WESTERN CLASSICAL PLAYS AND OPERA

4th Grading Lecture notes

THEATER ARTS
- Theater means “place of seeing” but it is more than the building where performance takes place
- A theater is composed of several essential aspects to be truly called a “theater”
o PLAYWRIGHT – the person who writes the script, the story.
o DIRECTOR – the person who rehearses the performers to attain perfection of the story.
o DESIGNER and TECHNICAL CREW – the person or group of people that creates the artificial scene needed by the
story, the props.
o ACTORS and ACTRESSES – the person or group of people that presents the story to the public.
o AUDIENCE – the people by which the story is made for.

HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THEATER ARTS

GREEK THEATER
- European theater started and is usually done in Athens, Greece at around 700 B.C. to honor their gods
- Example of a festival that is celebrated is “The Cult of Dionysus”, the god of wine and fertility.
- Early Greek theater requires only one person to perform (director, actor, dramatist) and later on evolved into three.
- EPIDAURUS – the famous Greek theater

THEATER PARTS
- Theatron – the viewing area for the audience. They were large, open-air structure constructed along the slopes of hills.
- Skene – the area where the actors perform (the STAGE)
- Parodos – a pathway located at the side of the skene used for audience entrance (side entrance)
- Orchestra – a large circular or rectangular area at the center part of the theatre, in front of the skene

TYPES OF THEATER PLAYS/DRAMA

- TRAGEDY – most admired type of play wherein the theme revolves around tragic events and an unhappy ending.
o THESPIS, “Father of Tragedy”, the first actor and the first to introduced the use of masks
- COMEDY – plays that emphasize imitation of everyday life and of people.
o Aristophanes wrote most of the comedy plays. Example of his play is Lysistrata, a story of a young woman who
led a female coalition to a revolution.
o Cyclops – was an adventurous comedy play by Euripides.
- SATYR – a serious play that contains comic elements to lighten the mood and ends with a happy ending.
o SATYR is a half-man / half-goat Greek mythological creature character that delivers humor, tricks, and
boldness often at the expense of other characters

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS (The 3 Great Greek Tragedians)

- Sophocles – a Greek playwright who wrote tragedies like “Oedipus The King”, Antigone”, ”Oedipus at Colonus”, and
many more
- Euripides – he wrote 92 plays most of which are tragedies. Some of his works include “Cyclops”, “The Bacchae”, and
“Helen”
- Aeschylus – he wrote more than 70 plays wherein 7 only survived today. Some of them are “The Persians”, “The
Suppliants”, and the trilogy “The Oresteia” which is made up of “Agamemnon” (part 1), “The Liberation Bearers” (part 2),
and “The Eumenides” (part 3).

ROMAN THEATER
- Started at around 3rd century BC
- The usual themes were chariot races, gladiators, and public executions. The more realistic the violence, the more
pleasing the performance becomes.
- Rome has a tradition of performance but was energized by the influence of the Greeks and evolved into the use of Latin
literature.
- ETRUSCAN actors were considered the first experienced actors in the 4 th century
- Women are allowed to perform but only on comedies.
- Theaters are multi-purpose made as a self-supporting enclosed structure and is somehow similar to the Theatron
- The Theater of Pompey – famous Roman theater which is almost similar to the Theatron
THEATER PARTS/INNOVATIONS
- Quadriporticus – a columned quadrangle located at the back of the stage used for other purposes such as art exhibits.
- Scaenae fron – the elaborately designed background of the stage which also separates the quadriporticos and the stage.
- Stage – the area where the actors perform

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHT
- Livius Andronicus – an actor and also the first playwright to create a story with a plot. He also translated Odyssey by
Homer into Latin. His famous plays include “Achilles” and “Andromeda” among others.
- Plautus – a Roman comedy playwright who wrote in Latin and made the play “Palliata Comedia”.

MEDIEVAL THEATER
- Theater performances during this period were not allowed throughout Europe
- The minstrels (TROUBADORS) kept the theater alive by performing in markets, public places, and festivals.
- They performed puppet shows, juggling, story-telling, dancing, and singing.
- They are viewed as pagans and were denounced by the church which forced them to move from town to town.
- The Church eventually started to stage their own theater performances with religion as theme.
- One major contribution of the Medieval period to theater arts is the use of vernacular.

THEATER PARTS/INNOVATIONS
- Since minstrels were denounced by the Church and moves from one town to another, theater performances were done
in a small make shift stage wherein movement by the performers were almost impossible.

FAMOUS PLAYS
- Since people during the Medieval Period were mostly illiterate, few transcripts of plays survived. Mostly religious plays
survived such as “The Mystery of Adam” and the rest revolves around biblical themes from “The Story of the Creation”
up to “The Last Judgement”.

RENAISSANCE THEATER
- The return of classical Greek and Roman arts and culture wherein Athenian tragedies were recreated.
- The medieval period’s religious theme was carried over to the Renaissance period wherein the protagonist is pulled to
either good or evil.
- Theatrical performances evolved into more genres like pantomime, dancing, dialogue, song, and masked performances.
- These performances were usually done in a court.
- The most prominent supporter of theater art during this period was Queen Elizabeth I thus the birth of Elizabethan
Theater
- Elizabethan Theaters were financed by aristocrats and was performed by professional players (actors)
- These actors eventually replaced the theme set by the classical Greece and Rome and the Medieval Period.
- GORBODUC – authored by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville also known as Ferrex and Porrex was the first English
play performed before Queen Elizabeth I by the GENTLEMEN OF THE INNER TEMPLE
- This period gave birth to BALLET, a formalized form of dance from the Italian Renaissance wherein CATHERINE DE
MEDICI help spread
- BALLET DES POLONAIS – the first formal “court ballet”

THEATER INNOVATIONS
- Proscenium – an area of a theater surrounding the stage opening where arches frame diveide the stage from the
audience
- Painting was used to decorate the backdrop of the stage for scenery

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHT
- William Shakespeare – an English poet, playwright, and actor considered to be the greatest dramatist in the world. His
works consists of 38 plays which includes “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, and the very
famous “Romeo and Juliet”

BAROQUE THEATER
- This period is marked by the use of technology such as lightings and pulley systems. The effect of which is elaborate
stage design that can be changed instantaneously.
- These changes brought playwrights to focus more on the multiplicity of plots.
 - The theme veered towards the discovery and achievement of men than religion. Though religious themes were still
there, more focus was given to the discoveries of men.
- Operatic performances were also present during this time and were given the same attention as theater plays.

THEATER INNOVATIONS
- Theaters are richly and elaborately designed. They painted backdrops and built structures for certain scenes
- Started to use the pulley system to make the actors “fly”.
- They used trapdoors for actors to enter from below.
- The use of lighting was also employed. They used overhead lights and footlights to enhance stage performance.

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS (http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/10701023/)

- William Shakespeare – English playwright and poet whose work during the Baroque period are “Hamlet”, Macbeth”, and
“King Lear” among others
- Jean Baptiste Poquelin – better known as “Moliere” – a French actor and dramatist considered as one of the greatest
comic artist. His work includes “The Misanthrope” and “The School of Wives” among others.

NEOCLASSICAL THEATER
- Theater of this period is characterized by its grandiosity in terms of costumes and scenery.
- The main concept of theater is to entertain and to teach lessons.
- The concept of decorum was applied in this period which means classical concepts and appropriate social behavior must
be observed.
- The theme revolves around the life of the people, the life of the rich and the poor.
- This is the period where the symbol of the theater began. The happy mask and the sad mask.
- Women are recognized as professional actors.

TYPES OF PLAYS/DRAMA
- TRAGEDY – portrayed the complex and fateful life of the rich
- COMEDY – revolved around public discourse and comedies of manners that tend to focus on the poor.

*Note that Tragedies and Comedies were never put together. There is no “tragicomedies” during this period. The success of a
play depends upon how strict they follow this rule.

THEATER INNOVATIONS
- When the spotlight was used in the US, the term “LIMELIGHT” was coined
- Stages were restyled with dramatic arches.
- Inclusion of multiple entry points.
- The use of the pulley system made scenery changes more noticeable and lighting made for a more dramatic experience.

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS
- Pierre Cornielle – know to be the “Father of French Tragedy”
- Jean Racine – a tragedian known for his simplistic approach to action and the linguistic rhythms and effects
- Jean Baptiste Poquelin – better known as “Moliere” – a French actor and dramatist considered as one of the greatest
comic artist. His work includes “The Misanthrope” and “The School of Wives” among others.

ROMANTIC THEATER
- Melodrama and Opera are the most popular theatrical form during this period
- The word “melodrama” came from the French word “melodrame” which is derived from Greek words “melos” which
means music and “dran” which means to perform
- Melodrama is a dramatic work that requires the performers to act out and speak out the story with accompaniment of
music through an orchestra or a small ensemble.
- Opera is a dramatic work combining words and music.
*Other information about the Opera will be discussed during Music class. Refer to the Music lecture notes.

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS
 - Victor Hugo – the greatest and most famous French poet, novelist, and dramatist. His works include “Les Miserbales”
and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”
- Other playwrights are Charles Nodier, George Sands, and many more
*Opera composers will be discussed during Music class. Refer to the Music lecture notes.

PHILIPPINE THEATER
- Theater in the Philippines is as varied as the cultural traditions and the historical influences that shaped it through the
centuries.

TYPES OF THEATER PLAYS (DULA)

- SARSWELA – a kind of play that is performed by acting, singing and dancing. The theme is usually about love and
contemporary issues that end with a happy note. This kind of theater is influenced by the Spaniards.
- MORO-MORO – also known as “komedya”, the theme of this kind of play roots from the battle between Christians and
Muslims during the Spanish occupation.
- SENAKULO – a theater play influenced by the Spaniards about the life and death of Jesus Christ. One of the most famous
theater plays that is done only in the Philippines.
- BODABIL – also known as “VAUDEVILLE” is a type of theater that is introduced by the Americans during the 20 th century.
The theme can be anything and the performance is a combination of musical numbers, dramatic acting, comedic acting,
and even magical acts.

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHTS (DRAMATISTA, MANDUDULA)

- Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (1788-1862) also known as Francisco Baltazar
o Greatly respected by the Filipinos, the term BALAGTASAN was named after him – a Filipino debate in
extemporaneous verse
o He learned his craft in poetry through Jose de la Cruz also known as Huseng Sisiw, one of the most famous
poets of Tondo, Manila
o He met Maria Asuncion Rivera who became his inspiration to write “Florante at Laura”, his most famous piece
that is patterned to his own life.

- Severino R. Reyes (1861-1942)

o A Filipino writer, dramatist, and playwright considered one of the giants of Tagalog literature and the “Father of
Tagalog Zarzuela”
o He was the person behind the fairy tale series published in Liwayway (a weekly literary magazine) “Ang Mga
Kuwento Ni Lola Basyang”. Lola Basyang is based on the author’s neighbor Gervacia de Guzman
o He founded and directed the “Grand Compania de Zarzuela Tagala” which staged his famous play “Walang
Sugat” during the Philippine Revolution.

- Dr. Ricardo G. Abad (1946-present)

o A director known for his reproductions of classical western drama with a Filipino and Asian feel. Example of his
reproduction is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
o He directed the modern version of Severino Reyes’ “Walang Sugat”
o He graduated from Ateneo de Manila and finished his doctorate degree at Fordham University in New York
o He is a full time faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Sociology and
Anthropology, and Artisitic Director of Tanghalang Ateneo Network of Outstanding Teachers among others.

- Salvador F. Bernal (1945-present)

o A theater designer whose work spans to 300 productions and therefore named the “Father of Philippine
Theater Design”
o He was the first to develop theater design as a profession and elevate it to an art form.
o He is known for using indigenous materials such as bamboos, abacas, and rattans.
o He has taught at the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University.
o He has introduced Philippine theater design to the world.

- Hermogenes Ilagan (1873-1943)

o Descendant of Francisco Balagtas, he is a singer, actor, writer, and a playwright
o Because of his vast talent, he is known as the “Father of Philippine Zarzuela”
*Please refer to the Music lecture notes for additional information on Ilagan’s famous play
1. Place of seeing
2. Director
3. Designer or technical crew
4. The cult of Dionysus
5. Epidaurus
6. Tragedy
7. Comedy
8. Satyr
9. Roman
10. Theatre of pompey