The Play

All the isms you’ll ever need… and more!

What do we know?

• We talked about Aristotle’s Poetics– Plot– Character– Thought/Theme– Diction/Language– Music– Spectacle

• We talked about Genres• We talked about audiences and critics and

theories

What do we still need to know?

• It’s important to think about the context of the play – what were the trends in playwriting through history? How about at the time the play was written? What are the rules it’s following? What are the rules it’s breaking?

Two Types of Plot Structures

• Climactic/Well-Made Play– Late point of attack (which means, in terms of the

WHOLE STORY, the PLOT begins fairly close to the climax – we don’t start at the birth of the character, we start at the main action)

– Distinct cause and effect structure with everything building logically to a climax

– Fewer longer scenes covering a shorter period of time– Defined by Eugene Scribe in 1811– Sometimes seen as a “masculine” form

• Episodic– Could be an earlier point of attack– May not proceed in linear time– Some scenes even seem to stand on their own– May cover a longer period of time– More shorter scenes– More “feminine” plot structure

Example: Sherlock Holmes

Example: Crash

Sanskrit Drama

• Not concerned about building to a climax, but to induce the appropriate rasa (tone, mood or flavor)

Classical

• Greeks– I think we’ve pretty much

covered the Greeks…• Romans

– Borrowed play ideas from Greeks, but plays were losing popularity

– Paratheatricals: gladiators, naumachiae, chariot races, bear baiting

– Mime (wild performances that included graphic sex and violence… but also some of the first women on stage)

Roman Playwrights

• Seneca– Tragedy– His plays were extremely bloody, and Romans had no problem with

tossing a prisoner or a slave on stage and killing them for real• Plautus

– Comedy– His plays were like Menander’s – about domestic, daily topics– Very popular with the audiences

• Terence– Comedy– His plays tended to include lessons about how to live a good life– Tended to be more refined and popular with the upper classes

“Plautus for the masses, Terence for the classes”

Medieval• Hroswitha (c. 950)

– Benedictine Nun– Wrote plays based on

Terence’s work• Saw Terence as impure• Praised the sobriety and

chastity of women– First known post-Roman

playwright– First known female

playwright– Plays probably not done,

but can’t say for sure.

Medieval

• Liturgical drama– Quem Quaeritis: earliest known

example of dialogue and stage directions as part of the liturgy: “Whom do you seek?”

– Performed as part of the mass to help commoners understand the Bible stories (since they didn’t speak Latin

– Grew more and more elaborate and were eventually forced to move out into the town square

Medieval• Non-Liturgical Drama

– Grew out of liturgical drama, but was performed outside the church– In the vernacular (the language of the people) rather than Latin– Performers were not churchmen– Cycle plays told complete sets of Bible stories– The plays were performed in front of backdrops called “Mansions” on

stages or floors called “Plateas”– The plays were sometimes performed on moving platforms called

pageant wagons

Medieval

• Mystery Plays: Stories from the Bible and life of Christ

• Miracle Plays: Stories from the lives of saints and Christian miracles

• Morality Plays: Allegorical tales about how to get to heaven, live a good life, stay out of trouble, keep from temptation, etc.

Sidebar: Everyman

• Everyman: the prime example of the Morality play• Characters were named after traits or qualities

(“Everyman”, “Good Deeds”, “Vice”) rather than people

• In Everyman our hero learns: – “Fellowship”, “Kindred”, and “Cousin” will not accompany

him to the grave. – “Good Deeds” will go along, but first he must do penance,

as advised by “Knowledge”– Then “Doctor” (a learned man) comes in to explain

everythingVersion 1 Version 2

Click on the links to watch!

Sanskrit

• Sakuntala by Kalidasa• Largely episodic and improvisational• 200-800 CE: Golden age of Sanskrit theatre

Kabuki

• Began in early 17th century• The kanjis that make up Kabuki mean sing, dance and skill• Started out performed by women (many of whom were

also prostitutes)– Mid 17th century – transition to being performed only by

men – onnagata

• Kyogen - comic interludes• Still performed as it was hundreds of years ago• In performances today, there is historical audience

participation in which audience members stand up and shout out the name of legendary kabuki performers, comparing the contemporary performers to the greats

Nōh

• 14th century classical Japanese theatre• Evolved out of popular and folk drama• Influenced by Zen Buddhism• Zeami Motokiyo – son in a father/son team that established

the rules for Nōh theatre• Also includes kyogen interludes

Bunraku

• Japanese Puppet theatre• Founded late 17th century• Large puppets designed

and built by master craftsmen and puppeteers

Beijing Opera

• Began during the 14th Century – Yuan Dynasty• Based on novels and stories• Multiple acts, prominent songs

African Theatre

• Largely ceremonial and improvised, unlike its more traditionally scripted Western counterpart

Golden Age of Spain (Siglo d’oro)

• c. 1580-1680• Autos sacramentales

– Religious/morality plays– Calderon de la Barca (La Vida es Sueño)

• Capa y espada– Cloak and sword– Lope de Vega (Fuente Ovejuna)

• Loas and entremeses– Short pieces before or between acts

Elizabethan• By about 1560, religion and

current politics were forbidden subjects for theatre to present on stage across Western Europe– Protestant split from Catholic

church had made theatre a battle ground for each side

– Morality plays about evils of Catholicism/Protestantism

• Elizabeth I takes the throne in 1558 (held till her death in 1603)

Can’t Forget ol’ Billy!

• William Shakespeare– April 23, 1564-April 23, 1616– Actor and writer– Wrote in Iambic Pentameter

• 10 syllables per line• Blank verse (the lines don’t

rhyme• Tragedy• Comedy• History

Restoration Theatre (1660-1750)• England, 1660• The plays were sort of

neoclassical, but they weren’t as concerned about the rules as the French

• Comedy of manners• Audiences were smaller and

less diverse… mostly just the rich folks– Some of the richest folks sat on

stage so they could be seen

Restoration Women

• First time women were allowed on stage– There were a lot of rape scenes

(oh-so-dramatic)– They also created breeches

roles (roles in which women dressed as young boys)

– Nell Gwynne a very famous early actress

• Aphra Behn was the first professional female playwright– The Rover

Classicism

Neoclassicism… Get it!

Ooh, la la!

• Louis XIII (r 1610-1643) and Cardinal Richelieu (like Batman and Robin… only French)– Goal of making France the

cultural center of the world

– Established the Academie Française to make the decisions about all things regarding French art and culture

Who loves Italy? France!

• Richelieu was bringing Italian designers over to France to give them all their fancy new design innovations

• In 1548, they built the Hotel de Bourgogne – the 1st permanent theatre in Europe since Roman times

• In 1629 a group of actors was assembled to perform there – they were the 1st professional theatre company in Paris

But wait, there’s more…• Enter Louis Quatorze (XIV)

(r 1643-1715) and Cardinal Mazarin (another dynamic duo)– “L’etat c’est moi” (Louis centered

all the power of France around himself

• Louis believed that supporting and subsidizing theatre shows erudition, taste, and power

• Established the Comédie Francais – which is still performing today

Sidebar: The Neoclassical Ideal

• Verisimilitude – the appearance of truth• Three Unities

– Time: action takes place in 24 hours– Place: action takes place in one location– Action: the plot concerns only one main arc of

action• Decorum: characters behave

appropriately according to their station in life: kings are honorable and servants are sneaky

• Purity of Form: tragedy is tragedy and comedy is comedy and they should never mix

• Dulce et Utilo: theatre should be used to teach and to please – to instruct and to entertain

In the 16th century, Europe

rediscovered classical theatre –

like Aristotle’s Poetics. The

Academie Francais decided that was the only

way to make theatre. They set up a very rigid set

of rules.

The Big ThreeThree of the most important Neoclassical playwrights• Corneille (1606-84)

– Le Cid

• Racine (1639 - 99)– Phaedra

• Molière (1622 - 73)– Tartuffe

The Neoclassical IdealThe Time: 1636The Place: FranceThe Play: Le CidThe Writer: Pierre CorneilleThe Big Deal: Corneille adapted the play from an epic Spanish tale that did not fit into the Neoclassical Ideal – the Academie Francais was outraged!

Le Cid• Ximena and Rodrigo are given permission by their

fathers to marry.• The princess is in love with Rodrigo, but his status

is too low, so she gave him to Ximena and just whines about it… a lot.

• Ximena & Rodrigo’s dads were both up for being the prince’s tutor. Rodrigo’s dad gets the job, Ximena’s dad insults him and slaps him. The king asks Ximena’s father to apologize. He won’t.

• Rodrigo’s dad asks Rodrigo to avenge his honor.• Rodrigo fights and kills Ximena’s father.• Ximena demands Rodrigo’s death (but, of course,

she still loves him). He offers her the chance to kill him, she doesn’t.

Here’s the plot… you decide if it fits the Neoclassical Ideal!

Le Cid – continued• Rodrigo leads the army to conquer the Moors

who are invading – gaining the favor of the king. (PS – now that he’s a war hero, the princess could marry him, but she decides to honor Ximena’s claim… and whines about it… a lot.)

• The king tells Ximena that Rodrigo died in the battle to test her reaction. But… surprise! He’s not dead!

• Ximena’s angry… demands his death. The best anyone will do is a duel. Ximena agrees to marry whoever wins the duel.

• Of course, Rodrigo wins (not before another death scare) and she consents to marry him.

• It’s been one long day!

How’d he do?• Verisimilitude: it’s not believable that all of this happened in one

day• Three Unities

– Time: he did reset events that originally happened over 11 years into one day

– Place: the action does take place in one town – stretching this a bit– Action: there are too many subplots

• Decorum: The princess is appropriate for not marrying beneath her station, Ximena is inappropriate for agreeing to marry the man who killed her father, and Rodrigo is not appropriately punished

• Purity of Form: there are some comic elements interspersed• Dulce et Utilo: there are lessons involved, and it was considered

very entertaining by most audiences

Jean Racine• Strict Catholic upbringing

(even by French standards)– Emphasis on Guilt and Sin

in his plays• Wrote one comedy,

based on a play by Aristophanes, all the rest of his plays were tragedies

• His most famous play was Phaedra… let’s see how he stacks up on the Neoclassical Ideal

Phaedra• Phaedra is married to Theseus, but is in love

with her stepson, Hippolytus (who is in love with Aricia)

• News! Theseus is dead, and Phaedra confesses her love to Hippolytus and asks him to kill her.

• News! Theseus is not dead. Phaedra’s nurse has the great idea to accuse Hippolytus of coming on to Phaedra.

• Theseus asks Neptune to strike down his son, which he does.

• It’s a tragedy, so someone is going to die:– Hippolytus dragged into the sea by

Neptune (offstage)– Nurse drowns herself out of shame and

guilt– Phaedra kills herself (same reason)

The Neo-Classic Scorecard: Phaedra• Verisimilitude and

Reasonableness? As good as we can get with Neptune in the story!

• 3 Unities? Yes!• Decorum? Yes!• Purity of Form? Yes!• Appropriate Ending?

Tragedy = Death!

The Neo-Classic Scorecard: Phaedra• Verisimilitude and

Reasonableness? As good as we can get with Neptune in the story!

• 3 Unities? Yes!• Decorum? Yes!• Purity of Form? Yes!• Appropriate Ending?

Tragedy = Death!• Dulce et Utilo? Yes!

The Great Comedian: Molière• Born Jean-Baptise Poquelin:

Moliere was his stage name • Genius of French Comedy• By 1660 he was head of a

theatre company, lead actor, and manager.

• Favorite of Louis XIV• Comedies draw from Roman

comedy, Commedia dell’Arte and French farce

• Famous for sparkling, witty dialogue and great plots

• Wrote Tartuffe, The Imaginary Invalid, The Miser

Tell me about Tartuffe• Orgon - head of a middle-class house - has fallen

under the spell of a con man – Tartuffe who pretends to be a pious man

• Wife, Brother, Son, Daughter all see through Tartuffe, but Orgon can’t

• Son overhears Tartuffe trying to seduce Orgon’s wife (his mother), and accuses him publicly. Orgon throws his son out of the house, writes him out of the will.

• Wife arranges for Orgon to overhear Tartuffe attempt to sleep with her

• The secret is out, but Tartuffe has the upper hand because Orgon has been such a fool.

• At the last moment, a messenger arrives from the King to arrest Tartuffe. The King knows all about it, and true justice is served.

Click on the photo to see a preview for a

production of Tartuffe

The Neo-Classic Scorecard: Tartuffe

• Verisimilitude and Reasonableness? Absolutely

• 3 Unities? Yes!• Decorum? Yes!• Purity of Form? Yes!• Five Act Form? You bet!• Appropriate Ending?

Comedy = Mockery!• Dulce et Utilo? Yes!

Molière: Going out with Style• Molière played the

lead role in his play, The Imaginary Invalid: a hypochondriac who is always acting sickly

• During one performance he fell ill and died later that night

• At first he was denied a Christian burial, but Louis XIV interceded on his behalf and he received the appropriate burial

Sentimentalism• Post Neoclassicism• Everybody is basically good

– Evil a result of corruption - People are perfectible

• Acting becomes more conservative

• Lines of Business– Lead– Heavy– Walking Gentleman/woman

Romanticism

• Victor Hugo’s play Hernani helped to launch Romanticism in France, rejecting the rigid rules of Neoclassicism

German Romanticism

• Sturm und Drang (storm and stress)• They were rejecting the rules of Neoclassicism too• Johann Wolfgang Goethe was a key figure in Sturm

und Drang, as well as a later return to classical inspiration with Weimar Classicism (you’ll notice that artistic trends tend to bounce back and forth– One of his most important

plays is FaustIf the Germans love one thing, it’s David Hasselhof. If they love two things, it’s David Hasselhof and

William Shakespeare

English Romanticism• England’s Romanticism wasn’t

strong in playwriting• Acting, poetry and novels was

where it was really at– Garrick– Shelly, Byron– Mary Shelly: Frankenstein

• Romanticism:– Knocked down Neoclassicism– Created the image of the tortured

young artist– Set the stage for future change

Romanticism vs. Realism

Realism

• Answered a call for “Seriousness”• Introduced the idea of the BOX SET – basically they would

build a set that was like a box – a room with all four sides – only one wall was lifted off so the audience could watch the action

• Plays examined real-life issues of people– Urban Poverty/Crime– Unemployment– Social Darwinism

• Henrik Ibsen – “father of realism”– Norwegian playwright: A Doll’s House, Ghosts

• Anton Chehov– Russian playwright: Seagull, The Three Sisters

Naturalism

• Realism is for sissies! Naturalism is a much more extreme version of realism.

An early production of the Naturalistic classic

Miss Julie

Naturalism’s Influences

• Emile Zola – depict social ills so that they may be corrected – plays should show “slices of life”

• Interest in the lot of the working classes and the rights of the common people – MAIN FOCUS of the naturalist movement

• August Strindberg– Swedish playwright: Miss Julie

• Konstantin Stanislavski at the Moscow Art Theatre helped shape Realistic/Naturalistic acting – we’ll talk A LOT more about him later

Avant-Gardism 1890 - 1960

• Impressionism – capture fleeting moments of awareness that were believed to constitute the essence of existence.

Symbolism• Growing out of Freud’s ideas of the unconscious mind• 1885• Symbols to approximate truth• Plays often set in the past or in fantasy lands

Expressionism

• Focused on political and social question in a stage world close to nightmare. Plays unfolded in a world of bizarre and garish colors, jagged angles and oddly proportioned objects – ‘allegory clothed in nightmare’

• Largely message centered with exaggerated or stereotyped characters

• German Expressionism: Bertolt Brecht – but we’ll talk more about him later

Dada & FuturismTristan Tzara

Filippo Tommaso Emilio Marinetti

Swiss artist and thinker who wrote the Dada manifestos. It was basically a loose anti-art

movement intended to ridicule the modern world, which they

saw as meaningless. Their performances and poems were

extremely free-form, not concerned with aesthetics. They wanted to offend and

criticize. The movement didn’t last long (1916-1922).

Marinetti and the futurists believed in technology, speed and violence. They celebrated progress and all things new.

Anyone over about 30 years old had nothing to offer them.

Their plays (called syntesi) were extremely short and abstract.

Absurdism

• Looking at a world that could produce the Holocaust and the nuclear bomb, playwrights couldn’t find any meaning – the world seemed absurd

• Samuel Beckett– Irish playwright: Waiting for

Godot, Endgame

Postmodernism

• Post WWII• Reaction to Modernism• Breaks down barriers between art forms• Narrative is less important• Loss of belief in objectivity, truth & meaning• Bottom-up participation• Impossibility of communication, meaninglessness of

words• Parody, satire, irony, self-reference and wit• Attractive to feminist, LGBT and other marginalized

artists

The Gugenheim

Postmodernism has been particularly

noteworthy in architecture

Tehran, Thailand, China

Postmodern Tools• Eclecticism – disparate and conflicting elements• Parody – referencing and mocking well-known cultural figures,

behaviors or stories• Irony – the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of

its literal meaning• Allegory – representation of abstract ideas through concrete forms• Schlock/Kitsch – playing with the excess of knick-knacks and useless

doo-dads of modern life• Camp – playing up intentional ridiculousness• Simulacrum – the idea that mass production is so overdone these

days, that there is no way of knowing something authentic when we see it

• Media – playing with the overflow of forms of media available to us – postmodernism often uses different forms of media together

• Self-reflexive – postmodernism tends to reference itself or be very aware of its own message and even its own ridiculousness

Postmodern People

• Harold Pinter – The Homecoming, Betrayal• David Mamet – Bobby Gould in Hell, Oleanna• Heiner Müller - Hamletmachine• Ntozake Shange – For colored girls who have

considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf• Caryl Churchill – Top Girls, Fen, Cloud 9• Robert Wilson – Einstein on the Beach• Elizabeth LeCompte – The Wooster Group (check out

the next few slides for some images of her work)

The Wooster Group

Sakonnet Point

Rumstick Roadwww.thewoostergorup.org

The Wooster Group

Who’s Your Dada?

Brace Up!

www.thewoostergorup.org

The Wooster Group

The Emperor Jones

Route 1 & 9

www.thewoostergorup.org

The Wooster Group

Hamlet

Nayatt School

www.thewoostergorup.org