History of Theater

● Theater
○ from an Ancient Greek word, Theatron, that means “ a place for viewing”

● Theater as an Act
○ A presentation composed of Actors and was presented to the Audience which
was usually accompanied by a script.

● GREEK THEATER

● 6th Century BCE

○ From Eleuthera, a ritual for Dionysus wherein giant phalluses were raised with
the accompaniment of Dithyramb, reached Athens.

■ Dionysus - Greek God of Wine, Fertility and Theater

■ Phallus - A symbol of erected Penis that was usually engraved on stones
to praise Dionysus.
■ Dithyramb - an ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honour of
Dionysus

○ It was believed that Theater (especifically Tragedy) originated from the

Dithyramb when a person started to enact the song.
■ Thespis- a Greek dramatic poet, regarded as the founder of Greek
tragedy; Aristotle named him the originator of the role of the actor in
addition to the traditional chorus. It was believed that Thespis was the first
actor in Greek drama.
■ Thespis learned how to change characters by the use of masks.
FUN FACT:
Do you know the reason behind the two masks often seen in Theaters?
- It was believed that it was from the story of 9 muses from the Greek Mythology. There
were 9 muses that were said to be the daughters of Zeus from Mnemosyne after they
slept together within 9 consecutive days, an offspring per day. Each muse has their own
expertise. It was said that two of them were renowned as the muse of comedy and
tragedy. They were named Thalia and Melpomene.

○ Athenian Tragedy
- is a type of dance-drama that formed an important part of the theatrical
culture of the city-state.
- According to Aristotle, the word was derived from Ancient Greek word
tragōidia, which means “ the song of goats”. This also refers to the chorus of
Satyrs.
 ● What is a Satyr?
○ It is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a
horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection.
○ They were companions of the god Dionysus and were believed to
inhabit remote locales, such as woodlands, mountains, and
pastures.

● Late 6th Century BCE

○ Peisistratus
- Became the tyrant ruler of Athens who found the ritual for
Dionysus an opportunity to unite the entirety of his city.
- He then proclaimed Athens as the City of Dionysia
- By this time, theater became popular. Competitions were held for
the presentation of different versions of dithyramb, in an
amphitheater that can be viewed by about 14,000 Athenians.

○ The Theater of Dionysus

- The theater that was believed to be where the competitions were
held.

● Parts of the Theater

○ Theatron - the seating Area
○ Orchestra - the almost circular place, situated in front of the
scene (stage) facing the audience.
○ Thymele - an altar in the center of orchestra where the leader of
the chorus was standing.
○ Skene - a building behind the playing area that was originally a
hut for the changing of masks and costumes but eventually
became the background before which the drama was enacted.
○ Parodoi - the passage used by the actors and chorus to enter the
orchestra.
○ Deus Ex Machina - the machine that supports hanged actors as
they play as Gods.

● 486 BCE (Early 5th Century BCE)

○ A dedicated Competition for Greek Comedy was established.

○ Comedy
- From the Greek word Komoidia which means “party song”.
- Differs from tragedy by the use of comical costumes
and humorous impersonations.
 ■ Parabasis
- a point in the play when all of the actors leave the stage and the
chorus is left to address the audience directly

○ Satyr Play
- Usually performed after a tragedy. In a performance, a group
usually performs 3 tragedies and a satyr play by the end of the
performance.
- Is a reenactment of important myths and legends wherein the
actors pretend to be satyrs that were usually performing naked.

● START OF ROMAN THEATER

○ Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin)

- The seventh and final king of Rome, reigning from 535 BC until
the popular uprising in 509 BC that led to the establishment of the
Roman Republic.
- He initiated the Ludi Romani, the Roman Games which was a
religious festival dedicated to Jupiter.
- During this time, a plague hits Rome and as a reaction, Tarquin
added Theater in the festival but unfortunately, the pieces used
were just imitations and translations of the Greeks.

● Between 2nd and 3rd Century BCE

○ Comedy reached Rome because of Alexander the Great as he disseminated the

idea on every land he conquered.
○ New Comedy
- Lasted from 323 BCE, the same time of the death of Alexander
the Great, up to 260 BCE.
- More formal than the Greek Comedy as they did not exaggerate
the butts of the actors and phalli were not used.
- The stories were more realistic as they were commonly based on
the stories of warriors and slaves, unlike from the Greeks which
was more about their Gods.
○ Overall, it was not the type of Theater that they differed in, it was the context.
Romans only see Theater as part of their entertainment. This was proven by their
celebration of Ludi Romani, Naumachia and Ludi Florales.

● Medieval Period (5th - 15th Century CE)

○ The fall of the Roman Empire
○ Restriction of Theater viewing for the Christians.
 ○ Actor were excommunicated

■ Medieval Theater
- The church took advantage of the theater by using it to spread the
word of God.
- Theater was used during Liturgies.
- The theater seems to be a reenactment of the Bible.

● RENAISSANCE PERIOD (1300 - 1700 CE)

○ Secularism
- the belief that religious institutions and values should play no role in the
temporal affairs of the nation-state.
- the principle seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular,
naturalistic considerations and away from religious considerations.

○ William Shakespeare
- an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest
writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist.
- created some of the most admired plays in Western literature (with
Macbeth, Hamlet and King Lear being ranked among the world's
greatest plays), and transformed English theatre by expanding
expectations about what could be accomplished through plot and
language.

● Theater Around the World

○ Persian Theater (Iran)
■ Naqqali
- is the oldest form of dramatic performance in the Islamic
Republic of Iran and usually tells the persian literature with
myths and legends with the accompaniment of folk music.
■ Pardeh Khani
- A type of story-telling using pictures painted in curtains.

○ Chinese Theater
■ Dragon Dance
- The Dragon Dance is a festive performance that’s most often
seen during the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is
because the dragon is seen to be a symbol of luck in
Chinese culture. So, by performing this dance at the start of
the year, it’s believed that good fortune will be enjoyed by
the community for the months to come.
○ Japanese Theater
■ Kabuki
- Kabuki is a form of classical theater in Japan known for its
elaborate costumes and dynamic acting.
- It has a rich blend of music, dance, mime, and spectacular
staging and costuming.
■ Noh
- comes from a Japanese word meaning talent or skill.
- Instead of playing characters, Noh actors act more as
storytellers who narrate the play. The performers may dress
up as specific personalities, but their gestures convey a tale
rather than fully enact one. Slow, minimal movements and
elaborate masks and costumes represent actions and
feelings instead of intense action or detailed dialogue.

● Key Difference
○ “Noh is a very traditional performance, but kabuki is
something that's for ordinary people. In noh,
performers wear a mask, but in kabuki, they use face
paint. Kabuki is also more exaggerated - for example,
while both employ wigs, the ones used in kabuki are a
lot longer and more voluminous.”
○ English Theater
■ Morality Play
- an allegorical drama in which the characters personify moral
qualities (such as charity or vice) or abstractions (as death or
youth) and in which moral lessons are taught.
■ Pageant Wagon Play
- A medieval play popular in Europe wherein the act was
performed in a wheeled stage.
- Performance of Miracle and mystery plays that were derived
from biblical texts.
○ American Theater
■ Broadway
- refers to the theatrical performances which are presented in
the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats,
located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along
Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.