Theatre History Exam 1 Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards generated from Exam 1 lecture notes covering Greek, Medieval, and Japanese Noh theatrical traditions and key concepts.

Theatre

A broad field encompassing the performance of live, scripted or improvised drama before an audience and the physical space or building where such performances occur, all shaped by a culture's specific needs and evolving artistic and technological advancements

Ritual

Specifically ordered, ceremonial religious, personal, or social event

Performance

Refers to the entire structured event of presenting a dramatic work to a live audience

Ritual Origin Hypothesis

A theory of the history of theatre suggesting that dramatic performances evolved from religious rituals, as societies became more complex, performative elements were gradually secularized

Efficacious

Having the intent of producing results

Sacred and/vs Secular

Sacred (religious) and secular (non-religious)

Methexis

In theatre, the act of group sharing, originates from Greek theatre, audience participates creating and improvising the action of the ritual

Popular Entertainment

Performances that are meant to appeal to mass audiences

Imitation/Mimesis

A theory suggesting that an origin of theatre is the human nature of learning through imitation and mimicry (big emphasis on how children learn)

Storytelling

The act of relating a tale to others, often orally

Archive

A collection of historical records that provide information about a place or a group of people

Repertoire

Embodied human behaviors, such as cooking, praying, hair-styling, and dancing that tells us about a people's past

Passion play

Depicting death of a religious figure

Ludic Impulse

Refers to the idea that theatre originated from humanity's innate playful instincts and the enjoyment of games

Masquerade (African culture)

Masked performances specifically in Africa, specifically meant to mediate between the spirit world and humanity

Athenian Hegemony

Refers to Athens dominant influence over the development spread and content of Greek drama during its Golden Age, in the 5th century BCE

Dithyrhamb

A long hymn sung by a chorus of fifty men

Thespis

Ancient Greek poet and performer considered the world's first actor who innovated drama by stepping out of the Greek chorus to recite lines as a distinct character

Myth

Traditional, culturally significant story that explains the origins of society, nature and customs, used as a foundational source for drama

City Dionysia

The most important Greek festival in order of the god Dionysus, it was staged in Athens in spring and was the first to include dramatic activity

Tragedy, Comedy, Satyr Play

Tragedy: a dramatic genre featuring a noble protagonist whose significant suffering often caused by a tragic flaw (hamartia) it also leads to a cathartic experience. Comedy: (old) - satirical and fantastical plays that served as biting political and social commentary (new) - focused on everyday lives of private citizens featuring domestic plots, stock characters and themes of love and family

Archon

The Athenian government official appointed to oversee the staging of the City Dionysus festival

Choregos

In Ancient Greece, a wealthy person who underwrote most of the expenses for the production of an individual playwright's work for a dramatic festival

Aeschylus

1) Developed drama into a form separate from singing, chanting, dancing, or storytelling 2) Therefore often considered founder of Greek and Western drama 3) Added a second actor and reduced size of the chorus. Known plays: The Persians, Oresteia

Sophocles

1) Developed Aeschylus drama techniques even further 2) Introduced characters and information skillfully then built swiftly to a climax 3) Added a third actor. Known plays: Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King), Antigone

Euripides

1) Considered to be the most modern and was disliked 2) Sympathetic portrayal of women, a greater realism, and mixture of melodrama and comedy 3) Skeptical treatment of the Gods*. Known plays: Medea, The Bacchae, Trojan Women

Chorus

A group of performers who commented on the action of a play, providing moral lessons, background information, and emotional depth to the audience - would perform chants, songs, and dances

Ode, Episode

Ode - A lyrical poem sung and danced by the chorus, episode - a section of the play featuring spoken dialogue and action

Catharsis

An Ancient Greek concept introduced by Aristotle in his work Poetics, defining the purging of emotions like pity and fear from the audience through a tragic play, resulting in emotional cleansing and transformation

Protagonist

The principal

Aristotle, The Poetics

An analysis of existing plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides that deduced principles of effective drama. Climactic drama structure elements include Mythos (Plot), Ethos (Character), Dianoia (Thought), Lexis (Diction), Melos (Song), and Opsis (Spectacle).

Hamartia

Tragic flaw

Anagnorisis/Recognition

A moment of critical discovery or recognition by a character, often the protagonist - shift from state of ignorance to state of knowledge

Climactic Drama Structure

Centered on a fundamental beginning, middle and end, providing a unified whole that builds to the climax and then resolves

Theatron

In Ancient Greek theatre, the seating area carved into a hillside

Orchestra

In Ancient Greek theatre, the circular playing space, ground floor seating

Skene

In Ancient Greek theatre, the scene house behind the orchestra

Parodos

Physical entryway for the chorus in an Ancient Greek theatre and allows access to the acting space or the initial song and dance performed by the chorus as they make their way on the stage

Periaktoi

Three-sided scenic piece that could be revolved to show the audience three different scenes

Mechane

In Greek theatre, a crane used for flying characters into the playing area

Ekklyklema

In Greek theatre, a wagon that was used to bring characters on stage, often to reveal results of an offstage violence

Rabinal Achi/Xajoj Tun

Early example of Mayan performance 14th century, pre-colonization, pre-conquest - commemorative drama (dance-drama) - in the context of a religious setting that is both Catholic and old cultural practice

K'ich'e (language)

Language of the indigenous people of Guatemala as performed in the Rabinal Achi

UNESCO World Heritage

Inscription of sites and expressions that represent outstanding universal value to humanity, encompassing both tangible cultural sites and intangible performing arts

Mayan World: Four Corners/Four Sides

A sacred worldview that permeates the structure performance and purpose of ritual based drama, each side/corner of the Mayan cosmos is associated with a color, deity, and world tree

Syncretism

Refers to the blending of distinct cultural, religious or artistic traditions to create a new hybrid form of theatrical expression

Middle Ages

Refers to the period from approximately the 5th to the 15th century, medieval theatre originated from religious rituals and was heavily influenced by the Christian church leading to forms like mystery, miracle and morality plays which taught biblical stories and moral lessons, also saw development of secular forms like farces and masques performed by wandering minstrels and later at noble courts

Feudalism

In medieval European theatre, was a hierarchical system of social, economic and political organization that shaped theatrical content, performance and patronage, based on land ownership and a system of reciprocal obligations between lords, vassals, and serfs

Hrosvit

10th century German canoness and the first known female playwright in Western history, pivotal figure for reviving dramatic writing in the medieval era and for using her plays to promote Christian morality

Liturgical Drama

Any religious drama, usually sung or chanted, that relates to the Bible and is presented in Latin inside a church sanctuary

Tropes (Quem Quaeritis)

Short dramatic dialogue from the medieval Easter liturgy that represents one of the earliest forms of theatre performance, initiating the development of medieval liturgical drama (whom do you seek)

Platea

In medieval theatre, an unlocalized playing area

Mansion

A medieval scenic unit, often presented as an individual house or locale

Vernacular Drama

Medieval religious drama written in the vernacular - that is the language spoken by the people of a particular country or region

Mystery Plays (Cycle Plays)

Short medieval dramas presented in Western Europe and England based on events of the old and new testaments, many such plays were organized into historical cycles that told the story of human history from creation to doomsday

Miracle Plays

A medieval genre of vernacular drama focusing on the lives, miracles and martyrdoms of saints, particularly the Virgin Mary

Morality Plays

Medieval drama designed to teach a lesson - characters were often allegorical and represented virtues or faults

Second Shepherd's Play

A renowned medieval mystery play which features a blend of comedic farce with religious solemnity, it depicts the struggle of 15th century English shepherds alongside the biblical narrative of the Nativity

Confraternities

Religious brotherhoods that played a vital role in producing and organizing dramatic performances during the medieval and early Renaissance periods

Trade Guilds

Skilled artisans and merchants that financed, produced, and performed mystery plays

Passion Plays (ex. Oberammergau)

Dramatic reenactment of the final hours and resurrection of Jesus Christ, originating in the middle ages as a form of religious education and devotion (Oberammergau is a Bavarian town famous for Passion Play)

Pageant Master

A professional stage manager who oversaw the production of a cycle of mystery plays

Pageant Wagon

Wheeled movable stage platform used in medieval Europe to perform religious mystery and miracle plays in public during festivals like Corpus Christi

Processional Staging

Medieval performance method where pageant wagons traveled through town stopping at various points to perform a play for stationary audiences

Hell-mouth

Elaborate stage prop or scenic element used in medieval religious drama to represent the entrance to hell

Allegory

Representation of an abstract theme or themes through symbolic use of character, action, and other concrete elements of a play

Shinto

The traditional religion of Japan and aesthetic of Japanese theatre, particularly in the ancient forms of Kagura and Noh

Buddhism

Folklore provided a rich source of narratives that were adopted into dramatic performances - philosophical influence on theatrical aesthetics across Asia

Gigaku

Masked Japanese dance drama, one of the earliest forms of Japanese theatre

Dengaku

Ritualistic performing art developed from Harvest dances and songs performed in fields by villages and it became a major part of Noh drama

Sarugaku noh

Earliest form of Noh theatre, started as acrobatics, juggling, pantomime, comic sketches, drum dancing

Noh

Classical Japanese musical drama that combines masked acting, dance and music to tell stories

Kan'ami

Japanese actor, playwright and troupe leader known for fundamentally shaping Noh theatre into a serious and respected art form

Zeami Motokiyo

Kan'ami's son, one of the most influential figures in Japanese theatre, his treatise on Noh is a major source of aesthetics of Noh, composed many Noh or dreamlike Noh plays. Known work: Atsumori

Ashikaga Shogunate

Ruled Japan during the performing art of Noh 14-16th century, he elevated and formalized the Noh performances

Character types: shite, waki, tsure

Shite: protagonist who plays a god or ghost of a samurai or woman, madwoman, or supernatural characters such as a goblin or spirit of a dragon (they are masked). Waki: Side and living character person, often a wandering monk and/or foe of the shite (unmasked). Tsure: an accompanying role

Kyogen

Comic theatre that served as the formal Noh theatre

Hashigakari

Bridgelike walkway in Japanese Noh theatre that connects the offstage waiting area to mainstage

Kagami-no-ma (mirror room)

Dressing room and also where the shite would select the mask

Bashira

Structural pillars on the traditional stage served as crucial reference points for the masked actors

Kiritoguchi (hurry door)

Trapdoor where actors would disappear

Noh mask use

Masks are used to represent various characters including gods, men, women and demons allowing for profound transformation of the actor into the character's essence

Yugen

A Japanese aesthetic concept that represents a profound, subtle and mysterious beauty that is felt rather than explicitly described

Aristophanes

Only writer of old comedy. Known plays: Lysistrata