THTR 331 Midterm 2

Hinduism on Theatre

-early Indian theatre stems from Hindu mythology -Hindus believe in one Universal soul referred to as Brahman. Brahman is in everything, Brahman is everything. To be united with this perfect, unchanging, and supreme essence is the aim of Hinduism.
-Oneness with Brahman frees individuals from the cycle of rebirth.

Shinto on Theatre

Animistic; influenced early Japanese theatre

Buddhism on Theatre

-no caste system; the middle way: leading a life between luxury and austerity; enlightened leads to Nirvana (release from the cycle of rebirth)

Christianity on Theatre

-Western Theatre momentarily disappears due to the decline of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity because

1. theatre and popular entertainment were rooted in pagan rituals and worship

2. the actors of the day (mimes) were crude, erotic and immoral

3. mimes mocked Christian practices such as prayer, baptism and communion

Byzantine Era:

church continued its disapproval of theatre, performers denied church sacraments; secular theatre produced classical and Hellenistic Greek plays, mimes, pantomimes and dancing

The mythological origins of Sanskrit theatre as described in the "Natyasastra" and the caste system

-Early Indian theatre is referred to as dance-drama or total theatre.
-Relied heavily on music and symbolic movement. Strong integration of music.
-The actor was dominant.
-Over time, specific gestures and stances became associated with certain characters.
-Spectacle was valued in performance
-Costumes and makeup indicated the character's historical period, caste, social position, etc
-There was no scenery
-"Natyasastra": means "the art of theatre" Includes a myth about the god, Brahma, teaching Nātya (drama, dance, and music combined) to the priest, Bharata, and his 100 sons.

The Caste System and theatre

-people in India are born into an inescapable caste system
-Actors were typically not regarded well in society; troupes of performing artists were from the Sudras caste and were backed by royal patronage. Brahmans (priests) sometimes performed in holy drama; myth states that Brahmans had been the original actors.
-All castes were invited to be part of the audiences

Shakuntala

-Story taken from the epic poem Mahābhārata.
-Dialogue is spoken in classical Sanskrit (verse) and Prakrit (prose), which is everyday/vernacular language.
-Shringara (erotic romantic) is dominant rasa

Sukeroku: Flower of Edo

Sukeroku tries to defend his father; read summary

The Second Shepherd's Play

Shepherd and trickster shepherd

Everyman

Searches for a companion to die with

The feast of fools

a festival presented in some monasteries and catherdrals around Christmas/New Year's was likely inspired by pagan festival Saturnalia, the minor clergyman would ridicule their superiors

Religious vernacular drama

-new form of drama started to emerge in the early 1200s
-scholars debate whether it grew out of liturgical drama or not, but there were many similarities
-presented outdoor and became too elaborate for church sanctuaries
-written and performed in common language

Corpus Christi

often would feature plays celebrating the humanity and divinity of Christ through the Eucharist

Bharata Muni

considered the father of actors and wrote Nātyaśāstra

Kalidasa

-the most famous Sanskrit dramatist
-wrote Shakuntalā

Kan'ami

led a Sarugaku-nō troupe (Yazaki) and later founded nōh dance-drama.

Zeami

Nōh is theatre for the elite; perfected the art and is the form's most pertinent artist

Chikamatsu Monzaemon

-One of the only major dramatists of bunraku.
-Commonly wrote domestic dramas about the conflict between personal feeling and social duty/responsibility.
-He primarily wrote historical dramas about war heroes

Okuni of Izumo

Created kabuki

Emperor Constantine

-founded Constantinople in Eastern Rome
-legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

Emperor Justinian I and Empress Theodora

Theodora was a prostitute and an actress

Hrosvitha

-first female playwright we know of, admired work of Terence and was known as Christian Terence
-her plays glorified Christian virtues such as conversion, redemption of sins, martyrs, virgins
-wrote six closet dramas unlikely performed in her time

Medieval Church Ritual as it Transitioned into Liturgical Drama:

-held in sanctuaries of churches, cathedrals, or monasteries; time was in canonical hours
-participants: clergymen, choir boys, and some religious students, later nuns performed in convent drama
-scenario was worship or annual celebrations like Easter
-costumes were like robes or symbols

Hildegard von Bingen

-German nun, feminist, scientist, philosopher, theologian, musical composer, dramatist, etc.
-Believed music was the best expression of our love, devotion, and worship of God.
-Wrote the first morality play in 1151

Sanskrit Drama

-Stories primarily based in Hindu mythology.
-Approx. 25 Sanskrit plays have survived
-One to ten acts take place.
-Single act must take place in 24 hours.
-No more than one year can pass between acts
-Locations frequently jump between heaven and earth.

Kuttiyattum

-"acting together" or "acting and dancing together"
-Strong classical Sanskrit heritage mixed with Kerala folk drama
-The longest-lasting form of theatre in the world.
-Up until the mid-20th century, Kutiyattam was only performed by priests (the highest caste) in temples and only upper castes were in attendance.
-The movement and speech of kutiyattam is drawn out.
-Historically, performances could last up to days, weeks, or over a month. Today, performances are typically only a handful of hours long.

Kathakali

-An hybrid of secular and sacred traditions
-Stories are based on Hindu epics.
-Scripts are short, but performances last all night.
-Traditionally, performances began at dusk and ended at dawn with the symbolic killing of a demon.
-All castes can attend performances.
-Actors do not speak but embody stylized, pantomimic movement to orchestral singing and instrumental music.
-Traditionally there were only male performers (training took decades); Today, some women perform.
-Unlike Sanskrit theatre, death and violence occur on stage.

Kagura

Early forms* of Shinto ritual dance, based on Japanese mythology. Some kagura dance is still performed today

Bugaku

court and dance movement, inspired by Korean and Chinese court dance; dancers move to gagaku (court music)

Sarugaku

lively entertainment combining circus-like acts and religious ritual; Buddhists priests appropriated

Noh

-everything on the stage is very symbolic
-5 types of Noh plays: written pages are short but performances can be 30min-2hours
-actors are male and undergo rigorous training from a young age; today some women perform
-movement is set and must be perfected; high physical, gestural, and slow
-text is usually chanted or sung; difficult to understand even for Japanese

Kyogen

act as comical interlude between Noh plays; parodies of Noh plays sometime
-may utilize stock characters; never really inappropriate
-less reliant on music and don't usually use masks
-props and costumes are simple

Bunraku

-comprised of: narration, music and puppets; narrators speak all of the lines
-historical and domestic are two main types; three puppeteers
-popular love suicide plays were eventually banned
-Bunraku puppets are about 4 feet tall and head is made of wood

Kabuki

-literally means song, dance, theatre; Japan's popular total theatre
-started by a Shinto priestess Okuni of Izumo No who mixed Buddhist rituals, noh, and folk dance
-originally only women performed: dances and short drama plays
1629: the government banned women's kabuki due to Samurai prostituting the performers; next, women's kabuki was succeed by young men/boys kabuki;
652: boys were banned from kabuki for the same reason women were
-all-male cast, even today; actors typically master one type of role
-the craft has been passed down from father to son for generations

Liturgical drama

short, written and sung in Latin; first associated with Easter tropes; told stories of Jesus's life, OT and NT characters

Cycle plays (mystery, miracle, etc.)

-miracle plays, morality plays
-mystery play was not staged during a religious service and focus on the Bible or the saints (Miracle plays), part of a cycle
-Cycle play had numerous presented in one sequence; passion play depicted the ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ

Passion plays

Depict the ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.

Morality plays

Its purpose is to teach a moral lesson (acts as a sermon).
-Primary focus: life after death.
-About ordinary people instead of biblical figures or saints
-Characters are allegorical, who represent ideas (death, purity, greed, integrity, etc.) Costumes reflected this.
-Mainly found in England (1400-1550 approx.) but not absent from other European countries.

Bhavas

-emotional moments expressed by the character; expressed through movement, singing, words, murdras; leads to rasas
-eight fundamental ones

Rasas

-the overall mood or sense of composure, experience by the audience
-entire purpose of the performance; what the audience is left with
-there were originally eight with a ninth added later

Mudras

Acting is highly physical and stylized with codified gestures

Nataka

You should know there are ten types of Sanskrit dramas but will not need to know their names, with the exception of Nataka.

Chiasmus/Chiasm

a literary device where section/s are repeated of a earlier section/s in a reverse order (like a mirror).

Sudtradhara

lead actor who functioned like a modern-day producer/director

Chutti

is typically worn by the hero. It brings attention to the emotional expressions of the face and represents beauty and purity.

Monomane

mimesis, embodying the character

Hana

flower, the spontaneity of performance, revealed at the perfect time

Yūgen

the act of embodiment through elegant aesthetic; the heart and aim of Noh

Shite

central character, often masked but can be unmasked, beings from outside the world of reality

Waki

support to the central character, rarely masked, representative of living people

Hashigakari

The stage is connected to the backstage by a corridor called "hashigakari." It is used not only for performers to enter and exit, but also to represent a path linking the real and spiritual worlds.

Five types of noh masks

elderly, man, woman, demons or monsters, spirits or deities

Jiutai

Japanese chorus of 6-10 people

Hayashi

three or four person orchestra at the back of the stage

Jōruri

narrator who chanted text accompanied by music.
Only the chanter/s speak the lines of the play.

Two main types of kabuki plays

historical plays- serious, often glorify the samurai domestic plays- serious or comic, often tales of familial life and love

Hanamichi

raised, narrow pathway connecting the back of the theatre to the front of the stage, an audience favourite

Shamisen

a three-stringed lute type instrument that accompanied actor

Onnagata

Woman character, popular role

Hippodrome

chariot races that were popular entertainment during the Byzantine era

Sacred theatre

any religious play written were most likely closet dramas, may have depicted biblical scenes during religious festivals, aimed to reconcile Christianity with the classical origins of theatre

Tropes

extended musical passages which later included reciting, chanting, and singing (Latin) often as a call and response.

Quem Quaeritis

-first liturgical drama
-Exchange between Angel/s and the three Marys (Virgin, Magdalene, of Bethany).

Mansions

Scenic House

Platea

Performing Space

Oberammergau

Passion Play in Germany performed every ten years

Pageant master

-A role similar to a modern-day stage manager, producer, and director (with no artistic vision). -Oversaw the entire cycle of plays.
-Roles varied town to town and duties may have included: Securing and managing actors and craftsmen/guilds, Organizing rehearsals, Manage finances, Crowd control, Publicity.

Master of secrets

Oversaw stage effect? Actually not sue

Secrets

Stage effects of Byzantine era theatre

What is the name of the main character in a nōh drama who wears a mask?

Shite

Why do scholars think that church dramas in Latin transformed and moved outside the church?

Became too elaborate for church sanctuaries.

Kyogen were both clown-like characters found in noh plays, often providing context between part one and part two of the drama, as well as short, comic sketches presented between the five-lengthy noh plays. True or False?

True

Characters were often allegorical in morality plays. True or False?

True

Essay: Describe bhavas and rasas.

Essay: This question has two parts. First, explain the origins of Kabuki theatre and its change in performers during its early years. Secondly, describe two ways the script Sukeroku: Flower of Edo captures the kabuki style.

Essay: Compare and contrast liturgical drama, mystery plays, and morality plays. Consider a minimum of three characteristics (origins, design elements, content, performers, etc.) from all three.