theater history final

School drama

- plays written and performed at universities; not meant for the general public; influenced by Greek and Roman models

William Shakespeare

1. 26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616 2. Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon 3. actor/playwright for The Lord Chamberlain's Men (later The King's Men) 4. Began writing plays around 1590 5. share-holder in the company and 1/8-owner of the Globe Theatre 6. 38 plays extant, 2 lost (Love's Labor Won and Cardenio)

The Master of Revels

1. Deputy to the Lord Chamberlain; headed the Revels Office, the department of the royal household responsible for the coordination of entertainment at court, later, for public performances, too 2. Complete authority over both the production and the publication of plays; auditioned acting troupes 3. Selected the plays they would perform, controlled the scenery and costumes to be used 4. Censored publicly performed plays; issued licenses to provincial acting troupes. 5. Bribable

Christopher Marlowe

1. With Ben Jonson, the second-best Elizabethan playwright 2. member of the University Wits 3. Best at blank verse 4. Developed iambic pentameter 5. Perfected the chronicle play

Ben Jonson

1. With Marlowe, the second best Elizabethan playwright 2. First English Poet Laureate

The very earliest surviving proto-theatrical record; from Egypt

Abydos Ritual

A Greek tragic playwright; the earliest known dramatist in Western culture; founder of western drama; used the protagonist and added a deuteragonist

Aeschylus

Greek comic playwright; complicated plots based on exaggeration, confused identities, and sexual humor; author of Lysistrata

Aristophanes

The French term for appropriateness and good taste. A play's action, its characters, and their morals should not offend the audience

Bienseance

Sophisticated Japanese puppetry; puppets are often half life-size and fully articulated by three puppeteers

Bunraku

A social hierarchy arrangement in India; hereditary and binding; the people of each level of the system was assigned specific duties, rites, tasks, and diets

Caste System

A ''purgation'' or ''purification" of emotions; acknowledging the emotions and pain and therefore removing fear and restoring harmony

Catharsis

A formal social occasion usually led by an authority figure; something considered above and apart from normal, everyday life; focus is on an individual.

Ceremony

The Greek term for the leader of the chorus; often stepped out to perform small roles, such as the priest in Oedipus

Choryphaeus

The building in Rome used mostly for chariot racing; could seat as many as 150,000 spectators

Circus Maximus

The Greek festival held in late March in honor of the god Dionysus

City Dionysia

Ancient Greek dramatic model used during the Medieval era; plot begins near the end of the play; few major characters; locale limited to one place; comedy & tragedy not mixed

Climactic Drama

Religious guilds that were often producers of plays on the Continent; composed of Catholic laity; created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety

Confraternities

The term for vehement or impassioned acting; generally a pejorative adjective

Declamatory

Who is the Greek god of fertility, wine, reverly, agriculutr, harvest, and theatre; the Romans called their incarnation Bacchus

Dionysus

The term for events that are performed to achieve results (relief of pain, forgiveness of sins, strengthening cultural myths, victory in battle, uniting two people in marriage, etc.). Theatre usually doesn't have these sorts of goals.

Efficaciousness

A Greek tragic playwright; considered the most "modern" of the Greek tragic playwright; characters are victims of universal forces

Euripides

The uppermost tiers of audience seating in a theatre; open bench seating; the rowdies sat there

Galleries

In commedia dell'arte, the cunningly stupid servant character; diamond-shaped patches on his costume; often carried a "slap stick."

Harelyquin

The Latin term for "actors"

Histriones

The first native-born Roman dramatist

Horace

A 10th century German canoness; wrote six plays modeled after the Roman playwright Terence; first known woman dramatist; first identifiable dramatist of the post-classical age

Hrosvitha

The Greek term describing a prideful action or attitude that causes disorder

Hubris

In commedia dell'arte, the "braggart warrior" character; cowardly in battle; fancies himself a great lover but the ladies don't

Il Capitano

Short pieces depicting mythological tales; performed between acts of a 5-act play; thematically related to the lager play; performed at Court

Intermezzi

The English translation of this Japanese performance style is literally "sing-dance-skill"; a form of dance-drama usually focused on romantic or erotic themes; aimed more towards the masses

Kabuki

The stylized dance-drama from SW India; subjects are taken from Hindu epic stories- passions and furies of the gods and demons; clash of good and evil-Good always wins

Kathakali

In commedia dell'arte, the Italian term for bits, shtick, and physical comedic business

Lazzi

China's first important dramatic critic

Li Yu

Short playlets based on biblical stories; interpolated into church ceremonies to illustrate biblical stories to the unwashed masses (but not into the Mass); most common theme is the visit of the three Marys to Jesus' tomb (resurrection).

Liturgical DRama

The Latin term for official state-sponsored festivals; eventually included theatrical performances as part of the festival but they were not as integral as drama was to the Greek City Dionysia

Ludi

Secular form closest to the Cycle plays; the goal was to teach a moral lesson using characters representing ideas or qualities. e.g. Everyman

Morality plays

A grouping of plays presented in sequence; multiple, interconnected plays illustrating biblical events and/or bible-related stories.

Mystery plays

A narrative that plays a fundamental role in establishing a society's history, morality, or other similar fundamental characteristic; may be based in actual events or may be fictionalized allegory

Myth

The Chinese term that translates literally as "southern drama"; folk drama combining mime, song, and local folk tales; spoken in the colloquial language and featuring many scenes; similar to Western operetta

Nanxi drama

The Latin term for flooding the Colosseum to re-enact famous naval battles from Roman history

Naumachae

A traditional Japanese dramatic form described as "A studied withdrawal from the activity of daily life to a tranquil, dignified contemplation." It is also sometimes referred to as "the art of walking."

No

Open to the public but more expensive, thus, more exclusive - Benches & boxes closest to the stage; most expensive - Upper back were cheapest Smaller and more elegant than the outdoor theatres—600 people Platform stage the width of the room; neither stage nor pit raked

Private or Indoor theatres

This English document contains the oldest extant liturgical playlet, complete with staging directions

Regularis Concordia

A type of performance presented outside the church building and performed in the vernacular; use of vernacular led to spoken, rather than chanted, dialogue

Religious Vernacular Drama (RVD)

In commedia dell'arte, a madam or prostitute character; well past her prime and looks it; jaded and cynical; meddlesome and gossipy

Ruffiana

The ancient language of India; "refined speech" used in religious rituals and among the upper class

Sanskrit

All but one of the existing Roman tragedies were written by this playwright (9) and all based on Greek myths. No evidence that any of his plays were performed in public

Seneca

The oldest structure with a proscenium arch; the precursor to modern theatre design

Teatro Farnese

The oldest surviving theatre built in during the Renaissance; based on drawings by the Roman architect Vitruvius in his treatise De Architectura

Teatro Olimpico

A slave from Carthage (northern Africa), educated, freed, and became a great success as an actor and a playwright

Terence

The term describing Indian performance style as as integration of acting, mime, dancing, music, and speech

Total Theatre

The Greek word for goat song from which our word tragedy is derived

Tragoidoi

True or False: Historiography is the term used to describe how history is studied and analyzed

True

True or False: Methexis is the term describing group sharing; ceremonies and rituals are first person; emphasizing audience participation, group creativity, and improvisation; the experience is personal

True

in Neoclassicism, the term referring to the idea that plays should have a single plot involving a small group of characters

Unity of Action

The term for the appearance of truth; believability

Verisimilitude

The Chinese term that translated literally as "northern drama"; stories drawn from history, legend, novels, epics, and contemporary events but made relevant to current times

Zaju

chronicle play

a history play that emphasizes important public issues

Letters patent

a legal document from a monarch granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or business

Iambic pentameter

a poetic and dramatic meter; iambic refers to the da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH rhythm; pentameter means there are five iterations. So, a line in iambic pentameter goes like: da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH da-DAH

A literary form that communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions, or symbolic representation

allegory

In commedia dell'arte, the Italian term for female love interest

amorosa

A displacement of time; scenes set in Old Testament times refer to contemporary characters; Abraham and Issac portrayed as Medieval serfs

anachronism

A broad, heroic, and bravura acting style associated with Kabuki

aragato

The chief magistrate who selected the plays to be presented the following year at the festival City Dionysia

archon

Interludes

brief dramatic entertainments written and staged by professional performers; presented at court and in private homes of the nobility

The term for works considered to be permanently established as being of the highest quality

canon

folio

collection of plays in a single volume

A form of performance or literature that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities. Its purpose is to teach a lesson

didacticism

The Greek term for hymns and dances performed by a group of fifty men

dithyrambs

Comedy of Humours

eccentricities based in an imbalance of the four humours; developed character types based on imbalance of the humours

The Greek term for those portions of a play in which the action (plot) is carried out; similar to the modern scene

episodes

A form of drama that might begin in the distant past; two or more plotlines may be followed at the same time; action may shift in time & locale; many characters; incongruities allowed

episodic drama

In tragedy, the concluding scene and the departure of the characters and chorus

exodus

The Latin term for Roman comedy based on Greek models and subjects

fabula pallita

In commedia dell'arte, female servants to the female characters

fantesci

The Greek term for a tragic flaw or misjudgment made by the main character that leads to his/her downfall.

hamartia

quarto

individual plays in book form

A form of poetry commonly featuring metrical rhyming schemes that express personal and emotional feelings. These poems typically rhyme, and are set to music or a pulse

lyric poetry

Small scenic structures inside a church used in staging performances of the Liturgical Drama. For example, the baptistry may be used as Jesus' tomb

mansions

The Greek term for a crane used to fly actors

mechane

The term for the study of how and why scholars create their historic narratives; history is never completely objective.

metahistory

An imported Greek performance form; improvised; lewd and scandalous; women could perform; combination of ballet and slapstick; small or large casts; acrobatics too; wildly popular; performed without masks

mime

Traditional European theatre is based in this performance style (imitation) and is third-person and so at-a-distance; the experience is group-oriented but emotions the audience feel are based on empathy and therefore experienced vicariously

mimesis

The Indian term for complex theatrical sign languages used to indicate emotional states

mudras

The Japanese term for women's roles in Kabuki. These female roles are always acted by highly trained male actors

onnagata

The space between the audience and the stage and the primary chorus performance space in a Greek theatre; might be circular or semi-circular

orchestra

Boys acting companies

originally by Eliz I for court entertainments; Richard Farrant used Blackfriar's Hall for public performances

Medieval theatre organizers and managers who supervised a production rather than interpret a play; an early precursor to modern-day directors

pageant masters

A performance form featuring a single silent performer backed by talking Chorus; storytelling dance with mythic or historic themes; forerunner of modern ballet

pantomime

The stately entrance of the chorus; also, the part of a Greek theatre through which the chorus entered the performing area.

parados

Imitations of Greek satyr plays; ribald but not raunchy; theme is romantic love, not lust; shepherds and mythical creatures in the forests

pastorals

In commedia dell'arte, a middle-aged or elderly merchant character; wore a tight red vest, red pants & stockings, and a brown mask with hooked nose & straggly beard

patalone

The Greek term for a 3-sided theatrical flat

periaktoi

The Greek term for a theatrical flat

pinake

The open area of a theatre where the audience stood to watch the performance, mingle, got into fights

pit

blank verse

poetry with regular meter but without rhyming

The Greek term for the "preview of coming attractions" presented the day before the dramatic contests began

proagon

In Greek comedy, the term for the debate over the merits of the "happy idea"; the plot is worked out

prologue

The part of a Greek play that provides information about events that have occurred before the opening of the play (exposition)

prologus

The period between prehistory and history, when some cultures, but not all, began using some form of writing or symbolic logograms

protohistory

The Indian term describing a dramatic flavor which permits spectators to surrender themselves to a dramatic situation by connecting to some powerful feeling they already possess

rasa

In opera, "sung dialogue"; often serves to advance the plot or to provide exposition

recitative

Satiric comedies performed after the three tragedies each day of the City Dionysia festival; parodied the tragedies, Greek institutions, myths...anything!; lots of sexual innuendo and bawdiness

satyr plays

In commedia dell'arte, the Italian term for plot outlines

scenario

a story teller who kept tribe's history and told epic tales from the past

scope

the Medieval term for special effects; rain, floods, thunder, flying, smoke & fire, traps; many injuries to crew and actors

secrets

The building behind the orchestra; served as a backdrop for the principle actors

skene

The Greek term for choral odes of music and dance that were performed between the scenes with episodes

stasima

People who have certain qualities in real life chosen to play characters with similar qualities

type casting

The term for "the appearance of being true or real."

verisimilitude

In commedia dell'arte, the Italian term for servants

zanni