Theater History

The 3 basic dramatic forms of Ancient Greek tragedy

The 3 basic dramatic forms of Ancient Greek tragedy

tragedy comedy satyr plays (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Dithyramb

long hymn, sung and danced by a group of fifty men or boys (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Aeschylus

• One of the big 3 playwright in ancient Greece

• first to develop drama into a form separate from singing, dancing, or storytelling

• praised for superb lyric poetry + dramatic structure

• introduced true dialogue/ interaction between actors

• plays about noble families and lofty themes (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Sophocles

• One of the big 3 playwright in ancient Greece

• known for superb plot construction

• most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions during the religious festivals of Dionysia

• his 'Oedipus Rex' used as model for Aristotle's own analysis of tragedy (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Euripides

• One of the big 3 playwright in ancient Greece

• = most "modern" writer among them bc his sympathetic portrayal of women, greater realism of plays, his mixture of tragedy with melodrama and comedy, his skeptical treatment of the gods and heroes = more humanlike

• most controversial element => gods as human and fallible

• focused on the inner lives/ motives of characters in an unknown way (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Chorus

12 or 15 men that sang in unison, accompanied by a double-reed instrument (Ancient Greek theatre)

aulete

double-reed instrument (Ancient Greek Theatre)

chorodidaskalos

A choral trainer who was employed for all festival productions. (Ancient Greek Theatre)

proagon

An event which acted as a preview and introduction to the festival (Ancient Greek theatre)

tetralogy

a group of four dramas, three tragedies and one satyr play (Ancient Greek theatre)

Archon

appointed government official, chose the plays 11 months before the next festival and oversaw the judging of the awards (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Theatron

where the audience sat (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Orchestra

Circular dancing place where actors and chorus performed (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Thymele

altar to Dionysus in center of orchestra (Ancient Greek Theatre)

skene

scene building, were the gods arrived (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Parodos

a corridor for entrances and exists at each side of the skene (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Paraskenion

Side wings of the scene building (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Mechane

a crane that could fly actors in over the skene (Ancient Greek Theatre)

deus ex machina

an intervention of a deity that highlighted the climax (Ancient Greek Theatre)

ekkyklema

platform on wheels used to bring out characters from inside the building (Ancient Greek Theatre)

kothornos

Large platform shoes worn by greek actors (Ancient Greek Theatre)

mimesis

imitation through your body (core principle of Ancient Greek Theatre)

catharsis

purification of emotions (Ancient Greek Theatre)

hamartia

the downfall of a tragic hero caused by a tragic flaw in the nature of said hero (Ancient Greek Theatre)

unity of action

a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Unity of Place

a play should cover a single physical space and should not attempt to compress geography, nor should the stage represent more than one place (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Unity of Time

the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Comedy in ancient Greece

a combination of kommai (= village) + kommos (= revel) + oida (= song) (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Etymology of comedy: koma (sleep)

= Things that are impossible in reality happen in dreams or during one's sleep (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Etymology of comedy: kome (pastoral village)

grants freedom that does not exist in urban civilizations (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Etymology of comedy: komos

ritual of drunken processions/parades during night times (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Parabasis

comic technique where actors address the audience directly, making topic comments or praise the playwright (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Aristophanes

Playwright of Old Attic Comedy in ancient Athens (Ancient Greek Theatre)

Dominus

head of the troupe, leading actor (Roman theatre)

Historiones

Roman actors

utile dulci

the pleasant linked to the useful (Roman Theatre)

Decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct (Roman Theatre)

Fabula Togata

Roman comedies with subject matter from middle and lower classes of Roman life, No surviving examples.

Fabula Palliata

Roman comedy imitated from Greek New Comedy and played in variation of Greek comic costume.

Titus Maccius Plautus

Roman comic writer and actor who was able to transform the Greek New Comedy into its own Roman variant

Publius Terentius Afer

a freed African slave and comic playwright who stressed characterization, subtlety of expression and elegant language (Roman theatre)

Fabula Praetexta

Roman tragedy based on Roman subjects

Fabula Crepidata

Roman tragedy based on Greek models and characters

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

famous for his tragedies and philosophic writings (Roman Theatre)

closet dramas

Plays written to be read, not produced or performed.

Cavea

audience sitting area (Roman Theatre)

scaena

scene house (Roman Theatre)

scaenae frons

the front of the stage building of an ancient Roman theater; it formed the permanent architectural backdrop to the stage production (Roman Theatre)

Orchestra (Roman)

used to seat government officials and as a flooding area for sea battles (Roman Theatre)

pulpitum

Raised stage in front of the scaena (Roman Theatre)

Vomitoria

Large corridor beneath the audience seating for audience traffic (Roman Theatre)

cryptae

passageways that came out from under the seating area (Roman Theatre)

valva regia

the central entrance onto an ancient Roman theater stage; it accommodated actors playing regal parts -- such as kings or gods

porta hospitalis

2 doors on either side of the central door in the Roman scaenae frons (Roman Theatre)

Aulaeum

Curtain rising from stage floor (Roman Theatre)

Siparium

a backdrop curtain at the rear of the stage.(Roman Theatre)

Kailasa Temple

birthplace of theatre in India, largest rock-cut Hindu temple (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Mahabharata

one of the 2 great epics of ancient India, the longest single poem in the world, about a war fought between two branches of the same family. (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

the 4 goals in life/ puruṣārthas

Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Vyasa

Author of Mahabharata (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

the Bhagavad Gita section

most important religious text of Hinduism (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Dharma

In Hindu belief, a person's religious and moral duties, one of the 4 goals of life, the core foundation from which all other goals are achieved (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Artha

one of the 4 goals in life: material security (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Kama

One of the four goals of life: material happiness (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Moksha

one of the four goals in life: spiritual liberation (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Swadharma

life task (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, Dalits

Levels of the Caste system. (from lowest to highest) Untouchables (the poor beggars), Shudras (farm workers, servants), Vaishyas (herders, farmers, merchants, craftspeople), Kshatriyas (warriors), and Brahmins (Priest). (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

rasa

a sentiment or flavor that the spectator is expected to experience when attending a performance (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Bharata

The author of the Natyasastra (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

bhavas

the emotions portrayed by the actors (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Natyasastra

An encyclopedia of Sanskrit drama. The earliest text of dramaturgy in the world lit. science of dramaturgy (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

anukarana

mimetic representation (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Abhinaya

traditional techniques that represents the pains and pleasures of the world through the medium of four types of abhinaya: 1. Physical movements & gestures 2. Emotional reaction from within 3. Voice & speech 4. Makeup & costumes (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Kuttiyatam

= one of the oldest surviving Indian theatre (+2000 years old) = represents a synthesis of Sanskrit classic drama and the local traditions of Kerala (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

neta abhinaya

one of the most prominent characteristics of Kuttiyattam: eye expression (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

hasta abhinaya

one of the most prominent characteristics of Kuttiyattam: gestures (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

ambalivasis

temple servants who were the only ones permitted to perform Kuttiyattam within the confines of a number of important temple complexes (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Yakshagana

a genre of dance-drama practiced mainly in Kamataka state, South India. It's a product of the Vishnu Bhakti Movement (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Vishnu bhakti movement

emphasized devotion to and love for Vishnu as chief of spiritual perfection (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

himmela

one of the important aspects of Yakshagana: background musicians (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Mummela

one of the important aspects of Yakshagana: dance and dialog group (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Kathakali

a popular genre of dance-drama that took inspiration from a wide range of Kerala performing arts. (Sanskrit drama & Indian performance)

Gigaku

elegant entertainment featuring mythical kings, demons and animals. Consists of an procession of Buddhas and dramatic enactments of legend and comic skits on Buddhist songs (Japanese Theatre)

Gagaku

elegant music that included dance theatre/ dance-plays about legendary battles of Indian kings and beasts, and other dramatic scenes (still a living practice) (Japanese Theatre)

Kagura

playing of the gods, the oldest extant Shinto theatrical dance in Japan, performed by shrine maidens (Japanese Theatre)

otabisho

a resting place for deities in a shrine (Japanese Theatre)

Zeami Motokiyo

theorist, actor, one of the greatest playwrights of Japanese no theatre who sophisticated the artform to be appreciated by higher-ranking people (Japanese Theatre)

shite

protagonist (Japanese Theatre)

waki

supporting character (Japanese Theatre)

hayashi

musicians (Japanese Theatre)

mirror room

The waiting room of Noh theater, where actors put on their costume and become their character (Japanese Theatre)

bridgeway of no theatre

• actors walk slowly/ slide through the bridgeway without moving the head

• symbolizes the mythic nature of Noh plays in which otherworldly ghosts and spirits frequently appear (Japanese Theatre)

jo

one of the basic rhythmical movements of no: introduction (Japanese Theatre)

Ha

one of the basic rhythmical movements of no: breaking (Japanese Theatre)

Kyu

one of the basic rhythmical movements of no: rapid (Japanese Theatre)

God no

one of the five genres of No plays, simple manifestations to a wandering priest of a god or spirit of a particular geographic area, a temple or shrine, or eponymous site (Japanese Theatre)

warrior no

one of the five genres of no plays, feature samurai who have sacrificed themselves in battle or, rarely, been victorious (Japanese Theatre)

Wig no or Woman no

one of the five genres of no plays, feature spirits of flowers and plants or beautiful women, expressed in elegant costumes (Japanese theatre)

Miscellaneous no

one of the five genres of no plays, plays about living persons, rather than spirits, ghosts, gods or demons with many lunatic or demented protagonists (Japanese theatre)

Demon and Animal no

one of the five genres of no plays, portray disguised gods and demons who reveal themselves in the second act (Japanese Theatre)