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ancient greek theater vs roman theater
greek theater then and now
greek theater then and now
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The theater industry has been around since the beginning of time, when "one or more human beings, isolated in time and/or space, presented themselves to another or others." And when people started to realize that they could make a profit from doing this, they decided that, that was the best thing to do. The earliest recorded plays that still survive to this day are those of Ancient Greece.
Between c. 550 and c. 220 BC, in Athens, the theater industry began to grow into an entertainment business that people would pay to see its happenings. It was more than just amusement for friends and family. It had become and art, and sometimes a competition to win a wreath and respect.
Amphitheaters were being made just for performance venues, and they were usually always full for every show. Because of the shape of the amphitheaters the acoustics were far better and even people in the 100th row could hear what was happening on the stage. People loved the idea of being able to watch actors act out a story right in front of them.
The Greek way of theater influenced the Romans, and of course like they had been doing all through history, they stole the idea of theater and made it their own. They made it less religious and because the audiences were usually rude and loud during performances, they made up a code by wearing certain outfits to show who they were in the story.
When the fall of the Roman Empire happened, the idea of true theater sort of got lost among the rubble. Most plays didn?t survive, and smaller professions such jesters and mimes, began to take the scene, by providing entertainment solely to royalty. Then religious plays began to come back. This was the beginning of the era of Medieval European Theater.
Only men were allowed to act on stage. Even girl parts were played by men. Some boys were castrated to prevent their voices from becoming lower just to make sure that they could play a female role. It seemed like it would?ve been easier to just have woman in shows, but women still didn?t have a lot of rights, and many people thought that it was unladylike to act and have a woman in a man?s occupation.
Finally, in the late 1500?s, a man named Shakespeare came into popularity with his famous plays, the very plays that are still being performed to this very day.
There were two theatres at Pompeii used for a variety of purposes. One of these includes drama performances. The two theatres held a large number of patrons. The largest held 5000 people while the smaller once called the Odeon held approximately 1500 people. The types of performances that where held were usually tragedies, comedies and farces. They took place in the larger theater usually during religious celebrations and in celebration of achievements.. The larger theatre was designed for comfort in mind with facilities for an awning on days that where very hot. Historians including Paul Zanker and Richard Beacham suggest that the theatres of Pompeii were as much as a political venue then a entertaining one. Entry was free in the theatre but social class assigned seating. The lower social class sat in the back of the theatre while the upper class sat at the front where the best view was. The smaller theatre known as the Odeon was ...
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
Before the life on Broadway, before famous hit musicals such as the Sweeney Todd, Phantom, Chicago and Annie, that drove people into New York to see America’s professional theatre. The America’s professional theatre was spread throughout the country. In the mid- to late-19th century, actors and managers would put together a company and tours playing for weeks at a time in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and they also performed in little towns along the way. But then came the Theatrical Syndicate, which was often referred to as “The Syndicate.” Which composed of six men that would change the United States theatre forever.
There was lack of professional bands of actors. Therefore those bands which found most success were patronized by the court. The Earls of Essex, Pembroke and others all had their own bands. Certain troops became so famous that people thronged to see them, therefore leading to the opening of theatres. The first playhouse "the theatre" opened in 1577 and the famous "the Globe" opened in 1599.
Theorists and scholars have often examined when the art of theatre first came into existence. There is a great amount of emphasis on the idea that the act of mimesis or an imitating impulse first came to be in a ritual setting dating way back to the beginning of mankind. However, the first civilization that shows evidence of a fully formed and functional theater is found during the ancient Greek civilization.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, there was a time in history, when a brand new style of entertainment swept the nation. It changed the very way that Americans would perform in theaters, while illustrating the creativity of people with an eagerness to entertain.
years ago the word "theater" possessed a different meaning than it does in today's society. The
In the first part of the 20th century, musical theatre consisted of vaudeville and minstrel shows....
Elizabethan times in the 1600s was a progression for the world of the theater. A period named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, it is from this period that modern day society has its foundation for the entertainment industry. From the violence that was prevalent because of the Black Death, people turned to the theater for its poetry and romance. During this time period, there were two types of theatrical performances that were available for the people’s viewing, comedies or tragedies. These two genres were never really intertwined until the time of William Shakespeare. His play, Romeo and Juliet, is an example of both a comedy and a tragedy. It starts off as a comedy with Romeo weeping like a baby because of his love Rosaline, who did not love him back and ends as a tragedy when Romeo and Juliet, a pair of star crossed lovers, commit suicide because the lost of each other. It was also during Shakespeare’s time that writer were finally acknowledged by the people. Before this time, writers were not considered upper classman. Another group of people that began to rise into a higher social class were the actors. Actresses were not present back then because women were not allowed on stage. It was considered unladylike to have a female actor. Men played all the parts. Theater owners were dependent on actors to make them a profit. Rehearsals for the plays were fairly short, only lasting for about a week. The performances themselves would only show for three to four days.
This is how Shakespeare’s plays are a product of the Elizabethan theatrical context in which they were first performed.
The theater was one of the primary forms of entertainment in Elizabethan England, as anyone, rich or poor could attend the plays.The rich would sit in boxes or galleries, while the poorer people would have to stand for the entirety of the play (Haigh). The poor would stand in front of the stage which would normally be raised about 4 to 6 feet and the theater could hold on average 3,000 people (Trumbull). The rich however usually watched plays in indoor private theaters, but sometimes would watch the plays in the outdoor public ones. Performances ...
Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...
The most significant contributions to the development of theater came from the Medieval Age. The rebirth of theater began at this time within the Church as a way to supplement the mass with religious based performances. As the performances developed and became increasingly complex, drama became increasingly secular which allowed for the expansion of topics outside of the religious realm. The medieval theater, while a setback from the great dramas of the Greek and Roman periods, gave major contributions such as the use of the vernacular and the development of more detailed and symbolic costumes.
Ancient Greek Theater is the first historical record of “drama,” which is the Greek term meaning “to do” or “to act.” Beginning in the 5th century BC, Greek Theater developed into an art that is still used today. During the golden age of the Athenians plays were created, plays that are considered among the greatest works of world drama. Today there are thousands of well-known plays and films based on the re-make of ancient drama.
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.