History of TheaterRenaissance Drama

The Renaissance •Definition: “rebirth”•Transition between medieval times and

modern times•Began in Italy in the early 14th century

and spread to the rest of Europe•Saw an interest in classics and the

belief in human perfection •Drama struggled during this time;

painting, sculpture, and architecture flourished instead

The Renaissance in Italy

•Script development was not great early on (many were poor imitations of the classics but later improved)

•Theater architecture and stage equipment developed greatly

•Sets with perspective and colored lighting were first introduced

The Renaissance in Italy, cont.

Opera • Opera was the greatest

contribution of this time period

• Music in an opera emphasized the words with simple music accompanying them

• Was imitated in England and France

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8rsOzPzYr8&list=RDQsqo_pR0mbY

The Renaissance in Italy, cont.

Commedia dell’arte• “Theater of craft or skill”• Performed by professional

acting troupes that specialized in improvisation (comedy)

• Wrote comedic scenarios: plot outlines that were posted backstage before every performance for actors to generally follow

• No full scripts for actors; certain speeches were memorized with the improvisation

The Renaissance in Italy, cont.

Commedia dell’arte characters •Stock characters: characters that

display the same traits among several productions (like a maiden, soldier, etc.)

•The characters were divided into the upper class and the servants; identified by their masks and costumes

•Some of the characters are still recognized in drama today

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_0TAXWt8hY

The Renaissance in England

•During the Elizabethan Age•Drama = the expression of the soul of

the country; theater became very important during this time

•Three dramatists stand out in this time period that are still popular even today

The Renaissance in England, cont.

Christopher Marlowe• Use of blank

(unrhymed) verse• Extraordinary use of

language• Exciting melodramatic

plots (intense emotions with a happy ending)

• Doctor Faustus – most famous play; centers on a man who sells his soul and issues surrounding it

The Renaissance in England, cont.

Ben Johnson• Wrote comedies like

The Alchemist and Every Man in His Humor

• Connected personality traits to earth elements and bodily fluids (see chart on note sheet); everything is connected and the balance of these elements determines personality type

The Renaissance in England, cont.

William Shakespeare • Greatest playwright

ever (say some) • Known for

characterization, poetry within plays, memorable lines

• Often used soliloquy = a speech delivered by an actor alone on stage that reveals the character's inner thoughts

The Renaissance in England, cont.

The Globe Theater• Most famous playhouse in England;

circular shape• Was built, torn down and rebuilt, burned

to the ground, and rebuilt (a modern version)

• Did not rely on fancy scenery – the actor’s words told of the setting

• There were three levels (floors) and various distinct areas, each serving a purpose

The Renaissance in England, cont.

The Globe Theater, cont.•Pit – area surrounding the stage; open

to the elements; standing room; small fee

•Groundlings – people who stood in the pit; poorer people watched from here

•Gallery – seats for more wealthy people; an additional fee was charged (the most expensive seats were on the stage itself)

The Renaissance in England, cont.

The Globe Theater, cont.•Heavens – roof over the stage; the

underside was painted blue with a golden sun and the stars of the zodiac

•Tiring house – backstage area•There were also acting areas on other

floors (like balconies) •Third floor – mostly for musicians •All acting levels had trap doors

The Renaissance in England, cont.

The Globe Theater, cont.•Scenery hut – small, house-like

structure over the third level; housed machinery and props

•When a flag was flying from the scenery hut’s roof, it was a sign a play was about to take place

•Plays had to be performed during the day (there was no artificial lighting)

The Renaissance in England, cont.

•The Globe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE2cr-fIvBA

•Tour of the current Globe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3VGa6Fp3zI