Theatre History Review

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering the history of theatre from ancient Egypt and Greece through the Roman, Restoration, Japanese, and Elizabethan periods.

Abydos

The location in Egypt where a stone tablet from 2000BC serves as the first record of a theatrical performance.

I-Kher-Wofret

The individual who described a 3-day performance in Egypt in 2000BC.

Dionysus

The Greek god of wine and fertility whom the Greeks were honoring when they developed the origins of theatre.

Tragos

The Greek word meaning goat from which the word tragedy originates.

Chorus

A group in Greek theatre that kept the audience informed of the action on-stage.

Thespis

The person who stepped from the chorus in 534 BC to engage in dialog, making him the first actor.

Thespian

A term used today meaning actor, derived from the name Thespis.

Orchestra

In Greek theatre, the area where the chorus danced.

Skene

The actor's dressing rooms in a Greek theatre.

Machina

A crane like device used in Greek theatre to help actors fly.

Aeschylus

The earliest recorded Greek playwright, often referred to as the Father of Tragedy, who wrote the trilogy Orestia.

Orestia

A trilogy by Aeschylus which includes Agmenn, the Libation Beerens, and the minides.

Sophocles

A writer often compared to Shakespeare who wrote Odepius the King, Odepius at Colonus, Antigone, and Electra.

Euripides

A playwright who explored the psychology of the individual, especially women, and wrote the only complete satyr play Cyclops.

Arostiphanes

The only writer of Greek comedies whose plays, including Birds, Clouds, and Frogs, still exist today.

Seneca

A Spanish-born Roman playwright.

Restoration

The period of theatre named because King Charles II was restored to the throne.

William Wyncherly

The comic trendsetter who wrote The Country Wife.

William Congreve

Broadly considered the master of comedy during the Restoration period.

David Garrick

The greatest actor of the Restoration who also wrote plays and made innovative changes to lighting.

Neil Gwyn

An actor and feminist known for playing both women's and men's roles.

The School for Scandal

A famous play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

The mikado

The famous work attributed to the writing duo Gilbert and Sullivan.

Arthur Miller

American playwright who wrote the Crucible.

Tennessee Williams

American playwright known for the Glass mengeme.

Eugene O'Neil

American playwright who wrote Long Days Journey into the Night.

Nob

The oldest form of Japanese theatre, deeply rooted in religion and ceremony.

Bonraku

A form of Japanese puppet theatre with Korean roots that uses large wooden puppets.

Kabuki

The newest form of Japanese theatre combining singing, dancing, and acting, produced only by men.

Kimono

A Japenese robe with long sleeves and a sash.

Samisen

A Japanese musical instrument played with a pick.

Renaissance

A term meaning rebirth, used to describe the theatre period following the Medieval period.

Commedia dell'arte

Plays performed by traveling companies featuring stock characters who played the same roles from play to play.

Tonam

The name for the young female heroine character in Commedia dell'arte.

Po

The name for the young male lover character in Commedia dell'arte.

Pantabne

The name for the father character in Commedia dell'arte.

Cano

The name for the braggart soldier character in Commedia dell'arte.

Groundlings

The poor spectators during the Elizabethan period who stood in the pit.

Christopher Marlon

The most rebellious of the three great Elizabethan playwrights who wrote The Jaw of inella and Tamburtoline the Great.

Blank verse

The style of writing Marlowe is credited with introducing to English drama.

William Shakespeare

A playwright who wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets, including Romeo + Juliet, Macbeth, and Othello.