Theatre History Final
What is a Rais al khayal?
"Shadow master" who was often the only puppeteer, sometimes employed young boys to help with female characters' voices and musicians for the show.
What is the nickname of Mosul?
"The Hunchbacked"
What was El Siglo de Oro?
"the golden age", when Spain had a huge cash flow from Americas, Spanish control of territory in Europe, and flourishing of the arts- "Spanish Golden Age" refers to theatre as much as economy
What is Kutiyattam?
A variant of Sanskrit drama translated as "combined acting", practiced in the state/region Kerala
What is a Kazura?
A woman in a noh play
Who was Nell Gwyn?
Actress, sex worker, royal mistress; most likely working class and well known as a comic actress. Became Charles' mistress in 1668 and was provided for after Charles' death
What is Maat?
Afrocentric idea of truth, justice and righteousness
What are Sentimental Comedies?
Also known as "weeping comedies", they were meant to inspire tears more than laughter
What is Fushikaden?
Also known as Kadensho or The Style and the Flower- considered primary treatise on the philosophies and practices of Nogaku. Connects sarugaku to Shinto and Buddhist mythologies/histories
True or False- costume and makeup tended to be simplistic
False! Costume design was ornate and there was commonly extensive makeup
True or False- Buddhism wants you to give up everything to get rid of desire.
False! They believe that completely giving up things can make wanting worse
True or false; it was difficult to make any money with shadow puppetry.
False, it was quite the lucrative career.
True or False- London was dominated by Cavaliers.
False- it was dominated by Roundheads
True or False- the Memphite Drama was recorded only a few decades after Thespis
False- it was recorded more than 150 years before Thespis
True or false; Islam is the largest faith in the world.
False- it's the second largest.
True or False- once women were established as professional actresses, men never played women again
False- they continued to play women until it was made ILLEGAL in 1662
What's up with Buddhism?
Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (563ish BCE- 483ish BCE), considers life/reality a painful illusion, ultimate goal is escaping cycle of reincarnation, calls for renunciation of attachment and desire
Who is Kanami?
Founder of the Yuzaki-za school of sarugaku noh
When did Charles II reclaim the English throne?
In 1660, after the death of Oliver Cromwell
How does the population of India compare to that of North America?
India is about 1/3 the size of the US and more than twice the population of North America
Who were the Maya?
Indigenous Central American culture and civilization; territory included the Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador
What is Komachi's work known for?
Known for being melancholy and considering love, loss, and aging
Where is Mosul?
Located in what is now Iraq along the Tigris
What is the Muqaddim?
Main character/narrator of the piece. Often depicted with a stick to badger the other characters.
Where was Muhammad born?
Mecca
Where was Ibn Daniyal born?
Mosul
What are the earliest texts of Hinduism?
Vedas
Who was Pedro Calderon de la Barca?
Wrote comedias as well as autos sacramentales (mystery and morality plays) and entremeses (short comedies performed between longer plays). Wrote La Vida es Sueno/Life is a Dream
Who was Lope de Vega?
Wrote comedias: plot-driven, 3 act plays. Also credited with creating capa y espalda (cloak and dagger) plays- comedias involving plots of intrigue and big sword fights
Did Sanskrit drama utilize stock characters at all?
Yes! This genre had its own collection of stock characters
What can bhava be most simply explained as?
any emotion that the artist (actor, writer, costumer) is trying to express
Rudy said that he will make an exam question about how the plays we've studied and black theatre relate to Truillot's work on silencing? (idk look at the 3rd slide on the Ancient Egyptian Theatre prezi)
cool
did I just make up 3 questions to get to an even 150 cards (holy mother of god 150 f#cking cards)
hell yes
How did the Vedic Age begin?
in 1900 BCE Indo-Aryan tribes settle northern India.
Just a reminder to review black theatre
oh thanks for the reminder
aren't you so glad it's over
omg yes
Is this class such bullshit
yes
Was The Hermit and the Harlot originally performed in Kutiyattam style?
No, it was a conventional Sanskrit drama that was later performed in that style
Were rasas experienced by only the actors?
No, they were experienced by the audience
What becomes the theatre form performed for the aristocratic class during Zeami's time?
Nogaku
What is a Rasa?
Often translated as "flavor"
How did people deal with The Closure of the Theaters?
Performances were still held in secret on private estates (and women performed in these!), numerous actors fled to continental Europe and end up translating scripts into other languages and perform them in small touring companies and even puppet shows, gaining greater exposure to continental practices
Conventions of the Rabinal Achi?
Play is highly choreographed, actors learned their lines orally and improvise in performances, and some- though not all- performers are masked
Who is Ono no Komachi?
Poet during the Heian Period which was a golden age of Japanese literature who was famous for her beauty and lovers. She is called one of the 36 Poetry immortals and is featured in numerous Noh pieces
What is Jainism?
Preaches absolute non-violence (including not swatting insects)
Conventions in Spanish Theatre?
Public theater spaces were called corrales which were managed by charitable organizations and evolved from inn-yards, performances benefitted the poor which gave actors greater credibility in Spanish society, separate seating for women in the back, la cazuela
Who became sultan in 1279?
Qulawun, who is much more friendly to the arts and becomes a patron of Ibn Daniyal.
What did Quicab's conflict with his son help inspire?
The Cawek story in Rabinal Achi
What is Sor Juana known for?
The Divine Narcissus (1690), which was a critique of violent, forced conversions of indigenous peoples.
What was happening in 2500s BCE?
The Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom; a "Golden Age". Sneferu is credited with building first pyramid during this time, Khufu builds the Great Pyramid of Giza
Western Drama is to Aristotle's Poetics as Indian theatre is to _____?
The Natyasastra, translated as "Manual of Theater"
True or False- Komachi is recognized as one of the 36 Poetry Immortals
True
True or False- Restoration Theatre began as a primarily aristocratic affair
True
True or False- the Rabinal Achi script we read for class is a record of the performance in the town of Rabinal in the 1990s
True
True or false; Islam is the only major religion whose founder conquered an empire within his own lifetime.
True
True or False- the first Europeans to arrive in the Americas after 1492 reported thriving towns and cities with signs of extensive commerce between them
True!
True or False- one acts were highly uncommon in Sanskrit drama
True- many were 7 acts!
True or False- Upper Egypt was actually the south
Truuuu
Conventions of Sanskrit drama?
Typically begins with prologue, mostly written in Sanskrit (whoa!!!!!!) but occasionally written in Prakrit, which was typically spoken by lower caste characters, dance and movement were important elements of Sanskrit drama
What is suriashi?
A sliding of the feet to maintain even height
Let's talk about the Caste system :(
A social hierarchy determined by birth, determined job, legal protections, and whom you could marry
What's a Mudra
A theatrical or dance gesture
Who is Kalidasa?
Considered the greatest Sanskrit dramatist and the first record of him is in 473 AD. Most famous play is The Recognition of Sakuntala
Describe the structure of a traditional nogaku performance.
Consists of 5 noh plays with kyogen plays in between
What are some of the beliefs of Hinduism?
- All living things have a soul, atman, meaning breath - Souls reincarnate to higher or lower levels based on karma - Central trinity of Hinduism: Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer/ transformer)
What are some important elements of Bunraku?
- Features singing and music from a shamisen (stringed instrument) - Becomes most popular form of theater for much of 18th century
What are some conventions of Noh?
- Performers were all male until the 1940s and are still typically male - Shite is the main character of the piece, and is always masked - Stage is square with 4 pillars that are used to orient the actor - Bare stage, painting on the back with a pine tree - Hashigakari: raised bridge which represents a bridge between spiritual and physical worlds - Kagami No Ma: "mirror" room in which actors contemplate themselves in masks, sometimes for hours, before going onstage
Conventions of Restoration Theatre?
-Actors delivered asides directly to audience, often playing on gossip of the time -Plots were driven by romantic and sexual intrigue -Extra-marital relationships were common -Women were often portrayed as sexually open and men often committed sexual assault -Characters engaged in witty dialogue (repartee)
History of The Maya?
1225 AD: Quiche/K'iche' Kingdom founded in what is now Guatemala 1400s: Quicab, a Quiche ruler, conquers significant stretches of territory (son continues to conquer territory w/o permission, includes a territorial conflict involving rabinal) 1551: Spanish begin conquest of Maya territory, conquest continues until 1697 due to extended Maya resistance
Roughly how many First Nations people were killed during the initial waves of epidemics?
90-95% (partially because they had no experience with treating epidemics through quarantine
What is noh?
A blend of music, dance/movement, poetry, and acting. Plays are typically 2 acts and are defined by the nature of the main character (shite) (lol "shite")
What was the Memphite Drama?
A commemorative, religious drama that many believe had a ritual function. Many believe it was performed on the first day of spring.
What is Butoh?
A dance form that draws from a combination of Japanese and Western theatrical and dance practices
What was La Argentina Sho?
A dance performance in 1977 directed by Hijikata and performed by Ohno (not Yoko hahaha)
What is ran-i?
A feeling of ecstasy and exhalation produced by exceptional artistry
Who was Aphra Behn?
A female restoration playwright from a working class background, wrote Orroonoko, a novel about an African slave which is considered one of the first English novels. She began working with theaters to pay debts and wrote The Rover in 1677 which was met with great success. Staunch royalist and anti-democratic
What is yugen?
A mood of quietness, meditation, and aesthetic gratification.
When was the Memphite Drama most likely performed in relation to the first dithyramb?
At least 1000 years before the first dithyramb in Athens
What happened during The Closure of the Theaters?
Beginning in 1642, a series of laws called for closing of all theaters in England (whoa!) and actors could be punished for practicing their trade by being whipped
When were the inscriptions that the Memphite Drama were copied from dated? (sorry this is a terribly worded question but I'm so f#cking close to being done) (also quizlet is trying to censor me??)
Between 3300-2500 BCE
What is the super hard-to-pronounce name of The Hermit and the Harlot?
Bhagavadajjukam hahaha it looks like I just punched my keyboard
Describe Bhavas
Bhavas are the emotions or moods expressed by a piece of art; in Sanskrit drama, this is created by the actors and costuming
Defining elements of Kabuki theatre?
Bridge went through the audience, masks were replaced with mask-like make-up, multiple plays were performed over the course of 12 hours
Premier city of the Muslim world?
Cairo
What were the 2 major groups in conflict during Charles I and Parliaments open war over control of England in 1642?
Cavaliers- royalists, typically Anglican, associated w/ fancy dress and long wigs Roundheads- supporters of Parliament, included constitutional monarchists and republicans who wanted to abolish the monarchy, typically Puritan, associated with simple dress and short hair (for the time)
Who were the untouchables?
Classified as "Dalit", included Dravidian and other non-Aryan people outside of system
What is Sangaku?
Combination of acrobatics, song, dance, and comedy sketches
Ibn Daniyal in Qulawun's court?
Commissioned to write Amazing Preacher and the Stranger and other shadow puppet plays, something of a jester.
Why did many of Spain's artisans flee to the Americas?
Conservatism and anti-Semitism of Spanish society
Who is Baybars?
Designates himself as Sultan in 1260 after defeating Mongols and supports Sunni factions against theatre.
What are the 2 main language families?
Dravidian, which originated in India and includes Malayalam, and Indo-Aryan, which came into India during the Vedic Age and includes Sanskrit, modern Hindi, and belongs to an Indo-European language family that includes English
What are some elements of Butoh that can be traced back to Noh?
Engagements with aging, sickness, madness, and death, masks in Noh connect to the "face as mask" in butoh, importance of walking and footwork, spirituality of practice
Tell me about the Takemoto Puppet Theater!
Est. in 1684 in Osaka by a playwright whose name I can't read because Rudy used yellow font on an image with yellow in it (looks like Chikamatsu?) oh and a puppeteer named Takemoto Gidayu
True or False- throughout its history, Japan has relied heavily on trade with Western nations.
FALSSSSSE. They refused until 1853 when commodore Matthew Perry (or Chandler, as he was sometimes called) arrives in Edo Bay and demands, at cannon-point, that Japan open trade and offer harbors to U.S.
What is one convention of pre-Columbian Mayan theatre?
Having a chorus of dancers accompanied by a chorus of singers
What religion did Mahendravarman practice?
He grew up a Jain but converted to Hinduism
What happened when Charles II reclaimed the throne?
He legalized theater, legalizes women onstage (which had been tried before but had been met with unresponsive audiences)
Why do some people think The Hermit and the Harlot was written by Mahendravarman?
He was known for writing religious satires.
Who is Zeami Motokiyo?
He was raised as an actor by his father; Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu "takes an interest" in him during a performance. He also codifies the practices of nogaku theatre in his plays and theatrical writings
Who was Nahum Tate?
He wrote The History of King Lear (how could we forget). Thomas Betterton performed Lear in 1681 and this version was the more popular Lear for next 150 years
What is the Koran?
Islamic book of faith, revelation given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel
Explain the performance of Kutiyattam.
It takes scenes or sections of scenes in Sanskrit drama and elaborates them into long performances of gesture, dance, and singing. These elaborations were meant to explore different elements of the piece in greater detail; so plays that would normally take 20 minutes would take dayyyyyssss (#kutiyattam4dayzz)
What is The Recognition of Sakuntala?
It was a 7 act drama elaborating on a passage of the Mahabharata and was the first Sanskrit drama translated into English. Inspired Goethe's Faust
What's up with the language of Sanskrit?
It was already passing out of common usage when Sanskrit drama began, but was still a formal language of Hinduism and a language for communication between different parts of India at this time
What are some defining qualities of Charles' reign?
It was known as a time of extravagant court spending and sexual licentiousness
What are some conventions of Kutiyattam?
It was performed inside temples as an art form exclusively for the upper castes, actors performed with drummers in the background
What is the most important thing to remember about the Rabinal Achi?
It was written down as performed centuries after European contact and should be understood as a blend of Mayan and European theatre practices
What happened in 1603? (a lot, I'm sure, but in regards to Kabuki?)
Izumi no Okuni begins performing with other women in comedic plays about everyday life in Kyoto
What happened during the Nara Period? (710-794)
Japanese culture borrows heavily from Chinese culture, Buddhism becomes state religion and merges with Shinto practices and spirituality, the rise of written literature (written Japanese becomes established during this period), Sangaku arrives from China
What is Bunraku?
Japanese puppet theatre with three puppeteers controlling each puppet
Noh vs. Kabuki; which one is for all classes?
Kabuki
What was Egypt's original name?
Kemet, meaning "black earth"
What is the relationship between rasa and bhava?
Rasa comes from bhava, but bhava cannot exist without rasa; if the audience doesn't experience the rasa, it is as though the bhava is not there
Compare rasa and bhava
Rasa is located in the audience, while bhava is located onstage
How does the Memphite Drama end?
Resurrection of Osiris and finally ends with a hymn to Ptah (local God of Memphis as well as patron of artisans and architects)
Pros and cons of an actress being married in the Restoration era?
She had a level of protection from sexual advances, but her money was legally controlled by her husband- some actresses briefly became shareholders in their companies, but this was RARE
Describe the differences between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims.
Shi'a, the minority sect, believe that leaders should be blood descendants of Muhammad. Sunni believe that leader should be chosen by consensus of Muslim community.
What religion experienced a revival during the Muromachi Period?
Shinto
Describe Kyogen.
Short 10-minute farces that are dialogue based rather than dance based, often centered around servants, and are typically unmasked unless they are supernatural
How did audiences react to gesture?
Since gestures were meant to be beautiful audiences would applaud beautiful gestures and boo ugly ones. Actors would often bow to the audience on their first entrance and then begin their first scene
What are Mamluks?
Slaves taken from Turkish tribes, given combat training, and put into military.
When was the Natyasastra written?
Sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE, and it's attributed to Bharata (who may have never existed!)
Who was the first major playwright recorded in the Americas?
Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, "The Tenth Muse". Born out of wedlock to a Criollo (Mexican-born, Spanish descent) woman.
I don't know how to turn this into a good question, so what happened in Spain from 1551-1697?
Spain wages a protected conquest of the Maya peoples of the Yucatan, eventually conquering them
Describe the Encomienda System.
Spanish lords, rather than being granted land, were granted Indian labor and ordered to convert them to Christianity
What was the first set design in history?
Step Pyramid of Zoser, built in 2778 BCE in Sakkara
Who is Salah ah-Din (or Saladin)?
Takes over government of Cairo in 1169 and conquers much of the Muslim world.
What were the common stock characters in Restoration Theatre?
The Rake: central male character, driven by lust and selfish desire, a lover of many women The Gay Couple: central couple of most comedies, included the Rake and a witty woman The Fop: a man who improperly adopts the manners and fashions of the court, typically a country lord (like a bumpkin)
What was the Memphite Drama recorded on?
The Shabako Stone
What happened when the Spanish introduced the Maya to both religious and secular theatre practices?
The chorus of singers was eliminated and music becomes exclusively instrumental and what was once sung in the chorus is now spoken by individual actors
What is the conflict that is depicted in the Memphite Drama?
The conflict is between Horus (son of Osiris and ruler of Lower Egypt) and Set (brother of Osiris and ruler of Upper Egypt). Horus wins, resulting in unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
What is something significant that happened for women during the Restoration?
The establishment of the first PROFESSIONAL actresses in England, with the first recorded performance occurring in 1660 with a woman playing Desdemona in Othello
Fun fact about first Kabuki troupes?
They were all female (!!!!!!!!!!!)
When did transcriptions and translations of the Rabinal Achi first appear?
The mid 19th century
What was the Brahmin caste?
The priest/intellectual caste
What can rasa be most simply explained as?
The sensation produced by the artwork within the audience
Who ruled the country during the Muromachi Period?
The shogun
Kabuki?
Theatre that combines music and dance performance along with acting (is it just me or do these all sound the same)
What is the religious origin of the Natyasastra?
Theatre was created as a fifth veda by the god Brahma as a means for women and lower caste people to study the divine; all theatre and dance can be understood as a form of prayer according to the Natyasastra
What is Nogaku?
Theatrical genre that includes both Noh and Kyogen
How many rasas are there? And which one was in yellow font, indicating that it is something that we should know?
There are 8, and the only one that Rudy highlighted was comic or "hasya"
How were Japanese products and artwork perceived in the late 1800s?
There was a massive interest; Bertolt Brecht and W.B. Yeats both draw from elements of Noh and Kabuki. Unfortunately, this also results in "yellow face" (European actors in costume and make-up to make them appear Asian)
What are some conventions of Khayal al-Zill?
They might employ boys to help and do voices of female characters, musicians would accompany the piece
What is a similarity between Restoration-era actresses and women in the workforce today?
They were typically paid less than men! (lol) People also assumed actresses were sexually available; even though male actors were often sex workers as well this was less acknowledged
What were gestures used for?
They were used to indicate, to express emotion, to imitate, and tell a story
How were the oral histories of the tribes passed along?
Through "vedas"; epic verses that were composed in Sanskrit
What were Maya performers called?
Tlaquetzque
Who performed in coralles?
Touring companies, which included both women and young boys playing women. Actor/manager of company was known as autore. These arrived in Americas by 1520
Who wrote The Hermit and the Harlot?
Traditionally attributed to Bodhayana, but that also might be a title. Some also attribute it to King Mahendravarman I, who was the ruler of the Pallava kingdom in southern India
Who was Muhammad's successor?
Trick question- he died without designating one.
