How Has Medieval Theatre Changed Over Time Essay

Going into the 20th century, many theatre productions were very melodramatic. They had over-exaggerated motions and actions, and were aimed towards an upper class audience. However, once realism was introduced, spurred by the influence of photography, the audience of plays shifted from the upper class to the middle class. And it was at this point that plays like Trifles, Waiting for Lefty, and Mulatto began ushering in the type of theatre we know today, where the setting often reflects the society of the time of production.

The dramatic arts have had great influence on my life and on my perspective of the world. Through this artistic expression, I can take on any persona, freeing both my mind and my heart. The understanding of people’s actions and emotions has shaped me into the young woman I am. Performance and the study of performing, I find, are enlightening, priceless, and eternal. So long as life persists, the timeless themes found in plays and works will persist.

Theatre which is a main source of entertainment has made various stories in her womb regarding theatres in all over the world like African, Yoruba theatre, Asian Theatre, Middle-East Theatre and Western Theatre like Greek Theatres and Modern Russian Theatre. First of all, Greek theatre seems to have its roots in religious celebration that incorporated song and dance. Like this Greek theater shadowed by the religious aspects of the Greeks we can easily find the reflections of religious beliefs in the plays of Homer, Iliad, Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles. Later, a Greek philosopher who was student of Plato revealed six essential

The Renaissance era relied heavily on actors and props to provide the visual part of a play and was based off of Aristocrats, witchcraft and heroes, and sometimes histories. Current drama like movies are pretty similar in terms of producing their work around, histories, current affairs and popular literature. However, the way we present and create the drama has differed. In the past drama relied heavily on the usage of actors, props and costumes to provide a visualization of the play. They were limited on sound and special effects.

“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”

When I arrived in the U.S., I faced a cultural shock. Although I had grown up speaking English, I discovered that American English, colloquial expressions, idioms and literature were all different than what I grew up with. So I attended several acting programs to polish my instrument in the context of American acting as well as to learn about the literature, human struggles and stories that have shaped the history and development of American theater.

In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.

The Medieval Time period or Middle ages lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century, begging from the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Medieval theatre developed from between these times, providing many dramatic, religious, and comedic plays throughout its era some of which still influence us in today’s thriving theatre culture. In the High times(early times) of the Medieval period a number of plays arose outside of church walls. Comedic plays and Mystery plays were very popular at the time and where performed in the streets of town on a pageant wagon. A pageant wagon is a stage or cart that accommodated to the mystery and miracle play cycles two of the more popular types of plays. The wagon would stop at key locations and perform a scene, when the scene was over they would move onto the next location. There is very

As living and breathing organisms, we evolve. We evolve mentally, physically, spiritually, and artistically. What is evolution without the former? More times than none, we want to learn from our history to progress and improve. Theatre history not only inspires us, but guides us. We have all of these incredible resources and tools so that theatre can constantly change and grow. Theatre history allows us to see what works and what doesn’t without failing viciously. We are taught how to accurately say something. Art is generally a product of society. So, when there are these incredibly successful pieces of art that were able to affect society and change people’s thinking (i.e. the English Renaissance, the Enlightenment Period, etc.,) we can take note of how they did it and we learn how we can do it. From Marlowe, we learned that you can be an individual and still make a many significant pieces of art. You can even inspire other greats. Most importantly, we learn that there is no wrong way to do theatre. There is Noh Theatre, Comedia Dell’arte, Greek Theatre, Kabuki, The English Renaissance, and so many more types of theatre that were and some that still are extremely successful. If Thespis hadn’t stepped out of the singing men and made a fool of himself, or if Izumo no Okuni hadn’t practiced

After the fall of the Roman Empire, small nomadic bands travelled around performing wherever there was an audience. They consisted of storytellers, jesters, jugglers and many other performers. Later, festivals cropped up where entertainers would show their talents. However, the powerful Catholic Church made headway during the Middle Ages to stamp out such performances and convert the entertainers. Despite its insistence that acting and travelling performances were sinful; the Church was actually instrumental in reviving theatre in the Middle Ages. In one type of church service, called The Hours, Bible stories were dramatized. Music often would be incorporated into the dramatizations. The very first written-down liturgical drama or play is known

List the performance elements and understand their role in both ritual and theatre: time, place, participants (players, audience), scenario (agenda/goal/text/rules), clothing (uniform, costume, mask, makeup), sound (speech, music), movement (gesture, pantomime, dance), and function or purpose. Can be clock or fictional time, places vary (designed to meet needs), rituals might take place in one space or they might involve a procession with portions of the ritual being performed at various places along the way, elements can be combined, ritual and theatre employ the same basic elements as other human activities do but have diff purposes in mind and choose the particular form needed 4 each

Drama changed literature and theater into what it is today. I. History of Elizabethan Theater a. forming of theater 1. medieval church 2. mystery and morality b. actors 1. rogues and thieves 2. acting guilds II. Influences and people a. commanding actors 1. Shakespeare 2. Burbage b. other 1. wars of the roses (other historical influences) 2. laws restricting theater III. The theaters a. prices 1. seating 2. stage b. the theater and the globe 1. locations and characteristics 2. Burbage and other accomplishment Elizabethan Drama During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England underwent a dramatic change in priorities. The importance of art and literature became highly prevalent. The impact of the Elizabethan drama and

“In roughly built playhouses and cobblestone inn yards, an extraordinary development took place in England in the 1500s.” (Yancey, 8). At that time, an opportunity combined to produce literature achievement never before witnessed in the history of drama and theater. The renaissance, helped spark this movement by inspiring scientific and artistic creativity throughout the land. Models began writing dramas that portrayed life in both realistic and imaginative ways. This created work later captured the attention of the world that changed the English drama. The many aspects of Elizabethan theater helped to shape the acting and theater world forever.

The history of theatre in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is one of the increasing commercialization of the art, accompanied by technological innovations, the introduction of serious critical review, expansion of the subject matters portrayed to include ordinary people, and an emphasis on more natural forms of acting. Theatre, which had been dominated by the church for centuries, and then by the tastes of monarchs for more than 200 years, became accessible to merchants, industrialists, and the less privileged and then the masses.

In today's busy world, people usually struggle to find time for fun and a way of relaxation but when it happens, they often spend it on entertainment. One of those forms of entertainment is watching stage or film productions. Theatre and film have lots of aspects in common and depend on each other, however, they involve differences. People choose between theater and film based on factors and their own preferences. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast between those two forms of art.