Arts 9

Quarter 4
Module 1
WESTERN CLASSICAL
PLAYS/OPERA

mapeh
MAPEH-Arts
Quarter 4 - Module 1
Title : WESTERN CLASSICAL PLAYS/OPERA
First Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work
of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or
office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit.
Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of
royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders.
Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from
their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim
ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Module

Writer: Mary Cor G. Orias
Editors: Anthony Quinalayo
Reviewers: Arian T. Huit
Illustrator:
Layout Artist: Elaine F. Demdam & Lynette Mamauag
Management Team: Wilma Q. Del Rosario, Division EPS In Charge of LRMDS
Name of EPS (Subject)

Dr.Victor Javena
OIC – Chief Curriculum Implementation Division

Dr. Aurelio G. Alfonso

OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

Ma.Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin

OIC-Schools Division Superintendent

Printed in the Philippines by ________________________

Department of Education –Division of Pasig City

Office Address: Caruncho Avenue, San Nicolas, Pasig City

Telefax:
E-mail Address:
Arts 9
Quarter 4
Module 1
HISTORY OF THE THEATRICAL FORMS
AND THEIR EVOLUTION
Introductory Message

For the facilitator:

Welcome to the MAPEH-ARTS Grade 9 Module1 on Western Classical Plays/Opera.

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators

from Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its Officer-In-Charge Schools
Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin in partnership with
the Local Government of Pasig through its Mayor, Honorable Vico Sotto.
The writers utilized the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum using the Most
Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) while overcoming their personal, social,
and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs namely:
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking and Character while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
For the learner:

Welcome to the MAPEH Module1 on Arts 9 (History of Theatrical Forms and their
Evolution).

The hand is one of the most symbolized parts of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities
for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be
enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectation - These are what you will be able to know after completing the
lessons in the module

Pre-test - This will measure your prior knowledge and the concepts to be
mastered throughout the lesson.

Recap - This section will measure what learnings and skills that you
understand from the previous lesson.

Lesson- This section will discuss the topic for this module.

Activities - This is a set of activities you will perform.

Wrap Up- This section summarizes the concepts and applications of the
lessons.

Valuing-this part will check the integration of values in the learning

competency.

Post-test - This will measure how much you have learned from the entire
module.
 EXPECTATION

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to;

1. identifies selected theatrical forms from different art period;

2. illustrate the evolution of the theatrical forms of each art period ; and

PRE–TEST

DIRECTION: Match column A to the correct answers in column B. Write the

letter of the correct answer in the space provided.

A B
____1. Romantic Period Theater A. Grandiosity, highly elaborate
____2. Medieval Theater B. Morality plays
____3. Greek Theater C. Puppeteers, jugglers, singers
____4. Roman theater D. Combats and blood sports
____5. Renaissance Theater E. Tragedy, Comedy and Satyr
____6. Baroque Theater F. Melodrama and operas
____7. Neoclassical Theater G. Use of technology
 RECAP
DIRECTION: Can you still identify the name of the pictures and which era they

belong to?

1. 2.

3.

LESSON

HISTORY OF THE THEATRICAL FORMS AND THEIR EVOLUTION

Theater began from myth, ritual, and ceremony. Early society perceived
connections between actions performed by groups of people or leaders to a
certain society and these actions moved from habit to tradition, to ritual, and
to ceremony due to human desire and need for entertainment.
Theater 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 the actors and actresses performs on
stage, then it will only be a true theater act when audience witnesses it.
A. GREEK THEATER
European theater began in Ancient Greece. It began around 700 BC with
festivals honoring their gods. Dionysus (Di-on-i-sus), the god of wine and
fertility, has religious festivals called “The Cult of Dionysus” to honor
him. The theater of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama:
1. Tragedy - (a compound of two Greek words tragos or “goat” and
“won” meaning ode or song) was the most admired type of play. It
dealt with tragic events and have an unhappy ending speacially 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.”
2. Comedy – the plays were derived from imitation; there were no
traces of their origin. Aristophanes wrote most of the comedy plays.
3. Satyr – these plays contains comic elements to lighten the overall
mood or a serious play with a happy ending. This is a short,
lighthearted tailpiece performed after each trilogy of tragedies.

The theater building were called

theatron. It is a large, open-air
structures constructed on the
sloped of hills and consisted of
three main elements: the
orchestra, the skene and the
audience.
B. ROMAN THEATER
The theater of ancient Rome started in the 3rd century BC. It had varied and
interesting art forms such as festivals performances of street theater,
acrobatics, the staging of comedies of Plautus, and the high-verbally
elaborate tragedies of Seneca. 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 and admired blood sports and
gladiator competition. The more realistic the violence, the more 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 BC and
women were allowed to perform.
The Triumvir of Pompey was one of the
first permanent (non wooden) theaters in
Rome, whose structure was somewhat
similar to the Theatron of Athens. The
building was a part of a multi-use complex that included a large
quadriporticus (a columned quadrangle), directly behind the scaenae fron
(an elaborately decorated background of theater stage), and is enclosed by
the large columned portricos with an expansive garden complex of
fountains and statues.

C. MEDIEVAL THEATER (500 CE – 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 performers
in other theatrical acts. These minstrels were
viewed as dangerous and pagan.
D. RENAISSANCE THEATER (1400-1600)
Renaissance theater arts were characterized by a return of Classical
Greek Roman arts and culture. During the Middle Ages, mystery plays
formed a part of religious festivals in England and other parts of Europe
during the Renaissance period. Morality plays and University drama
were formed to recreate Athenian tragedy. Public theaters were
developed like Commedia dell’arte (Italian comedy and a humorous
theatrical presentation performed by professional players who traveled
in troupes) and elaborate masques (a dramatic entertainment consisting
of pantomime, dancing, dialogue, song and sometimes players who
wore masks) that were usually presented in court.

The famous actor and poet who emerged in this

period was William Shakespeare. He was an
English poet, playwright, and actor and was
regarded as the greatest writer and dramatist in
the whole world. Shakespeare was often called
Engaland’s National Poet and the “Bard of Avon.”
His works consist of about 38 plays. Some of these
plays were well-loved: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet,
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Much Ado about
Nothing.

For the first time, ballet was performed during this period. Ballet is a
formalized form of dance which originated from Italian Renaissance
courts.

Innovation of 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 every scenery were
popularized by the art of painting
clothes.
 3. Commedia dell’arte or “Comedy of the Profession” was developed. It
was quick-witted performance of the characters/players.

E. BAROQUE THEATER (1600-1750)

The theater of Baroque period is marked by the use technology in

current Broadways or commercial plays. The theater crew uses machine
for special effects and scene changes which may be changed in a matter
of seconds with the use of ropes and pulleys.

The theater was richly decorated, the

multiplicity of plot turns and a variety of
situations characteristic of Mannerism (a
variety of approaches or intellectual
sophistication as well as using artificial
qualities of the play) were succeeded by
opera.

The use of theatrical technologies in the

Baroque period may be seen in the “Vatel” (2000), “Farinelli” (1999) and
in the different stage productions of “Orpheus” by Claudio Monteverdi.

F. NEOCLASSICAL THEATER (1800-1900)

The Neoclassical period was a movement where the styles of Roman and
Greek societies influenced the theater arts. During this 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 dramatic
experience.
 The concept of decorum (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. Tragedy portrayed the
complex and fateful lives of the upper classes and royals, while comedy
tended to focus on the lower ranks of society.

G. ROMANTIC THEATER (1800-2000)

During the Romantic period, melodrama and operas became the most
popular theatrical forms. Melodramas originated from the French word
melodrama, which is derived from Greek melos, which means “music”
and French drame, which is derived from the Greek dran to “perform”.

Melodrama – 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 – is an artform in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic

work combining text (liberetto) and musical score. Acting, scenery,
costumes, and dance were important elements of theater.

Romantic Playwrights and Composers

VICTOR MARIE HUGO is considered as one of

the greatest and best known French writer. He
was a poet, novelist, and dramatist of the
Romantic movement. Among his works that
stand out all over the world are Les
Contemplations, La Legende des Siecles, Les
Miserables, and the Notre-Dame de Paris which
is known as the Hunch of Notre-Dame.
 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.

GEORGE BIZET a French composer and a pianist

best known for his operas. Carmen is the most
popular among his works. Bizet composed the
title role for a mezzo-soprano in the character of
Carmen. The opera tells the story of the
downfall of Don Jose, a naïve soldier who is
seduced by the charms of the sizzling gypsy,
Carmen.

His contemporary composers during the Romantic period were Franz

Liszt, Richard Wagner, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Bethoveen, Franz
Schubert, Felix Mendelson, and Hector Berlioz.

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1 – THEATER HISTORY TIMELINE

Direction: Create a timeline on the history of theatrical forms and illustrate
the evolution of the stage. Decide on your timeline design.
 WRAP–UP

DIRECTION: Fill the chart with the theatrical forms of the different
periods/eras in history. Briefly describe the theatrical form from each period.

THEATRICAL
FORMS

VALUING

What do you think is the importance of theater in education?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 POST TEST

DIRECTION: Chose the letter with the correct answer.

1. A theater marked with the use of technology.
A. Baroque Theater C. Medieval Theater
B. Greek Theater D. Roman Theater
2. During this period, theater performances were not allowed as people
associated with theater shows are considered dangerous and pagan.
A. Baroque Theater C. Medieval Theater
B. Greek Theater D. Roman Theater
3. The following are the types of Greek theater, except;
A. Comedy C. Satyr
B. Romance D. Tragedy
4. During this period, theater was characterized by its grandiosity.
A. Neoclassical Theater C. Renaissance Theater
B. Medieval Theater D. Romantic Era Theater
5. Melodrama and operas became the most popular theatrical forms during
this period.
A. Neoclassical Theater C. Renaissance Theater
B. Medieval Theater D. Romantic Era Theater
 KEY TO CORRECTION

D 5.
A 4.
B 3.
C 2.
A 1.

POST TEST

A 7.
G 6.
B 5.
D 4.
3. Parthenon E 3.
2. Paris Opera House C 2.
1. Coliseum F 1.

RECAP PRETEST

R E F E R E N CE S

Printed
Music and Arts 9 Learner’s Material, First Edition 2014
Website Readings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_ancient_Greece
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_theatre_(structure)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_theatre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Renaissance_theatre#:~:text=20%
20Sources-,Background,the%20English%20Parliament%20in%201642.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/baroque-theatre-history.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_theatre#:~:text=Neoclassicism