History of Theatre II

Experimental Theatre, Nigerian Theatre, Odets, O'Neill, Commedia, and

The Living Theatre

Founded by Julian Beck and Judith Malina, aimed to fuse politics and theatre. Very avant-garde, dedicated to avant-garde and anti-hierarchy. Famous plays included The Brig and guerrilla theatre. Eventually shut down for tax fraud.

Richard Foreman

Very Dada-esque, founded the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.

Allan Kaprow

Invented the happening, which were very interactive pieces of art/theatre that began more and more unscripted (ex: sets that broke down during play, or using filming actions while those actions are being watched on a monitor).

Environmental Theater

An approach to theatre that breaks down the separation of the audience and stage by having audience participation, deviations from the script, and a very fluid performance space.

Elizabeth LeCompte

Founded the Wooster group, which was focused on deconstructing other performances. They performed Crucible on Acid.

Megan Terry

Helped to found the open theatre, where the writer focused on political themes such as feminism, as well as improvisational process.

Adolphe Appia

A pioneer in set design and Wagner collaborator. Wanted 3D living sets, and to manipulate light and movement to may the play more realistic. Also wanted a signal person to coordinate these elements. Interested in Eurythmics and believed the text informed the rythm of the show alongside the design of the set.

Gordon Craig

Another pioneer of set design. Wanted very visual sets, but not necessarily realistic. Wanted a fusion of poetry, movement, music, and performance, but wanted actors to be uber-marionettes and directors to shape scripts rather than playwrights.

Vladimir Mayakovsky

Leading poet of the Russian revolution, and collaborator of Meyerhold. Heavily influenced by agitprops and living newspapers. Originally defended the Bolsheviks, but over time became more avant-garde and fell out of fashion with the socialist realism of Stalinism. Believed theatre was a magnifying class, not a mirror. Used the Bedbug to critique the lack of individualism in the USSR and the direction of culture and society.

Meyerhold

Director who focused on biomechanics and body motion. He worked with Stanislavski and Mayakovsky. He was imprisoned and killed by the Soviet Regime.

Federal Theatre Project

A part of FDR’s New Deal focused on getting actors and theatre professionals employed. Created topical, relevant, political, and epic theatre. They employed 15,000 artists, and often gave shows for free or at low costs. They were separated into different units which had different ethnic programming (Black Macbeth). The group was shut down by HUAC after only 4 years, but still had a major impact on American theatre.

Hallie Flanagan

Head of the FTP, who was a pioneer in experimental theatre. She helped to rapidly expand and build the FTP, and focused on providing programming for everyone.

Clifford Odets

Playwright who worked with the Group Theatre, and later became one of the best know American playwrights. HIs plays became very popular during the Great Depression. Many of his plays dealt with social ills, such as worker’s rights, or place in society. Faced inquisition by HUAC and gave up names, which lowered his standing in the community. Would often drop the audience right in the middle of the audience, and used urban language and street poetry.

Chinese Cultural Revolution

Mao tried to suppress opposition and reshape Chinese society by riding China of the four olds: old ideas, culture, customs, and habits. Thus, much of the older theatre was destroyed, and only revolutionary operas planned by Madam Mao were able to be shown. Students in the Red Guard would watch them and ransack theatres and institutions. More recently, China has reinvested in certain older crafts.

South African Theatre

Often formed as a respond to the oppression of apartheid. Some was developed in the townships, which created their own theatre scene (Herbert Dhlomo).

Athol Fugard

One of the most prolific anti-apartheid playwrights in South African. Often worked with Black collaborators to show the effects of apartheid in South Africa. His works were often suppressed by local authorities who did not approve of him working with Black actors. Started the Serpent Players, which was a mostly Black troupe, and wrote the Blood Knot and Sizwe Banzi Is Dead with John Kani.

Nigerian Protest Theatre

Drew from traditions like the Egungun festival and Nigerian folk opera. Nigerian folk opera often portrayed folk tales, supernatural stories, history, and satire through traveling groups. Pioneered by Hubert Ogunde (western and yoruba, first theatre manager), Kola Ogunmola (passion play influence, traditional yoruba stories), and James Ene Henshaw (doctor who wrote original theatre).

Wole Soyinka

Most prolific of the Nigerian protest theatre playwrights. Wrote about Yoruba culture and Anglican influence from his father. Studied at the Royal Court theatre in London. Went back to Nigeria where he wrote many plays, but had to leave during the civil war due to government suppression. He focused on traditions and the clash of beliefs in Nigeria.

Augusto Boal

Playwright, director, and politician who was focused on the theatre of the oppressed. Influenced by Stanislavski, Brecht, and experimentalism. Aggressive new theatre focused on empowered the audience (SpectACTOR) using a facilitator who trains the audience in anti-racism techniques. Also used invisible theatre on the street, where people did not know they were part of a performance.

Popular Theatre

Early forms included satyr plays and Atellan farce. Many of these were seen as side shows, and were filled with s*x, scatalogical humor, and stereotypes.

Commedia dell’arte

Began as street theatre that survived Christianity in the Middle Ages. Eventually became even more popular in Renaissance Italy. The two major components of Commedia were improvisation around a loose plotline, and the use of lazzi, which were bits of reliable comedy. Commedia troupes contained 10-12 actors which meant they were very mobile. There wasn’t much rehearsal, but they had high standards and a sharing system. They had to petition each town they went to for entry rights.

Commedia dell’arte characters

Innamorati - young lovers trying to get together. The young woman is being pursued by everyone, and are played by woman actors. They do not wear masks.

Masters (vecchi) - masked, shows faults on their face. Includes Capitano (lover, braggard, but cowardly), Pantalone (blowhard, loves his own voice, often father of innamorata), and Dottore (Pantalone’s friend who is obsessed with showing over learning & pursuing innamorata)

Servants (zanni) - bawdy, ready for intrigue. Includes Harlequin, Birgella, Punchella.

Minstrelsy

Popular entertainment that contained white performers in blackface, and used extensive stereotypes. It was America’s first contribution to theatre canon and continued well into the 20th century. It originally started in the North, btu after the war, Southern Black actors took over some roles. The most popular minstrelsy performer was Thomas Rice, who created Jim Crow, which was one of the earliest stock characters. Later spun off into burlesque and vaudeville.

Vaudeville

Originally a way for Tony Poster to make burlesque more family friendly. It drew on Yiddish theater, and was aimed at first generation Americans. It often used stereotypes to appeal to a multi-ethnic audience.

Structure:

Act 1 - dumb act, very physical

Act 2 - singing act (Judy Garland got her start here)

Act 3 - acrobatic/physical

Acts 4-5 - best acts in the show, followed by intermission

Acts 6-8 - good acts

Act 9 - headliner

Act 10 - haircut act aimed to get people out faster

Pioneered novelty acts, shock & awe through acts like contortionists, geeks, drag acts.

Life on circuits were notoriously difficult, especially for Black actors in the South.

Many performers came out of vaudeville, but it declined due to film, radio, and shifting stereotypes in society.

American Commercial Theatre

Began as British imports and focused on stock companies.

Over time, it eveloved into traveling shows booked out of New York, which began very chaotic.

At the end of the 1800s, the Theatrical Syndicate was established and created a monopoly on theatre throughout the country. They used a star system and faced rivalry from David Delasco and the Shubert brothers.

Eugene O’Neill

Father was actor James O’Neill, who came from crushing poverty to become a fairly renowned actor. O’Neill became ill with tuberculosis in 1912 and discovered experimental playwriting. His early player were very realistic, and worked closely with the Provincetown Plauers. By the 1920s he strayed away from realism, and later wrote Long Day’s Journey into Night after his father, mother, and brother died. He suffered from alcoholism throughout the rest of his life.