Theatre In The 21st Century

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

Theater and theatrical performances are as old as time and thanks to Shakespeare, there are incredible pieces for performers and audiences alike to enjoy for the next several thousand years. The circular design of the theater created a bond between the actors on the stage and the audience. The Globe brought together people of all castes and unified them through theater. As long as someone had a penny to spare, they could see a show at The Globe, allowing everyone the unique theatrical experience The Globe provided. The Globe still offers performances and camps for youth to learn about theater in the place where Shakespeare entertained. This fact alone is a testament to the importance of The Globe and Shakespeare’s works. With the efforts of Shakespeare, his troupe, and other actors and writers of his time theater has grown into a unifying form of entertainment for all people (possibly even across The Globe). The Globe will forever serve as the home that raised theatrical performances into the extravagant, sometimes life changing, experiences they have become and will always continue to

In an era of cock-fighting and public executions, theater was a well enjoyed event in Elizabethan social life. During her 45 year reign, gaining the throne in 1558, Queen Elizabeth I gave a women a voice in literature. Her gender had no threat to the stability and glory of nation. Her reign was even considered “The Golden Age” in which saw the birth of Shakespeare;the rise of literature. Four hundred years post Queen Elizabeth I’s death she was still one of the most beloved and admired monarchs of all time. She became a legend for her phenomenal abilities and achievements.

play was outrageous and not accepted. The image of women in plays and stories at the time were

Imagine watching the famous plays of William Shakespeare being performed right in front of yours eyes at the amazing Globe Theater. William Shakespeare was part owner of The Globe Theater. The famous Globe Theater was a place where outstanding plays were performed. This theater held people from all over the world to watch performances. In the article “The Elizabeth Era” states that “often the Queen would come to the Globe Theater to watch Shakespeare’s work “(Alchin). The Globe Theater has great significance to British history because of the building structure, the actors, the performances, the fire accident, and its impact on England and its people.

In the 1980s, the cost of staging a Broadway show soared so high that major shows have to run for more than two years to break even (showtime, 604). The strong-willed individualistic producers were replaced by “artistic director, a general manager and various multi-producers.(showtime 604)” The latter were made up by businessman and theater owners whose priority is to sell tickets rather than create art. What’s more, the producers were less willing to take risks both financially and artistically, which made Broadway productions bleaker(showtime 604). As for the production of Rent and The Phantom of the Opera, the producers used different tactics to cope with the staggering cost. The rent cut cost on stage setting and location.They abandoned the expensive curtains and fancy settings and used sculptures of “junk, wire and Christmas-tree lights” to symbolize different sites(Wollman, 170).

The role of women has changed drastically over the last few decades. Not only has it changed in society, but also in playwrights and theater. In the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, women were looked down upon, and did not have the ability to make decisions in the household. Men were in charge of everything that occurred in the house, as well as, what his family did or did not do. Over the years, as the role of women changed in society, there was a similar change in the role of women in theater also. When theater first began, females did not play a role in performing plays. Young boys, and even men at times, were used to play the part of the women. Plays in the past are used today to show gender differences and the ways in which men viewed women. Although there were gender differences, when played important roles in playwrights and were faced with difficult situations.

Theatre in Elizabethan times was marvellous entertainment. Plays would be performed almost anywhere, the theatres were new and extremely popular places for people to meet up socialise. All sorts of people went to watch plays, from the poorest people to the richest. The poor people would stand at the front while the richest would sit down and watch from a more comfortable place. During 1592-93, Shakespeare wrote long poems instead of plays as the theatres were closed due to the plague. The people in this time were very religious and wouldn?t

In order to understand the agency of women in these plays, it is also important to consider the social context in which the plays were written. Although the reign of Queen Elizabeth I provided the opportunity for the increase of women’s rights, there was still much progress to be made. In fact, women were often very reliant on the means of either their fathers or their husbands. Although women did have access to education, it was not education as we understand it

Formidable women have always found a way to be a force in their world, and to subvert the cliche. William Shakespeare’s plays often put emphasis on the role of the female characters and their influence on the male protagonists. From the impact that Ophelia’s insanity had on Hamlet, to the traumatic result of Romeo’s love for Juliet, or the horrid behavior of Macbeth under Lady Macbeth’s influence, the women play an important role.

In my opinion, I think the decision regarding to the roles of women in theatres was not wise. Women did not have freedom, unlike the men. They were considered as the weaker sex and is in need of protection. In the Elizabethan era, women did not have any sayings in their life. They spend their daily lives at home being housewives or being tutored. Women did not get to enjoy their lives the way they would want to. All their lives, they have to listen to their husbands as obedience was a part of the law. Women who acted in theatres were called prostitutes. I strongly believe that it not right for the actresses to be labelled as something that their not. Women not being able to have professions and not having to live their lives freely could lead

Louis E. Carlton quotes Sam Shepard in his book, ‘Elements of Playwriting,’“..theatre transforms the invisible into the visible. It can be ...more magical than any other form of writing.” What Shepard does not tell you with this quote, is that it is also one of the hardest forms of writing. In a novel, an author tells a reader about plot points while a movie tells the story through dialogue and actors on camera. Live theatre exists at the intersection of these mediums. A play tells a story like a novel, but must do so using the dialogue of films, without a film’s editing or ability to show minute

Gender identity and its roles in 17th and 19th century England were regarded as rigid fact — definite and unyielding. The adherence to these social protocols was of utmost importance. Masculinity was viewed as being dominant, assertive, and bold, whereas femininity involved beauty, obedience, and chastity. The theatre became a method of challenging this rigid social concept. Both William Shakespeare’s As You Like It and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest explore these public values through their characters. Wilde and Shakespeare’s use of gender reversals satirize the traditions of social order, marriage, and gender responsibilities at the time, thereby revealing that gender is not absolute.

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.

The place of women within the theatre is well known, that being that they had no place within the stage.  Women's parts were played by young men in