit and had its own entrance.

16-20

Acting troupes consisted of HOW MANY performers and included women. They were regulated by local governments and all plays and troupes had to be licensed.

Typecasting

Actors played multiple roles and THIS was common due to stock characters.

Court entertainments

Another form of theatrical activity to emerge in the last half of the 16th century was WHAT.

70

At any given time a company would have a repertoire of up to HOW MANY plays.

Italian and medieval theatre

At the beginning of the 17th century, there were both WHAT influences in French theatre.

Renaissance

Because of civil and religious unrest in France during the 16th century, the WHAT arrived there later than other European countries.

8-12

Before 1650 there were generally HOW MANY performers in a company, after that the number was larger.

Proscenium-arch theatres

Both the Marais and the Bourgogne were remodeled into WHAT in the 1640s.

Government-supported companies

By 1673 there were five WHAT in Paris.

Corrales

In the Spanish Golden Age, secular plays were staged in public theatres known as WHAT. The WHAT held about 2,000 spectators, 1,000 for men, 350 for women, and the rest were for government officials and clergy.

16th century

In the Spanish Golden Age, secular theatre emerged during the WHAT century?

Church's teachings

In the Spanish Golden Age, the one requirement in an auto sacramentales was that they under-score the validity of the WHAT.

Medieval morality and mystery plays

In the Spanish Golden Age, they combined elements of WHAT TWO THINGS and could be based on secular as well as religious sources. They included supernatural, human, and allegorical characters.

Palais Cardinal

Italian influences on French theatre architecture became evident in 1641, when Cardinal Richelieu erected the WHAT. IT was the 1st proscenium arch theatre in France and had scene shifting machinery, meaning it had all the Italian practices.

Women

Numerous laws were passed during the late 1500s in an attempt to restrict the employ of WHO in theatre. In 1587, THEY were legally permitted to work as performers, but legal battles continued into the 17th century.

Amphiteatre

One difference between French and Italian theatres is that French theatres had an WHAT on the back wall opposite the stage which contained inexpensive bleacher style seating. It was tiered.

Theatre du Marais

The WHAT opened in 1634 and was the Bourgogne's first competition. IT was a converted indoor tennis court which was a common practice for staging theatre events since the structure was so similar to the Bourgogne.

Permanent spaces

The theatres were temporary at first, but later became WHAT.

Mosqueteros

The yard floor, or patio was similar to the yard of Elizabethan public theatres and their groundlings were known as WHAT.

Playwright and/or the leading actor

Troupes spent little time on rehearsals which were supervised by the WHO of the company.

Religious and secular

WHAT TWO THINGS professional theatre flourished side by side for quite a long time.

The social standing

WHAT of actors is somewhat unclear, but for the most part leaders frowned of the lifestyle of actors?

la Comedie Fracaise

WHAT troupe was the first national theatre in the world. it was organized under the haring plan of Moliere's troupe with some modifications. When IT was formed in 1680 it had 27 shareholders.

Costuming

WHAT was similar to Elizabethan practices utilizing mostly contemporary clothing?

Comedias

WHAT were full length secular plays that were either serious, comic, or a mixture of the two, with great freedom of mixing the two. THEY were written for the court focused on scenes that required elaborate stage machinery. Spaniards developed many popular, short, farcical forms which were presented with THESE.

Scenic conventions

WHAT were similar to those in England with a similar tiring stage house.

Historical and mythical figures

WHO would be more elaborately dressed, with Moors dressed as villains?

Cardinal Richelieu

WHO, Chief Minister to Louis XIII was interested in establishing standards in French theatre and the arts, but with a strong Italian influence.

1. Love and honor 2. Daring adventures 3. Melodramatic confrontations 4. Rescues

What four kinds of conflicts were dealt with in secular dramas in the Spanish Golden Age?

Shareholders

Women were members of French theatre companies and could become WHAT.