Role Of Theater In The Renaissance

The theatre has been a part of entertainment since ancient Greece, around 4th century BC or thereabouts. The theatre grew out of festivals in honor of the god Dionysus. Aeschylus created the first play in her honor. The first Greek plays were all tragedies but eventually comedy made its way and these plays were performed at festivals all over Greece. Through the centuries theater played the main role of entertainment from noble and royalty to the common person in any city or village, and as we move into the twenties

Back in Shakespeare's day theatre was different in many ways but also some parts were the same. How is it different? Well, obviously everything was cheap. Pennies for the pit seats, a few more for the galleries, and then the boxes were the most expensive which were probably not as expensive today. Another thing is, they had posters but they weren't really posters or like programs. They contained no lists of actors, and there were no programs, ushers, or tickets or any of the stuff we have today. The name was announced when you got to the actual play. Their playhouses were not sheltered. They were outside, unlike today how we have a building with a roof over our head for plays. They even had vendors walking around giving out food, like at a stadium!

How did Elizabethan theater affect popular entertainment? It affected popular entertainment massively at the time because it was very different than anything that had been popular entertainment before it and because even though it was popular it attracted a lot of criticism from the English Society. It came about in a time when drama shifted from religious to a secular function in society. The Elizabethan Theater lasted from the end of the 16th century and well into the 17th century. And it set out the stage for some actors very well-known even today.

cost 1 penny, to sit cost 2 pennies and for a wealthy person to sit

Next, the performance at The Globe Theater help separate it’s self from the other theaters. “The plays at The Globe” article articulate, “As soon as a play had been written it was immediately produced and printed followed productions”(Alchin). Rival theaters would send out some of their workers to go to the plays to produce unauthorized copies, plays and they were copied quickly as possible. The fact that, other theaters copied The Globe Theater’s plays shows that the plays performed there had the other companies scared of losing their audience so they had to do something similar to The Globe Theater. It proves the plays performed were a huge success and very profitable. The plays and overall Theater had a tremendous influence on the people of England in several ways.

One of the ways in which theater in Europe has changed between the medieval period has primarily during progressive times and no longer required events of religious influence. For example, medieval plays took a secular approach and introduced French music from Adam de la Halle (Carlson 2014: 13). Throughout the time between the medieval period and the 20th century, changes in European theater varied from additions to performance spaces to the actual content of the plays. During the 16th century, tragedy and comedy plays were kept separate but also incorporated ideas from both genres into stories such as the works of William Shakespeare (Carlson 2014: 17). The 17th-century theater in Europe continued to be influenced by French culture into the 18th century when the focus of plays was shifted to the French drame (Carlson 2014: 19-21). These early periods of theater built the foundation for how theater would be interpreted and influenced in the times later to come.

The Italian Renaissance is the “rebirth” of new ideas based on classical teachings. The Italian Renaissance gave birth to many innovations in theater architecture and scene design, including the proscenium arch stage, painted-flat wings and shutters, and Torelli’s mechanized pole-and-chariot system. In addition, the Italian Renaissance saw the development of the neoclassical rules of dramatic structure, and of opera and Commedia dell’arte. Between the 14th and 16th centuries Renaissance drama developed in Italy, marking an end to medieval practices and a release of traditional Roman ways of presenting drama. (Web.) The three major Renaissance contributions to Theatre were one, Neoclassical ideal in playwriting and criticism, two, Italianate staging and architecture, and three, Commedia dell’arte. By 1600, this rebirth had moved to other parts of Europe. It remained dominant for over 200 years, especially among upper classes.

Theatre today as in ancient Greek times is a popular form of entertainment. Today’s theatres share many similarities with the Greek predecessors however they are also very different. There are in fact many differences for example; layout, special effects, seating arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location and architectural features.

This theater was important for all; it was the first time that all these people see an offer on real acting theater. It was important because their job was to keep people

It's a general term for covering plays that are written and performed publicly in england during the reign in 1558-1603.

It first faced difficulty getting built, for the first landlord had a severe dislike towards plays. Then, it had competition with surrounding theatres, which plagiarized works to attract audiences, but luckily, the theatre had its set of unique special effects that attracted audiences. The playhouse was then later burned down and rebuilt, only for Puritans to demolish the theatre in the end. Prior to this research of the Globe Theatre, I only knew of it as a famous and popular stage theatre that William Shakespeare helped fund to build, but I had not recognized nor known of the difficulties it had throughout its existence. Despite all the troubles that the playhouse faced, the theatre eventually made itself known as the grandest and most loved theatre in the Elizabethan era, and its innovative ideas have helped shape modern special effects and live theatre action. To me, the Globe Theatre was a successful business that had succeeded in capturing its customers despite competition and impediments, and it was able to outshine other playhouses to gain audiences because it had its own set of unique special effects that made it a prominent theatre. Each time it was closed or taken town, the theatre would be rebuilt again, and audiences would flock through the entrance once more, all the way until its final closure. Knowledge of the theatre has taught me that despite the many obstacles and conflicts in the way of one’s goal, one can succeed so long as they persist, just like how the playhouse continued to stand and eventually made its name as “the” theatre of its

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.

There were other amenities that were lacking for the theaters. Almost all the lighting for the theater was natural light. This meant that most plays would have to be show during the daytime. The theaters did not have heating either. In the winter months they would have to shut the theater down and be transferred to indoor playhouses. This actually helped boost popularity because it gave the people something to do during the cold winter months since it was inside. There were no microphones or soundboards to be able to hear so actors had to speak loudly and clearly. Unfortunately, there were also no toilets at the theater. “But there were no toilets and the floor they stood on was probably just sand, ash or covered in nutshells” (Shakespeare Globe Education). During the summer hours when it would become real hot the pit would be called the “stinkards.”