Greek Theater

• Western theater dates back to Greece 2,500 years ago
• Greek theater started out as rituals
• A cult who venerated Dionysus emerged in Thrace and started rituals
• Dionysians paid tribute to their god through rites that had liquor, orgies, and animal sacrifices
• Tragedy  - an imitation through action

  Comedy - "Comus" which means laughter and joke

  Satiric - lighter than a tragedy, heavier than a comedy
• Commedia Dell'arte

  • Emerged in 15th century
  • Northern Italy
  • Improvisation was important
• English Renaissance Theater

  • Short plays called interludes emerged in England during the 1400s
• Elizabethan Theater

  • Elizabethan era was the Golden Age of England
  • The Elizabethan theater gave birth to some of the greatest playwrights in the world
  • They showcased real-life current scenarios
• Well-made theater or "piece bien faite"