History of Theatre Midterm

Noh Acting Style

"The art of Walking", Highly stylized dance and pantomime, Actors alternate speech in reciatative, Linear Costumes, masks becomes indistinguishable from yourself, dynasty actors (56 generations)

Hanamichi

"flower way", Narrow platform in Kabuki Theatre connecting the rear of the auditorium with the stage

Yuan Dynasty

(1279-1368) Synthesis of arta and popular tradition, Marco Polo, China ruled by mongolians,

Ming Dynasty

(1368-1644) Chinese emperor restored, dramas reverted to elitest texts, lost contact with broad publich, Operas and dramatic form, "The Lute Song"

Literary Drama

...

Indian Theatre Space

100 by 50 feet, divided equally into stage and seating, 200-500 seated, four pillars to organize caste system, no scenery, ornate costuming

Japanese Theatre

14th Century - present First was a part of Shinto and Buddhist Ceremonies Three main types, Noh, Bunraku, and Kabuki

Kabuki Theatre

17th Century Japanese theatre which combined elements of noh, bunraku and folk theatre. Created by Shinto priestesses as a Buddhist rigin with folk dance qualities.

Bejing Opera

19th Century, elements of folk theatre, modern dinner theatre, symbolism, no set and props, elaborate costumes, stock characters, specific vocals

Decline of Roman Theatre

4th Century splitting of the empire, two capitals, Theatre, less art, more popular entertainent (dancing, pantomim, impersonation, costumes, juggling, acrobatics, training animals

Greek Theatre

550-220 BCE, Classical Greece, stories about Mycenaean Greece

Chorus

A group of singers who provide expository information, comment on action, interact with characters, and describe offstage action. They represent the common people of the city state, or whatever is relevant. Audience could identify with them.

Myths

A story or a legend, sometimes invented, sometimes loosely based on fact, handed down generations. Used to explain human or natural events.

Ritual

Acting out an established, prescribed procedure

Efficaciousness

An action intended to achieve rewards, results, religious worship

Dance Drama

An indian drama presented through dance moves, primarily women, originally a devotional dance

Shaman

Ancient religious leaders who carry the stories of their people

Chinese Theatre Space

Bare stage with two doors on each side, painted cloth between doors, built for outdoors, color from costuming

Hrosvitha

Benedictine nun, first known female playwright; wrote plays modeled after Terrence's comedies but using religious subjects; in the 900s, six plays which glorified virgins and martyrdom,

Ekkyklema

Box on wheels to roll on dead actors

Indian Religion

Buddhism hits its peak in 400BCE, suffering = purification; Hinduism is about achieve oneness with supreme world

Southeast Asian Theatre

Burm, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam performed Ramayana and Mayabharata as dance crama or puppet theatre

Platea

Central open playing space, such as the nave

Holy Roman Empire

Charlemagne, Centralized in Rome

Sudtradhara

Chief actor, managed others in production for Indian Theatre

Li Yu

China's first important drama critic in 17th century, about following rite

Greek Politics

Citizenship, Male landowners, total participation, slavery, women were not citizens

Revisionist

Claim history has only bee told by the social elite, revise analysis of historical documents

Chou

Clown in Chinese Theatre

Cycle Plays

Collection of mystery plays, took entire towns to produce, lasted full days

Chinese Religion

Confuciusism: Perfectibility of human beings, responsibility to others Taoism - Tao=the path Simplicity, patience, nature's harmony Started as shamanisms and rituals

Mechane

Crane to move actors

New Comedy

Domestic affairs in middle class, everyday life, smaller chorus, stock characters, misunderstanding, Menander

Middle Ages

Early: 400 CE-1000 CE High: 1000 CE - 1400 CE

Byzantium

Eastern Europe, Eastern Orthodox, Centered in Turkey, Constantinople, led by Constantine, Had the Hippodrome and Popular Theatre

Abydos Ritual

Egyptian ritual enacted from 200-550 BCE, containing theatrical elements, role playing and acting

Popular Entertainment

Events with strong theatrical components

Procession Wagons

Favored by English, Spanish, and Dutch Audiences assemble like a parade Wagons move from place to place, performing multiple times Two-story structure on six wheels Loft for entrances, back area for dressing "tiring area"

Dan

Female character in Chinese Theatre

Ludi Romana

First drama festival of rome, established by Etruscan rule

Kutiyatam

Folk play tradition, performed facing deity

Zaju

Form of drama perfected in the Yuan dynasty, four acts, song sequences, to popular music, protagonist sang all

Ceremony

Formal religious or socail occassion, led by an authority figure

Aeschylus

Founder of Greek drama, wrote about noble families, master of tetralogy (4 plays united by single theme), added second actor, smaller chorus, directed and acted, 7 plays left

Roman Politics

Government of the poeple, military discipline, Pax Roman (Roman peace), patricians and pheans (tribunes and consuls)

Dulcitus

Hrosvitha's play in which the three Christain virgins fool Dulcitus into making love to pots and pans.

Hildegard von Bingen

German nun, wrote short musical songs and texts, performed antiphonally

Zeami Motokiyo

Gifted Noh actor, Classical dance drama favored by teh aristocracy, influenced by the study of Zen

Greek Religion

Gods could protect them and tell the future, festivals to keep you in good favor, all social classes, entertainment, ploythestic, practical and tangible

Methexis

Group sharing

Kothornus

In Hellenistic Greek theatre, platform boots worn by actors

Pageant Masters

In Medieval Theatre, Organized and oversaw the production, hired people construction, supervision, rehearsing, selecting, serve as m/c, assign money collectors

Cornish Rounds

In cornwall, england, earthen embankments surrounding certain staged areas

Sanskrit Drama

Indian Theatr performed in 5th century in cour circles, based on Indian Epics, merged religion and art, movement and gesture

Kathakali

Intricate hand movements and facial expressions

Biwa

Japanese large lute used in Bunraku

Chanter

Japanese storyeller who would travel around singing the histories and stories

Samisen

Japanese three-stringed instrument

Tsure

Kabuki Accompanying role

Waki

Kabuki Supporting character

Kyogen

Kabuki comic actor

Shite

Kabuki main character, masked

Old Comedy

Large casts, satire of contemporary issues, Fantasy and improbable plots, Aristophanes

chorodidaskalos

Lead of the choru, employed for the festival

Noh Theatre Space

Main playing space 18 squared feet, roofed with four columns, with ceremonial painted pine tree, narrow space at the back for musicians and chorus, Hashigakari: bridge from actors room to stage

Sheng

Male character in Chinese Theatre

Miracle Plays

Miracle plays were about lives of saints

Choregus

Modern day producer for each playwright, provided money for all expenses...

Euripides

Most modern author, sympathetic towards women, realism, mixture of drama and comedy, diminished chorus, humanized gods, 18 plays left, uninvolved in politics

Plautus

Most popular, Master of colloquial Latin, New Comedy, 20 plays, farcicl situations, physical humor, no chorus, not political

Imitation

Observing an action and repeating or impersonating it

archon

Official who chose plays 11 months out, oversaw, judging of awards, 10 tribes of Greece provided judge, archon picked 5 votes

siparium

Painted back curtain

Jing

Painted face in Chinese Theatre

Quem Queretas

Part of Liturgical Drama, a trope enacted for the masses, Angel speaking to the three Mary's visit to the tomb of Christ, Regularis Concordia

Stock Characters

Part of New Comedy; 9 types of old men, 4 young men, 7 slaves, 5 young women, etc.

Medieval Society Structures

People tied to the land/agriculture Feudalism: Kings, Lords, Vassals, Serfs Worked the land for protection, portion of crops CHurch Feudalism: God, Pope, Cardinal, ZBishop, Mon Senor, Priests, Monks, Clergy, PEasants,

Shadow Plays

Performed in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, called Wayang, take place at night, started in 10th century

Orkestra

Playing area, 66 feet in diameter, stone

The Poetics

Plot, Character, idea, diction, spectacle, music

Terrance

Plots more literary, romantic/sentimental, verbal humor, high moral, defended work in prologue

Semiotics

Point of view of drama, symbols recognizable to audience

Secular Plays

Popular entertainment, folk plays (Robin Hood), Farce, Feast of Fools, French "sottie"

Stationary Staging

Popular in rest of europe, series of small mansions side by side in a courtyard, included Hell Mouth(West) and Paradise(East). Houses inbetween were on earth, less important, temporary seating in the round or thrust

Noh Theatre

Popular stage traditions morphed into Noh theatre in 14th Century Japan, traveling torupe performed for wealthy man and produced Noh. Kan'ami first author/director, son is Neami.

Bunraku Theatre

Puppet theatre which started in the 17th century, puppets are 2/3 size and require 3 operators,broke off from chanter tradition

Bunraku Acting Style

Puppeteers dress in black and are unseen, unless chief handler. Leveled by experience. Lowest, legs. Second, Left arm. Highest, Head and Right arm. It takes ten years to move up a position. Incredibly delicate movements to create lifelike doll

Deconstructionist

Question traditional manner in which history is reconstructed, history is written by people in power

Cavea

ROman viewing place for the audience

Influences of Christianity on Roman Theatre

Rise of Christianity opposed to theatre, saw it as a pagan ritual that taught immorality and made satirical comments on Christians, this had long reaching effects on theatre

Horace

Roman Aristotle, Ars Poetica, Famous for having epodes and satire, lyrical poetry, tragedy and comedy never combined, gods only sparsely, 5 acts, 3 speaking characters, to entertain and instruct, moral tone

Orchestra

Roman orkestra space, semi circle, used for seating officials

scaene

Roman scenery, with roof 2 stories high

Auleum

Roman theatre, a front curtain that was raised and lowered on telescoping poles.

Medieval Politics

Rome falls in 476 CE, Christianity splits

Skene

Scene building in Greek Theatre

Mansions

Scenic structure depicting locale for biblical tale, corresponded to architecture of the church

The Origins of Greek Theatre Space

Seated 15,000-17,000, outdoor amphitheater, built into hillsides on threshing floor were used for spaces of performance and people would watch from the hillside

Positivist

Sees things in a chronological effect: Cause and Effect, explains logically, opposite of deconstructionist

City Dionysia

Several days long festival, theatre festival in March to celebrate Dionysus and also fertility, origonally dythyramb and tragedy

Mystery plays

Stories of biblical events, short dramas sometimes presented in cycle, on festival dates, Corpus Christi (blood/body of Christ)

Sophocles

Superb plot construction, focus on individual, won many prizes, only 7 exists, general, priest, and civic leader

Rasa

Surrender to dramatic action in Indian Theatre

Role Playing

Taking on societia roles, adopting the behaviors of these roles

Morality Plays

Teaches a less throught the use of allegorical chracters, long journey's aof life,somewhere between religious and secular

Storytelling

Telling the histories of people, adopting voices and characters and personalities

Roman Theatre Structures

Temporary wooden structures, First stone theatre by Pompey the great, held around 25,000

komos

The Greek word that our word "comedy" is based on

Roman Theatre

The Republic: 509-27 BCE The Empire: 27 BCE - 476 CE Decline in 4th Century CE

Natyasastra

The Study of Theatre, included the mythical origin of theatre and description of the theatre space

Pear Garden

The actor's training school in the Tang Period of Chinese theatre

hypokrite

The ancient greek word for actor, means literally "answerer"

Hashigakari

The bridge in Noh Theatre which lead from actors room to stage, typically 20 feet long

Onnagata

The males that play the "women-type" roles of the Kabuki theatre. Particularly those of young courtesans and princesses are assumed only by actors who have devoted years of study to their performance.

Yugen

The mysterious inner heart or spirit behind the outer form invented by Zeami Moyohito

Fibula Pallieta

Type of comedy, no chorus, more music, emphasis on eavesdropping, setting action on the street

Indian Theatre

Traced from 3000 BCE, Sanskrit drama performed in court circles, performed in Sanskrit languages

Kabuki Acting Style

Trained from childhood in voice, dance, acting, Intense athletic movement followed by poses for climactic parts, larger than life performances by flamboyant heroics. Extensive costume and makeup red=warrior, indigo=villain

Kabuki Theatre Space

Wide stage with low proscenium, Musicians on or offstage, Beautiful scenic effects revolving stage, Hanamichi: narrow platform conecting the rear of the auditorium with the stage, elevator traps

Japanese Politics

Women left out of Kabuki because it is too erotic and made them unafe, officials worried Kabuki would elad to improper displays by samurai an dminglin of classes Japanese in China in Tang Dynasty, Buddhism becomes prevailing influence on the poeple Powerful people shaped Noh theatre

De Architectura

Written by Marcus Vitravius, guide to Roman architecture based on Hellenistic models

Vernacular Plays

Written in common languages, religious/farce, less costly to produce

Chinese Theatre

as old as 2000 BCE, but prodominant between 13th and 17th centuries,

Hubris

excessive pride

Yuan Drama

four acts, songs set to popular music, protagonist sang all, NONE SURVIVED, few characters, professional actors, outdoor building with roofs, simple props (swords and fans), no scenery, elaborate costume and makeup

Menander

new comedy, plautus and terence based on his works, written in the Aristotelean structure, chorus was greatly diminished

Aristophanes

old comedy, plays reflect socio-political climate, bawdy wit, references to contemporaries, never directed, 11 plays

Joruri

performance of narrative and dialogue the accompaniment of a samisen in Japanese theatre (Bunraku theatre)

Dramatic Action

prologos - opening parados - chorus enters episode - scene with 2 more hcaracters choral ode - alternate with episodes exodos - final scene, characters exit

pulpitum

stage area of roman ampitheater

Scaene frons

the ornate front of the saene

Hamartia

tragic flaw

Trade Guilds

unions centering around one type of trade, produced cycle plays based on occupation, (Last Supper-Bakers, Noah-Shipbuilders, The Visit of the Magi-Goldsmith)

Theatron

viewing place for audience