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LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS

ARTS 9
Quarter 4 - Module 4a
History of the Theatrical Forms and their Evolution

I. Introduction
Theater defines theatre as a building or space in which a performance may be given
before an audience - Izenour (2020). The word is from the Greek theatron, “a place of
seeing.” A theatre usually has a stage area where the performance itself takes place.

II. Discussion

LESSON: HISTORY OF THE THEATRICAL FORMS AND THEIR

EVOLUTION

 Theater began from myth, ritual, and ceremony.

 Theatre means “place of seeing”, but it is more than the buildings where
performance take place.
 To produce theater, a playwright writes the scripts, the director rehearses the
performers, the designer and technical crew produce props to create the scenes,
and actors and actresses perform on stage.

ANCIENT THEATER
(700 B.C.E. - 410 C.E.)
GREEK THEATER
European theatre began in Ancient Greece. It began around 700 B.C. with festivals
honoring their many gods. The city-states of Athens was the center of a significant
cultural, political, and military power during this period where the festivals and
competitions were usually performed.

THE GREEK THEATRE

The three well-known Greek tragedy playwrights are Sophocles, Euripides and
Aeschylus.

The theater of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama:

Tragedy

 is a compound of two Greek words, ―tragos or "goat" and ―ᾠδή (ode)

meaning "song, referring to goats sacrificed to Dionysus before performances, or to
goat-skins worn by the performers. In Greece, tragedy was the most admired type of
play. It dealt with tragic events and have an unhappy ending, especially one
concerning the downfall of the main character. Thespis was the first actor and
introduced the use of masks and was called the "Father of Tragedy”.

Comedy

 Comedy plays were derived from imitation; there were no traces of their origin.
Aristophanes wrote most of the comedy plays. Out of these 11 plays, Lysistrata
survived, a humorous tale about a strong woman who led a female coalition to
end war in Greece. Cyclops was an adventurous comedy by Euripides.

Satyr

 contains comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious play with a
happy ending.
 was a short, lighthearted tailpiece performed
 It is an ancient Greek form of tragic comedy
 It featured choruses of satyrs, based on Greek mythology, and with pretended
drunkenness, bold sexuality (including phallic props), tricks, and sight jokes.
 This featured half-man / half-goat characters known as Satyrs. They were awful,
ridiculous, and usually drunk.
 The Satyr characters lusted after everyone on stage, and they delivered the most
humorous lines, often at the expense of others.

ANCIENT THEATER TERMS:

Theatre buildings were called theatron.

The theaters were large, open air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They
consisted of three main elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the audience.

Orchestra - A large circular or rectangular area at the center part of the theatre,
where the play, dance, religious rites, and acting took place.

Theatron - Viewing place on the slope of a hill

Skene - Stage

Parados - Side entrance

ROMAN THEATER

 Theatre of ancient Rome started in the 3rd century BC.

 It had varied and interesting art forms, like festival performances of street theatre,
acrobatics, the staging of comedies of Plautus, and the high-verbally elaborate
tragedies of Seneca.
 Roman culture in the 3rd century BC had an intense and energizing effect on
Roman theatre and encouraged the development of Latin literature.
 According to Roman historian Livy, in the 4th century BC, the Etruscan actors
were the first experienced theater. While in 240 BC, Roman drama began with
the plays of Livius Andronicus.

 Greek theaters had a great influence on the Roman’s theater, too.

The Triumvir Pompey- was one of the first permanent (non-wooden) theaters in
Rome, whose structure was somewhat similar to the theatron of Athens.

The usual themes for Roman theater plays were chariots races, gladiators, and public
executions. The Romans loved a good spectacle. They loved to watch combat,
admired blood sports and gladiator competition. The more realistic the violence, the
more it pleased Roman audiences. The Christians however
opposed the barbaric themes of the plays and closed down all theaters.
Comedy plays were popular too in the Roman Theater from 350 to 250 B.C. and
women were allowed to perform on stage (Badiola 2014).
 MEDIEVAL THEATER (500 C.E. - 1400)

During the Medieval era, theater performances were not allowed throughout
Europe. To keep the theater alive, minstrels, though denounced by the Church,
performed in markets, public places and festivals. They travelled from one town to
another as puppeteers, jugglers, story tellers, dancers, singers, and other theatrical
acts. These minstrels were viewed as dangerous and pagan.

(Medieval Chronicles 2014)

Illustration of minstrels medieval times

Churches in Europe started staging their own theater performances during Easter
Sundays with biblical stories and events. Eventually, some plays were brought outside
the church due to their portrayal of the devil and hell. An example of this kind of
playis the ―Mystére d‟Adam” or "The Mystery of Adam”. The story revolves around
Adam and Eve and ends with the devil capturing and bringing them to hell. Over the
centuries, the plays revolved around biblical themes from the Story of the Creation to
the Last Judgment.

RENAISSANCE THEATER (1400-1600)

 Renaissance theater arts were characterized

by a return of Classical Greek and Roman arts and
culture.

 Morality plays (in which the protagonist was met by personifications of various
moral attributes who try to choose a Godly life over the evil)
 University drama were formed to recreate Athenian tragedy.
 Public theatres were developed like, the Commedia dell'arte and Elaborate
masques.
  Commedia dell'arte - Italian comedy and a humorous
theatrical presentation performed by professional players who traveled in
troupes.

 Elaborate masques - a dramatic entertainment consisting of pantomime,

dancing, dialogue, and song and sometimes players wore masks.

Commedia dell'arte Elaborate masques

Queen Elizabeth I - One of the most prominent supporters of the theater

 The companies of players (companies of actors) were organized by the

aristocrats and performed seasonally in many places. They were called
professional players that performed on the Elizabethan stage.
 Gorboduc also known as (Ferrex and Porrex), was an English play and first
performed at the Christmas celebration in 1561, and performed before Queen
Elizabeth I on 18 January 1562, by the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple (was
one of the four Inns of Court -professional associations for barristers and
judges in London).
 Authors of Gorboduc were Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville.

William Shakespeare.

 famous actor and poet who emerged in this period.

 baptized on April 26, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616.

 He was an English poet, playwright and actor and regarded as the greatest
writer and dramatist in the whole world.

 often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".

 His work consist of 38 plays  The four greatest works

of Tragedies.
 Hamlet
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
Hamlet
King Lear
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Macbeth
Cleopatra

Julius Caesar

Much Ado about Nothing.

OTHER CONTEMPORARY PLAYWRIGHTS

Christopher Marlowe

Greatest works: Dr. Faustus, and The Jew of Malta

Thomas Kyd

 Was an English playwright, the author of the Spanish Tragedy, and one of
the most important figures in the development of Elizabhetan drama.
 Greatest works: The Spanish Tragedy, and Cornelia

HISTORY PLAYS - DEPICTED ENGLISH OR EUROPHEAN HISTORY

Shakespheare’s History plays:

Richard III
Henry V

Christopher Marlowe’s history plays:

Edward II
Edward I
COMEDIES - DEALT WITH LIFE IN LONDON

Some of the comedy plays:

The Shoemaker’s Holiday by Thomas Dekker

A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton

BALLET

was performed in public during this period. Ballet is a formalized form of dance
which originated from the Italian Renaissance courts. It developed and flourished
from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de' Medici, (Queen of France). An
early example of Catherine's development of ballet is through ‘Le Paradis d' Amour',
a piece of work presented at her daughter's wedding, Marguerite de Valois to Henry
of Navarre. The first formal “court ballet” ever recognized was, 'Ballet des Polonais'
in 1573. A true form of royal entertainment, 'Ballet des Polonais' was commissioned
by Ctherine de Medici to honor the Polish Ambassadors who visited Paris for the
enthronement of King Henry in Poland.

Ballet de la nuit

Innovations of the Stage:

1. Proscenium was developed. This is the area of a theater surrounding the stage
opening. Arches frame and divide the stage from the audience.
2. Backdrops for scenery were popularized by the
3. Commedia dell’arte or ―Comedy of the Profession was developed. It was quick
witted performance of the characters/players

RENAISSANCE THEATRE

Baroque Theater 1600-1750

The theater of the Baroque period is marked by the use of technology in current
Broadways or commercial plays. The theater crew uses machines for special effects
and scene changes which may be changed in a matter of seconds with the use of ropes
and pulleys.

This technology affected the content of the performed pieces, practicing at its best the
Deus ex Machina (a Latin word meaning "god from the machine) solution. Where the
character gods were finally able to come down from the heavens and rescue the hero
in dangerous situations.

As a result, the theater was richly decorated, and the multiplicity of plot turns and
avariety of situations characteristic of Mannerism (a variety of approaches or
intellectual sophistication as well as using artificial qualities of the play) were
succeeded by the opera.

The use of theatrical technologies in the Baroque period may be seen in the films like
Vatel (2000), Farinelli (1999) and in the different stage productions of ―Orpheus
by Claudio Monteverdi.

The Teatro Regio in Turin

(BAROQUE THEATRE)

Neoclassical Theater 1800-1900

The Neoclassical period was a movement where the styles of Roman and
Greek societies influenced the theater arts.

During the Neoclassical period, the theater was characterized by its grandiosity.
Costumes and sceneries were highly elaborate. The main concepts of the plays were
to entertain and to teach lessons. Stages were restyled with dramatic arches to
highlight the scenes. Multiple entry points on the stage were evident in many plays.
Lighting and sound effects intensified the mood and message of each scene,
enhancing the dramatic experience. The idea of changing scenery and backdrops
become more noticeable, particularly with the invention of pulley systems that
allowed parts to move more quickly across the stage.

The concept of decorum (meaning right and proper audience behavior) was
applied in this period which means classical concepts and appropriate social behavior
must be observed.

This period officially established just two types of plays, tragedy and comedy.
They never mix these two together. This restriction led to the use of the now well
known pair of happy and sad masks that symbolize the theatrical arts. Tragedies
portrayed the complex and fateful lives of the upper classes and royals, while
comedies, which were either public discourse or comedies of manners, tended to
focus on the lower ranks of society, Observance to these genres was critical to a play's
success.

Three playwrights achieved a significant amount of success. Pierre Cornielle

(1606 – 1684) was often called the father of the French tragedy, writing scripts for
more than four decades. One of these was “The Cid”. Jean Baptiste Poquelin, better
known as Molière (1622 – 1673) was known for his comedies, “Tartuffe and The
Missanthrope” was one of his works. Jean Racine (1639 – 1699) was a tragedian
beloved for his simple approach to action and the linguistic rhythms and effects he
achieved. “―Andromache and Phaedra” was one of his scripts. These men were able
to take elements from classical Greek and Roman literature and transform them into
Plays.

TRIVIA about the Neoclassical Theater:

1. The first "spotlight" was used in the U.S. during this period and was called the
“Limelight.”
2. The Theatre Regulation Act of 1843 banned drinking in legitimate theaters. Many
tavern owners took advantage of the situation and renovated their establishments to
accommodate live performances.

Romantic Theater 1800-2000

Romantic Playwrights:

During Romantic period, melodrama and operas became the most popular
theatrical forms. Melodrama originated from the French word “melodrame”, which
is derived from Greek “melos”, music, and French “drame”, which is derived from
Greek “dran” to peform. Melodrama can be also be described as a dramatic work
that puts characters in a lot of danger in order to appeal to the emotions and in which
orchestral music or song was used to accompany the action. Opera on the other hand
is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text
(called a libretto) and musical score. Such as acting, scenery, and costumes and dance
were important elements of the theater. It is usually performed in an opera house,
accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.

Victor Marie Hugo was born on February 26, 1802 and died on May 22, 1885. He
was considered as one of the greatest and best known French writers. He was a
poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. Hugo's literary fame comes
from his poetry, novels and his dramatic achievements. Among his works that stand
out all over the world are “Les Contemplations, La Légende des siècles, Les
Misérables, and Notre Dame de Paris” which is known as the Hunchback of
Notre-Dame. Quasimodo, a deformed hunchback, the bell ringer of Notre Dame had
a good heart and helped Esmeralda, a beautiful Gypsy street dancer with a kind and
generous heart. Esmeralda captured the hearts of many men that had always
wanted to own her. There are several playwrights that had been known in this period
such as, Charles Nodier, George Sand, Heinrich von Kleist, Ludwig Uhland and many
more.

Romantic Composers

Georges Bizet was born on October 25, 1838 – died June 3, 1875, Paris. Bizet was
the only child of Adolphe Armand Bizet (formerly a hairdresser and later became a
singer and composer) and Aimee Marie Louise Leopoldine Josephine Delsarte, (a
pianist). He entered the Paris Conservatory of Music a fortnight before his tenth
birthday. His first symphony, the Symphony in C Major, was written when he was
seventeen years old. The symphony had an amazing stylistic resemblance to the music
of Franz Schubert.

This French composer was a pianist and best known for his operas. Carmen is the
most popular among his works. Bizet composed the title role for a mezzosoprano in
the character of Carmen. The opera tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve
soldier who is seduced by the charms of the sizzling Gypsy, Carmen.

Some of his stage works are La prêtresse, operetta (1854), Le docteur Miracle, opéra
bouffe (1857), Don Procopio, opéra bouffe (1859), Les pêcheurs de perles, opera
(1863), Ivan IV, grand opera (unfinished), La jolie fille de Perth, opera (1867), Noé,
opera by Fromental Halévy finished by Bizet (1869), L'Arlésienne, 'musique de scène'
(1872), Djamileh, one-act opera (1872).

His contemporary composers during Romantic period were Franz Liszt, Richard
Wagner, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Felix
Mendelsshon and Hector Berlioz.
 III. ACTIVITIES

Instruction: Write your activities in one whole sheet of paper. Answers only.

A. Matching Type

Direction: Match the different theater periods in column A with the corresponding
descriptions in column B. Write only the letter of your answer in one whole sheet of
paper.

1. Ancient Theater A. Melodrama and Opera became the most popular

theatrical form
2. Medieval Theater
B. Theater was characterized by its grandiosity

3. Renaissance Theater C. Use of technology in current broadways and

commercial plays
4. Baroque Theater D. Theater performances were not allowed
throughout Europe
5. Neo-classical Theater
E. Tragedy, Comedy, and Satyr play

6. Romantic Theater F. William Shakespeare was the famous poet

B. Multiple Choice

DIRECTION: Read each statement and choose the letter of your answer.

1. The Greek and Roman theater arts started during _________.

A. Ancient Period

B. Medieval Period

C. Renaissance Period
D. Romantic Period

2. Romeo and Juliet play was created during ________________.

A. Ancient Period

C. Baroque Period

D. Renaissance Period

D. Romantic Period

3. A play dealing with an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of
the main character is ___________.

A. Comedy

B. Drama
C. Melodrama
D. Tragedy

4.Romeo and Juliet tragedy was written by____________.

A. Christopher Marlowe

B. Georges Bizet

C. Victor Hugo
D. William Shakespeare

5.A play characterized by its humorous or satirical tone.

A. Comedy

B. Drama

C. Melodrama

D. Tragedy

6. The first spotlight used in the U.S during Neoclassical Period was called______.

A. Firelight

B. Limelight

C. Flashlight
D. Spotlight

7. The following are the three main elements of the ancient theater EXCEPT one,
which one?
A. Audience

B. Orchestra

C. Skene
D. Theatron

8. The theater of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama. Which of the
following is NOT part on the group?

A. Comedy

B. Melodrama

C. Satyr play
D. Tragedy

9. A person who writes plays.

A. Actor/Actress

B. Director

C. Playwright

D. Producer

10. It is a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting

events intended to appeal to the emotions.

A. Liturgy

B. Melodrama

C. Opera

D. Tetralogy
C. Identification

DIRECTION: Name the following theater building and the corresponding theater
period. Identify the description /characteristics of the building.