Political Influence on Popular Theatre Popular theatre is a form of entertainment that is intended to amuse the masses. Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages are prominent eras that depicted the very essence of what popular theatre intended. In both eras, demand for such performances grew. Authority, whether secular or religious, instigated popular entertainment in both the Roman and Medieval Era. Roman popular theatre thrived under a strong secular government. After the fall of Rome, however, a highly religious political structure came into power. The beginning of the Middle Ages marked the transition from strong rulers to religious dominance which influenced popular theatre to be centered around the Church. The audience’s attendance …show more content…
The control of the rulers was crucial to the promotion of cultural spectacles and performances, for it “initiated, funded, and supervised the establishment of buildings for mass entertainment, as well as ongoing organization and operation of performances” (Weiss 258). One ruler in particular, Herod the Great, was a patron of popular entertainment. Because of his substantial interest in public spectacles and competitions, his empire fostered an environment where such events thrived and his successors continued his legacy. As a result of Herod the Great’s prominence along with other Roman rulers, Christian leaders “were not influential enough to alter the cultural reality of their day, nor did they succeed in modifying the cultural behavior of their community members so that they would conform to their beliefs” (Weiss 248). The Church objected to Roman public entertainment on moral and religious grounds. They even failed at dissuading their own community of followers from attending the shows. The lack of authority from religious leaders reveals the strength of the Roman rulers in sanctioning forms of entertainment that are enticing and that they enjoyed …show more content…
As one power would grow, the other would decline. In ancient Rome, the rulers had jurisdiction over their kingdom without much interference of the Church. In the Middle Ages, the Church had jurisdiction without much interference of the hierarchal kings. The struggle between secular and religious power greatly influenced the way society was governed and organized. Popular theatre and daily life became so entwined with the back and forth power struggle that the society reflects who and how they were controlled, shedding light on the nature of their lifestyles. The group in power will always hold power as long as they control the mass’s need for popular
The reemphasis of ancient Greek and Roman texts proffered alternatives for many to satisfy their religious needs. This helped contribute to the abolishment of the Church’s imposition of its absolute truth and its claim to ultimate authority. As the church lost power, so did the political units. The bonds between church and state began to erode. Feudalism declined, hence giving rise to new political opportunities.
"Elizabethan Theatre Audiences." Elizabethan Theatre Audiences. Strayer University, 16 May 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Roman culture had a significant influence on the traditions and ways of people in western society today. Entertainment was a significant part of Roman society, and much of it was provided by colossal structures known as amphitheaters. They did more than provide entertainment to the people; they brought a sense of community to Rome. The Colosseum represented the height of Roman engineering and architecture, and still stands today as a reminder of the pride the Romans took in themselves. The rich and poor were separated in the theatre, but they were brought together at the same time, in one place, where Romans were free to be themselves and take pride in their powerful society and truly influential culture.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of entertainment is “amusement or pleasure that comes from watching a performer, playing a game, etc”. There are numerous forms of entertainment in our world today. What may be entertaining for one person may not be entertaining to the next person. Rome is known for many things and has been gone for thousands of years. This paper will cover the different aspects of ancient Roman entertainment and identify if there is any correlation to todays entertainment after all these years.
“The Romans are often characterized as loving violent and cruel entertainment in the amphitheatre. It has been suggested that the games served the dual purpose of providing entertainment for the people and maintaining the political status quo.”
During the mid 14th century, the black plague was running rampant. The church, being a state of God, did not know how to cure these people, causing those who came to them in need, asking why God was killing their family and friends, to become disillusioned. This caused many to turn away from the church, and look inwards instead, leading to the hugely influencial humanist movement. It was through these changes within their society that theatre was able to change and blossom into an act of freedom, a means in which society and state could be critiqued, a way to bring their viewers some escape from their hard laberous
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.
Theatre serves to reflect society. From Shakespeare to Sophocles, a playwright’s work illustrates the different mechanics within a culture or time period or society. Theatre offers viewers the experience of taking a step back and looking in on themselves. In this way, theatre is a mirror for the world and the way it functions.
Theatre-In-Education The theatre education industry/movement has seen some rapid changes since its initial developments and establishment in the 1960’s. However its origins mainly lie in the early years of the last century. It was the initial establishment of companies such as Bertha Waddell’s in Scotland and Esme Church’s in the north of England that thoroughly established the main roots of TIE.
Theatre as we know it now was born more than two thousand years ago and has gone through many streams until it reached the current modernity. Among these streams is the avant-garde theatre. This theatre achieved a break in the traditional theatre and became the forefront of a new experimental theatre. Therefore it is necessary to ask how this theatre started, what impact it had on society and if this type of theatre is still common in our modern era.
Theatre first came about from all different cultures acting out part of their bible, or performing rituals to the Gods. It was not until the middle ages when dramatists wrote about all aspects of life. Theatre has therefore changed continuously to suit the demands of each new age for fantasy, spectacle, or serious drama.
The survival of theatre lies in the very nature of humankind: its inner voyeuristic drive. The desire to watch other people dealing with their conflicts and fates challenges as well as reinforces values and the morality of society. The theatre provides an exciting opportunity to watch stories and situations as if they were real life, showing us the truth of our nature.
For thousands of years, people have been arguing that theatre is a dying art form. Many people think theatre is all just cheesy singing and dancing or just boring old Shakespeare, but there is much more to theatre than those two extremes. Theatre is important to our society because it teaches us more about real life than recorded media. Theatre has been around for thousands of years and began as a religious ceremony that evolved into an art form that teaches about the true essence of life. Theatre can incorporate profound, and provocative, observations of the human condition that can transcend time; lessons found in Greek plays can still be relevant to the modern world. People argue that the very essence of theatre is being snuffed out by modern
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.
The medieval age also saw some of the greatest contributions to theater. The biggest influence on later theater was the changing of the language used in the plays from Latin to the vernacular. This was crucial in spreading drama as it allowed the lower classes to understand the performances and contributed to the expansion of theater across Europe in the R...