HISTORY OF THE
THEATRICAL FORMS
AND THEIR EVOLUTION
MYTH RITUAL
CEREMONY
“PLACE OF
SEEING”
THE ANCIENT GREEK
ANCIENT THEATER
700 B.C.E.-410 C.E.
European theater began in Ancient
Greece. It began around 700
B.C.with festivals honoring their
many gods.
Dionysus (Di-on-i-sus), the god of
wine and fertility, has a religious
festival called, "The Cult of
Dionysus,“ to honor him.
The three well-known Greek tragedy
playwrights are Sophocles, Euripides and
Aeschylus.
TRAGEDY
THEATRE OF
ANCIENT GREECE COMEDY
SATYR
TRAGEDY
It the most admired type of play. It
dealt with tragic events and have an
unhappy ending, especially one
concerning the downfall of the main
character.
THESPIS
was the first actor and introduced the use of masks and was
called the "Father of Tragedy."
COMEDY
plays were derived from imitation; there were no
traces of their origin. Aristophanes wrote most of the
comedy plays.
LYSISTRATA CYCLOPS
a humorous tale about a strong was an adventurous comedy by
woman who led a female Euripides.
coalition to end war in Greece.
SATYR PLAY
contains comic elements to lighten the overall
mood or a serious play with a happy ending.
This featured half-man / half-goat
characters known as Satyrs. They were
awful, ridiculous, and usually drunk.
The Satyr characters lusted after
everyone on stage, and they delivered
the most humorous lines, often at the
expense of others.
THE GREEK THEATER
(EPIDAUROS)
“THEATRON”
The Orchestra The Skene
The Audience
ORCHESTRA
-A LARGE CIRCULAR OR THEATRON
RECTANGULAR AREA AT THE -viewing place on the slope
CENTER PART OF THE of a hill.
THEATRE, WHERE THE PLAY,
DANCE, RELIGIOUS RITES,
AND ACTING TOOK PLACE.
A PARODOS
-side entrance. A SKENE
-stage.
ROMAN THEATER
3RD CENTURY B.C.
Greek theatres had a great influence on
the Roman’s theater, too.
The Triumvir Pompey- was one of the
first permanent (non-wooden) theatres
in Rome, whose structure was
somewhat similar to the theatron of
Athens.
THEATER OF POMPEY
The building was a part of a multi-use complex that included a large quadriporticus (a
columned quadrangle), directly behind the scaenae fron (an elaborately decorated
background of theatre stage) enclosed by the large columned porticos with an expansive
garden complex of fountains and statues. There were rooms also that were dedicated to the
exposition of art and other works collected by Pompey Magnus which were located along the
stretch of covered arcade.
ROMAN CHARIOTS
The usual themes for Roman theater plays were chariots races, gladiators, and
public executions. The Romans loved a good spectacle. They loved to watch
combat, admired blood sports and gladiator competition.
MEDIEVAL
THEATER
500 C.E.-1400
During the Medieval era, theater performances
were not allowed throughout Europe. To keep
the theater alive, minstrels, though denounced
by the Church, performed in markets, public
places and festivals.
They travelled from one town to another as
puppeteers, jugglers, story tellers, dancers, singers,
and other theatrical acts. These minstrels were
viewed as dangerous and pagan.
Illustration of Minstrels Medieval Times
RENAISSANCE
THEATER
1400-1600
During Middle Ages, mystery plays formed a
part of religious festivals in England and other
parts of Europe during the Renaissance period.
Morality plays (in which the protagonist was met
by personifications of various moral attributes
who try to choose a Godly life over the evil) and
the University drama were formed to recreate
Athenian tragedy.
COMMEDIA KNIGHT
DELL’ARTE MASQUES
COMMEDIA
DELL’ARTE
Italian comedy and a humorous
theatrical presentation performed
by professional players who
traveled in troupes
KNIGHT
MASQUES
A dramatic entertainment
consisting of pantomime
dancing, dialogue, song, and
sometimes players who wore
masks
One of the most prominent supporters of the
theater was Queen Elizabeth I.
The companies of players (companies of actors)
were organized by the aristocrats and performed
seasonally in many places.
They were called professional players that
performed on the Elizabethan stage.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
• Baptized :April 26, 1564
• Died: April 23, 1616.
• English poet, playwright and actor
and regarded as the greatest writer
and dramatist in the whole world.
• Shakespeare was often called
England's national poet and the
"Bard of Avon".
His works consist of about 38 plays. Some of
these plays were well-loved Romeo and Juliet,
Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream,
Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Much Ado about
Nothing.
• Hamlet
• Othello
• King Lear
• Macbeth
For the first time, Ballet was performed in
public during this period. Ballet is a
formalized form of dance which originated
from the Italian Renaissance Courts.
It developed and flourished from Italy to
France with the help of Catherine de’
Medici, (Queen of France).
The first formal "COURT BALLET“ ever recognized
was, 'BALLET DES POLONAIS' in 1573.
BAROQUE
THEATER
1600-1750
The theater of the Baroque period is marked by the use of technology
in current Broadways or commercial plays.
This technology affected the content of the performed pieces,
practicing at its best the Deus ex Machina (a Latin word meaning "god
from the machine) solution.
THE TEATRO
REGIO IN TURIN
The use of theatrical technologies in the Baroque period may be seen in
the films Vatel (2000), Farinelli (1999) and in the different stage
productions of "Orpheus" by Claudio Monteverdi.
NEOCLASSICAL
THEATER
1800-1900
The Neoclassical period was a movement where the
styles of Roman and Greek societies influenced the
theater arts.
The theater was characterized by its grandiosity.
Costumes and sceneries were highly elaborate.
The concept of decorum (meaning right and proper
audience behavior) was applied in this period
An 18th-century Neoclassical theatre in Ostankino, Moscow
-Tragedy and Comedy
-They never mixed these together, and the
restriction led to the use of the now well-known pair
of happy and sad masks that symbolize the
theatrical arts.
Three playwrights achieved a significant amount of success.
PIERRE CORNIELLE (1606 – 1684)
-was often called the father of the French tragedy, writing scripts for
more than four decades. One of these was “The Cid".
JEAN- BAPTISTE POQUELIN,
BETTER KNOWN AS MOLIÈRE (1622 – 1673)
- was known for his comedies, “Tartuffe and The Misanthrope‖ was
one of his works.
JEAN RACINE (1639 – 1699)
-was a tragedian beloved for his simple approach to action and the
linguistic rhythms and effects he achieved.
"Andromache and Phaedra” was one of his scripts. These men were
able to take elements from classical Greek and Roman literature and
transform them into plays.
TRIVIA ABOUT THE NEOCLASSICAL THEATER:
1. The first "spotlight" was used in the U.S. during this period and
was called the "Limelight".
2. The Theatre Regulation Act of 1843 banned drinking in legitimate
theaters. Many tavern owners took advantage of the situation and
renovated their establishments to accommodate live performances.
IN A4 BOND
PAPER, DRAW A
COSTUME
ABOUT
WESTERN
CLASSICAL
PLAY/OPERA.
QUIZ
TIME!
Direction: Determine the correct answer for every question. Write the
letter of your answer in the answer sheet.
A B
1. Ancient Theater A. Melodrama and Opera became the
2. Medieval Theater most popular theatrical form.
3. Renaissance Theater B. Theater was characterized by its
4. Baroque Theater grandiosity.
5. Neoclassical Theater C. Use of technology in current
6. Romantic Theater broadways and commercial plays.
D. Theater performances were not
allowed throughout the Europe.
E. Tragedy, Comedy and Satyr play.
F. William Shakespeare was the
famous poet.
