Mapeh arts m1

• Theatre


  Place of seeing
• Greek theatre


  • Began around 700 B.C. with festivals honoring their many gods
• Tragedy


  A compound of two Greek words, "tragos" or "goat" and "ode" meaning song, referring to goats sacrificed to Dionysus before performances, or to goat -skins worn by the performers
• Tragedy


  • Dealt with tragic events and have an unhappy ending
• Comedy plays


  • Derived from imitation, with no traces of originimitation, with no traces of origin
• Satyr play


  • Contains comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious play with a happy ending
• Parts of a Greek theatre

  • Theatron - viewing place on the slope of a hill
  • Orchestra - large circular or rectangular area at the center part of the theater, where the play, dance, religious rites, and acting took place
  • Skene - stage
  • Parodos - side entrance
• Roman theatre


  • Began in the 3rd century BC
  • Had varied and interesting art forms, like festival performances of street theater, acrobatics, the staging of comedies of Plautus, and the high-verbally elaborate tragedies of Seneca
• Roman theatres

  • Theatre of Pompey - one of the first permanent (non-wooden) theaters in Rome, structure similar to the theatron of Athens
• Medieval theatre


  • During this era, theater performances were not allowed throughout Europe
  • Minstrels performed in markets, public places and festivals, though denounced by the Church
  • Churches in Europe started staging their own theater performances during Easter Sundays with Biblical stories and events
  • Some plays were brought outside the church due to their portrayal of the devil and hell
• Medieval plays


  • Mystere d'Adam or The Mystery of Adam - the story revolves around Adam and Eve and ends with the devil capturing and bringing them to hell
• Renaissance theatre


  • Characterized by a return of Classical Greek and Roman arts and culture
  • Included morality plays, university drama, and public theatre like Commedia dell'arte and elaborate masques
• Renaissance theatre


  • Commedia dell'arte - Italian comedy and a humorous theatrical presentation performed by professional players who travelled in troupes
  • Elaborate masques - a dramatic entertainment consisting of pantomime, dancing, dialogue, and song, sometimes with players wearing masks
• Ballet


  A formalized form of dance which originated from the Italian Renaissance courts and developed from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de' Medici
• Ballet des Polonais in 1573 was the first formal "court ballet" ever recognized, commissioned by Catherine de Medici to honor the Polish Ambassadors
• Proscenium (Renaissance Theatre)


  • The theatre of the Baroque Period is marked by the use of technology in current broadways and commercial plays
  • The theatre crew uses machines for special effects and scene changes which may be changed in a matter of seconds with the use of ropes and pulleys
  • This technology affected the content of the performed pieces, practicing at its best solution
• Baroque Theatre (1600-1750)


  • The character gods were finally able to come down from the heavens and rescue the hero in dangerous situations
  • The theatre was richly decorated, the multiplicity of plot turns and a variety of situations characteristic of Mannerism were succeeded by opera
• The Teatro Regio in Turin is an example of a Baroque Theatre
• Neoclassical Theatre (1800-1900)


  • Theatre was characterized by its grandiosity
  • Costumes and sceneries were highly elaborate
  • The main concepts of the plays were to entertain and to teach lessons
  • Stages were restyled with dramatic arches to highlight the scenes
  • Lighting and sound effects intensified the mood and message of each scene, enhancing the dramatic experiences
  • The idea of changing scenery and backdrops become more noticeable, particularly with the invention of pulley systems
  • The concept of decorum (meaning right and proper audience behavior) was applied in this period which means classical concepts and appropriate social behavior must be observed
  • This period officially established just two types of plays, tragedy and comedy, and they never mixed these together
• The Theatre Regulation Act of 1843 banned drinking in legitimate theatres
• Melodrama


  A dramatic work that puts characters in a lot of danger in order to appeal to the emotions and in which orchestral music or song was used to accompany the action
• Opera


  An art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called a libretto) and musical score, with acting, scenery, costumes and dance as important elements, usually performed in an opera house accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble