Theatre History, Medieval Drama

Quem Quaeritis

"Whom do you seek?" 1. Intro of the Easter Service 2. Originally dealt with Mary at the tomb

The Mansion

1. A scenic structure depicting some locale needed for a biblical tale 2. This area was too small to act in, so the action moved to the Platea 3. Audience expected to associate the continuing action with the most recent mansion

Cycle Play costumes

1. Actors provided their own costumes 2. God dressed as Pope 3. Common characters wore contemporary clothing

Cycle Play performers

1. Amateurs 2. Typecast 3. Was seen as a religious duty but was a burden on the performers

The Catholic Church

1. An unquestioned authority, not challenged by Reformation or by science 2. Carefully organized a calendar of worship for each day, and for the year

Mystery/Cycle plays

1. Anachronism- things happening out of order, Old Testament characters speaking of saints who have not been born 2. Much comedy- modeled after medieval people (serfs) 3. Special effects- angels flown in, water in barrels for Noah's ark

The Development of Religious Vernacular Drama

1. Church dramas performed in Latin turned into vernacular- staging moved to stages erected outside 2. Later vernacular drama developed independently from liturgical plays- no evolutionary relationship

Middle Ages daily life

1. Church remained ever present 2. Medieval society was primary agrarian (Three field crop rotation system, Better machinery made farming more efficient) 3. People rarely strayed from where they were born and raised (Financial reasons, society structure 4. Wars won by starving cities (Famine hit periodically) 5. Bubonic plague killed 1/3 of all Europeans between 1348-1353 6. Home were small one and two room buildings (Cold, dark, and damp)

High Middle Ages Daily Life

1. Commerce and trade caused rebirth of towns (Towns were self governing, independent of feudal system) 2. Guilds (Similar to unions) were organized to protect members' interests and privileges (This controlled the number of people entering into these professions)

The Cathedral at Chartes, France

1. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary 2. Rebuilding was considered futile, since people thought their protector deserted them

Theatre in Early Middle Ages

1. During secular rule of Charlemagne 2. Revival of the arts 3. Popular entertainments (Traveling troupes, acrobats, singers, festivals) 4. Church officials were not pleased (Low moral character, Passed laws prohibiting Roman actors-no sacraments)

Hildegard von Bingen

1. German nun began to write short musicals 2. Plays honors saints and Virgin Mary 3. Wrote Ordo Virtutum

Hrosvitha

1. German nun, first female playwright in Europe 2. Lived and worked at Gandersheim in Saxony 3. Read and wrote Latin 4. Emulated the techniques or Roman playwright Terence (His subject matter was not suitable for Christian readers) (Most of her plays are about virgins) 5. Rewrote Terence's plays to show women in a more positive light (Women are main characters and not just pawns to men) 6. "By remaining chaste, you take away power from aggressive men" 7. Her plays are meant to teach a lesson, not just for entertainment (A sermon)

The eastern empire (Byzantium) was influenced by three ideals:

1. Greece 2. Rome 3. Christianity

Regularis Concordia

1. Intended to "establish clear goals and rules of conduct and procedure for monasteries"

Three major categories of people in Middle Ages

1. Lords or Counts (Controlled large areas of land, Maintained peace, Waged war on enemies) 2. Vassal (Controlled smaller areas of land, Provided Lords with military service, Paid occasional fees to Lords) 3. Peasants or Serfs (Attached to their Lords land and work it, Had protection and VERY small financial reward, Gave % of crops to Lord, Had some rights, and could move to other areas)

Learning and Knowledge (Christian Church)

1. Much of Greek and Roman arts were kept in monasteries where they were copied and studied (So monasteries were centers of learning) 2. Nun in Germany wrote plays patterned by Terence 3. Over 100 universties

Staging Techniques

1. Neutral platform stage ********

Episodic form

1. Opposite of climactic 2. Plot begins early in the story, multiple plot lines, jumps through time 3. Does not follow cause and effect relationships 4. Comic scenes alternate with serious ones 5. Piles up people, places, and events

Early Middle Ages ("Dark Ages")

1. Overrun by Barbarians 2. Roman Catholic Church provides stability 3, Church's Power is centralized in Rome under the Pope 4.Center of artistic and education

Cycle play stages

1. Processional 2. Stationary- Scenic mansions that stood side by side. Outdoors, but smaller indoor stages were sometimes used. Most people stood in front of stage.

Producing cycle plays

1. Produced by either religious guilds or professional trade guilds (Bakers did last supper) 2. Often civic and commercial events 3. Most productions were free, so a lot of money had to be raised (Joint effort from church and town council) 4. Produced every 2-10 years 5. Most people knew about performances bc they were involved somehow

Hrosvitha's plays in performance

1. Recurring dramatic actions include (Martyrdom of devout christians, Hard won conversions of nonbelievers, Renunciations of past sins, Strict penance for the past 2. Written in prose, with an element of something like rhythm

Liturgical drama

1. Religious rights and rituals already had theatrical elements 2. The church was faced with the challenge of explaining a "new" religion to a populous that was generally illiterate 3. Church drama seems to have developed along with changes in liturgical music 4. Short plays on the tomb visit were incorporated into church services by 1000 CE

Can't assign specific dates because

1. Scholars don't agree 2. Developments vary from country to country 3. Developments vary in terms of art being studied

Theatre of Byzantium

1. Similar to Roman style theatre (Circus Maximus) 2. Horse and chariot racing 3. Preserved manuscripts of classical greek drama (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristotle)

Church Drama Theatrical conventions

1. Simultaneous staging 2. Men played all roles Vestments were worn as costumes 4. Were presented in Latin ***

Secrets in Mystery Plays

1. Special staging effects 2. Secrets master- hired to oversee staging effects 3. Stationary stages- actors could be flown in from adjoining buildings 4. Movable stages- actors could be flown in on lines from the top of wagons 5. Trap doors raised and lowered individuals 6. Shiny surfaces reflected light to make "halo"

Producing Morality Plays

1. Staged by professional performers- Kept with a transition from religious to secular theatre 2. Stagin techniques were similar to cycle plays 3. Based on neutral platform stage

Morality Plays

1. Teaches a lesson using allegorical characters 2. Allegory- technique of giving abstract ideas or values a physical representation (People represent ideas) 3. Characters take journeys where they learn a moral lesson 4. Main characters are ordinary men and women 5. Basis was a struggle between 2 forces: good and evil 6. Developed independently of cycle plays- do not illustrate moments in the bible

Producing Liturgical (Church) Dramas

1. Written in Latin (Members of clergy with choir boys- all men) 2. Originally staged in monasteries and without the attendance of general public 3. ***** 4. Two basic spatial elements were used in staging liturgical dramas within the church (The Mansion and The Platea 5. Simultaneous staging

Station Drama

Another name given to morality plays. The journey is similar to Christ's journey of getting to the cross

When did the Western world come into contact with the east (Byzantium)?

During the Crusades (Religious wars to prevent the expansion of Islam)

Why did the east and west split?

East refused to acknowledge palpacy (pope)

Medieval Theatre

Extended through 1550, past the "start" of the Renaissance

Late Middle Ages

Growth in Europe came to a halt, however growth in the arts began

Heaven and Hell onstage

Heaven was elevated and frequently contained flying machinery. Hell was depicted as the head of a monster

500-1400 CE

Middle Ages

Who was above Lords in France?

Monarch

Everyman

Most popular Morality play 1. Everyman represents humanity- easily relatable 2. Death tells him he is to die, he looks for someone to accompany him to the other side 3. Teaches audience that only good deeds in life will prepare you for death

Second Shepard's

One of the most important Cycle plays

1400-1650 CE

Renaissance

High Middle Ages

The Crusades in 1095

The Platea

The central open space such as the nave

Early Medieval Theatre in France

What the heck

Tropes

musical passages, not part of the mass, but used in other services (Christmas, Easter), sung with Latin accompaniment