Theatre the world theatre comes from a greek word meaning

Слово «театр» происходит от греческого слова , означающего место для просмотра. В этом смысле слово относится к пространству , где устраиваются различные спектакли. Однако в широком смысле, театр включает в себя все , что участвует в производстве, например, сценарий, сцена, исполняющей компании, и зрители. Кроме того, театр относится к части человеческой культуры , которая началась еще в древности.

Театр не такой же , как драма, хотя слова часто используются как взаимозаменяемые. Драма относится к литературной части производительности , которая является игра. Существуют различные формы драмы, такие как трагедия, серьезной драмы, мелодрамы и комедии.

Театр является одним из самых сложных искусств. Это требует много видов художников для его создания. Эти специалисты включают драматург, исполнители, режиссер, дизайнер сцены, костюмера, осветительного дизайнера, а также различные техники. Для многих производств композиторов, музыкантов и хореограф (создатель танцев) необходимы. Директор театра включает в себя все аспекты производства , включая декорации, костюмы, грим, освещение, звуковые эффекты, музыка и танцы.

Есть много людей , которые любят и посещают различные виды театров: драматических театров, музыкальные театры, кукольные театры, оперы и балета домов. Успешное театральное событие является захватывающим и стимулирующим опыт.

Есть много театров по всему миру. Театральный центр Великобритании Лондон. Есть более 40 театров в Уэст — Энд Лондона, такие как Королевский национальный театр, Королевский шекспировский театр, который действует система быстрого набора и использовать обычную компанию. Наиболее известным центром профессионального театра в Соединенных штате Нью — Йорк Сити, хотя Чикаго и Лос — Анджелесе стали основными центрами , а также. Москва и Санкт — Петербург являются двумя основными театральных центров в России. Малый и Большой театр известны во всем мире.

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Текст.
The word «theatre» comes from a Greek word meaning a place for seeing. In this sense, the word refers to the space where performances are staged. However in a broad sense, theatre includes everything that is involved in production, such as the script, the stage, the performing com­pany, and the audience. In addition, theatre refers to a part of human culture that began in ancient times.Theatre is not the same as drama, though the words are frequently used interchangeably. Drama refers to the literary part of a performance that is the play. There are different forms of drama, such as tragedy, seri­ous drama, melodrama, and comedy.Theatre is one of the most complex arts. It requires many kinds of artists for its creation. These specialists include a playwright, perform­ers, a director, a scene designer, a costumier, a lighting designer, and var­ious technicians. For many productions composers, musicians, and a choreographer (a creator of dances) are needed. A director of the the­atre integrates all aspects of production including scenery, costumes, makeup, lighting, sound effects, music, and dancing.There are many people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama theatres, musical theatres, puppet theatres, opera and ballet hous­es. A successful theatrical event is an exciting and stimulating experience.There are a lot of theatres around the world. The theatrical centre the United Kingdom is London. There are more than 40 theatres in West End of London, such as the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which operate a repertory system and use a regular company. The best-known centre of professional theatre in the United State is New York City, though Chicago and Los Angeles have become major centers as well. Moscow and St. Petersburg are the two major theatre centers in Russia. The Maly and Bolshoi Theatre are known all over the world.
Задание.
Agree or disagree with the following statements. Add some more informations.
1. Theatre is the same as drama. 2. Theatre is one of the most com­plex arts. 3. There are different kinds of theatres. 4. There are not many theatres in West End of London. 5. There are many theatres in Moscow.

The word «theatre»
comes from a Greek word meaning a place for seeing. In this sense,
the word refers to the space where performances are staged. However
in a broad sense, theatre includes everything that is involved in
production, such as the script, the stage, the performing com­pany,
and the audience. In addition, theatre refers to a part of human
culture that began in ancient times.

Theatre is not the same as
drama, though the words are frequently used interchangeably. Drama
refers to the literary part of a performance that is the play. There
are different forms of drama, such as tragedy, seri­ous drama,
melodrama, and comedy.

Theatre is one of the most
complex arts. It requires many kinds of artists for its creation.
These specialists include a playwright, perform­ers, a director,
a scene designer, a costumier, a lighting designer, and var­ious
technicians. For many productions composers, musicians, and a
choreographer (a creator of dances) are needed. A director of the
the­atre integrates all aspects of production including scenery,
costumes, makeup, lighting, sound effects, music, and dancing.

There
are many people who love and visit different kinds of theatres: drama
theatres, musical theatres, puppet theatres, opera and ballet
hous­es. A successful theatrical event is an exciting and
stimulating experience.

There
are a lot of theatres around the world. The theatrical centre the
United Kingdom is London. There are more than 40 theatres in West End
of London, such as the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare
Theatre, which operate a repertory system and use a regular company.
The best-known centre of professional theatre in the United State is
New York City, though Chicago and Los Angeles have become major
centers as well. Moscow and St. Petersburg are the two major theatre
centers in Russia. The Maly and Bolshoi Theatre are known all over
the world.

EXERCISE
11.
Read
and give a summary of the text.

Music in our life

Music
is one of the oldest arts. People probably started singing as soon as
language developed. Many ancient peoples, including the Egyptians,
Chinese, Babylonians, and the people of India, used music in
religious ceremonies. The first written music dates from about 2500
В.
С

Nowadays,
music takes many forms around the world. There are two chief kinds of
music: classical and popular. Classical music includes symphonies,
operas, and ballets. Popular music includes country music, folk
music, jazz, rock music, etc.

Music
plays a major role in other arts. Opera combines singing orchestral
music with drama. Ballet and other forms of dancing n. music to help
the dancers. Film and TV dramas use music to help mood and emphasize
the action.

Music
plays an important part in all cultures and social activities.
Nearly all peoples use music in their religious services to create a
state of mystery and awe, a feeling of distance from the daily world.
Many. people perform music for their own satisfaction. Singing in a
choir, playing a musical instrument in a band can be very enjoyable.
Music provides people with a way to express their feelings.

EXERCISE
12.
Find
in the texts English equivalents for these words and word
combinations:

место
для просмотра, в этом смысле, однако, в
широком смысле слова, где осуществляется
постановка спектаклей, театральная
труппа, публика, человеческая культура,
в древние времена, хотя, взаимозаменяемо,
то есть, такие как, один из самых сложных
видов искусства, различные технические
работники, для многих спектаклей,
объединяет, грим, освещение, кукольные
театры, театры оперы и балета, успешное
театральное событие, по всему миру,
постоянная труппа, также, главные
театральные центры, как только, в
религиозных церемониях, относится к,
до нашей эры, в наши дни, принимает многие
формы, музыка в стиле «кантри»,
фольклорная музыка, создать настроение,
усилить действие, в об­щественной
деятельности, почти все народы, состояние
тайны и благоговейного страха, повседневная
жизнь, выражение чувств.

EXERCISE
13.
a)
Find in the texts the words, which have the similar meanings as the
following words:

watching, comprises, started,
old, often, various, complicated, com­bines, many, main, also,
perhaps, to assist, almost, wide;

b) Find in the texts the
words, which have the opposite meanings to the following words:

narrow, finished, simple, the
youngest, the last, without, rest.

EXERCISE
14.
Fill
in the blanks with the missing words in the fol­lowing sentences;
the first letter of each word has been given to help you:

1.
The
performances are staged in the t… 2. The words «theatre»
and «d…» are used interchangeably. 3. Theatre requires
many kinds of art­ists, such as performers, a
lighting
designer, a s… designer, etc. 4. There are different kinds of
theatres, such as drama theatres, opera and ballet houses, p…
theatres, etc. 5. A successful performance is always an e…
experience. 6. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre operates ar… system.
7. Chicago and Los Angeles are m… theatrical centers as well. 8.
Many peoples use m… in religious ceremonies. 9. Opera combines
singing and o… music with drama. 10. Films use music to set the
m….

EXERCISE
15.
Find
in the texts, translate, and analyze:

a)
grammar forms with the ending
-ing:

a Greek word meaning a place
for seeing

the performing company

a lighting designer

all aspects of production
including scenery, dancing, etc.

an exciting and stimulating
experience

many ancient people including
the Egyptians, Chinese

people started singing

opera combines singing and
orchestral music

other forms of dancing

singing in a choir

playing a musical instrument

b)
grammar forms with the ending
-ed:

are
staged
people
started singing

is
involved
language
developed

are
used
they
used music

are needed the United States

c)
grammar
forms with the ending
-s:

the word comes from

the word refers to

theatre includes

the words

drama refers

different forms

it requires many kinds

these specialists

various technicians

social
activities

a lot of theatres

the Egyptians

religious ceremonies

the music dates from

music takes many forms

music includes symphonies

music plays a major role

opera combines

in all cultures

EXERCISE
16.
Complete
the following sentences in a logical way:

1.
The word «theatre» comes from a Greek word meaning …

2.
Theatre includes everything that is involved in production, such as

3.
Theatre refers to a part of human culture that…

4.
Theatre is not the same as drama though …

5.
Theatre requires many kinds of artists for …

6.
A director of the theatre integrates all aspects of …

7.
Many people love and visit different kinds of theatres:…

8.
In the UK, there are more than …

9.
In the USA, the best-known theatre centre is …

10.
In Russia, the two major theatre centers are …

11.
Music plays a major role in …

12.
Opera combines singing and …

13.
Ballet needs music …

14.
Film and TV dramas use music to help …

15.
Music provides people with a way …

EXERCISE
17:
Answer
the questions about the theatre:

1)
What does the word «theatre» come from?

2)
What does theatre include?

3)
Is theatre the same as drama?

4)
What does drama refer to?

5)
What forms of drama do you know?

6)
What does theatre require?

7)
Who integrates all aspects of productions in the theatre?

8)
What kinds of theatres do you know?

9)
Where is the theatrical centre in the UK?

10)
How many theatres are there in West End of London?

11)
Where are the theatre centers in the USA?

12)
What theatre centers in Russia do you know?

13)
Have you ever been to Bolshoi Theatre?

14)
Do you often visit theatres?

15)
What kind of theatre do you prefer?

16)
What kind of music do you like?

17)
What kind of classical music do you know?

18)
What kind of popular music do you know?

19)
Why does music play a major role in other arts?

20)
What does music provide people with?

EXERCISE
18.
Agree
or disagree with the following statements; add some more-information:

1.
Theatre is the same as drama. 2. Theatre is one of the most com­plex
arts. 3. There are different kinds of theatres. 4. There are not many
theatres in West End of London. 5. There are many theatres in Moscow.

EXERCISE
19.
a)
Read and translate the following dialogue; b) mem­orize and
dramatize the dialogue; c) act out a similar dialogue.

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Asked by: Forrest Walker III

Score: 4.6/5
(49 votes)

Theatre. Theatre, also spelled theater, in architecture, a building or space in which a performance may be given before an audience. The word is from the Greek theatron


theatron

The theatron was the seating area, built into a hill to create a natural viewing space. The first seats in Greek theatres (other than just sitting on the ground) were wooden, but around 499 BC the practice of inlaying stone blocks into the side of the hill to create permanent, stable seating became more common.


, “a place of seeing.” A theatre usually has a stage area where the performance itself takes place.

Where did the term theatre come from?

Though the word theatre is derived from the Greek theaomai, “to see,” the performance itself may appeal either to the ear or to the eye, as is suggested by the interchangeability of the terms spectator (which derives from words meaning “to view”) and audience (which derives from words meaning “to hear”).

Where did the name theatre come from and what was the early meaning?

Where did the name theatre come from, and what was the early meaning? It came from Greece and its meaning is «to act» or «to do». Also there is the Greek word theatron which means «a place for seeing». … An essential ingredient in live theatre is the audience.

Where do the words theatre and drama originate from?

The term drama comes from a Greek word meaning «action» (Classical Greek: δράμα, dráma), which is derived from «to do» (Classical Greek: δράω, dráō). The enactment of drama in theater, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, is a widely used art form that is found in virtually all cultures.

When was the word theatre first used?

The first known use of theater was in the 14th century

Language that lives on after the curtain comes down.

29 related questions found

What does theater literally mean in Greek?

Definition: a building, part of a building, or outdoor area for housing dramatic presentations, stage entertainments, or motion-picture shows. Greek Word: theasthai. Greek Meaning: to behold. Fun Facts: theatrical festivals played an important role in Greek social life.

Who invented theater?

The Ancient Greeks not only invented theater itself, but they also created multiple genres, including the comedy, tragedy, and the satire genres. Each of these entertained audiences at first in Athens, and then the practice spread throughout Greece.

How did drama come into existence?

The earliest origins of drama are to be found in Athens where ancient hymns, called dithyrambs, were sung in honor of the god Dionysus. … One of these, the ‘City Dionysia’, a festival of entertainment held in honor of the god Dionysus, featured competitions in music, singing, dance and poetry.

What is the Greek word of drama?

The term «drama» comes from a Greek word «draō» meaning «to do / to act» (Classical Greek: δρᾶμα, drama), which is derived from «I do» (Classical Greek: δράω, drao). The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy.

Who changed the word theatre?

Webster was the man who took the u out of colour and turned musick into music. He preferred spellings that were simpler and closely modeled pronunciation, which was why theatre became theater and similar words, like centre, became center.

Who was the first known actor?

Most theater and history buffs can name Thespis of ancient Greece, the world’s first known actor, and the origin of theater term thespian. Some believe he was also a priest for the Greek god of food and wine, Dionysus.

What God did plays originally Honor?

Part of the reason plays were so important is that originally plays were performed to honour Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of harvest and wine.

What did the church initially think of theater?

The Roman Catholic Church believed theatre caused people to «indulge themselves in amusements which its fascinations interfere with the prosecution of the serious work of daily life.

Did ancient Egypt have theatre?

Egypt’s palaces, home to Ancient Greek theatre performances

Ancient Greek theatre emerged in Egypt, particularly in Alexandria during the Greco-Roman period in Egypt. The plays were usually performed at Ptolemaic princes’ palaces until Roman-style theatres started to be built in Egypt like the Roman Theatre.

What are the purposes of theater?

Theatre by definition is for an audience, the purpose is to co-exist in a space shared between maker and audience.

What was a parados?

A parados was one of two gangways on which chorus and actors made their entrances from either side into the orchestra. … The episode is the part that falls between choral songs and the A stasimon is a stationary song, sung after the chorus has taken up its station in the orchestra.

What is the Greek name for actor?

The word hypocrite ultimately came into English from the Greek word hypokrites, which means “an actor” or “a stage player.” The Greek word itself is a compound noun: it’s made up of two Greek words that literally translate as “an interpreter from underneath.” That bizarre compound makes more sense when you know that …

What are the 4 types of drama?

There are four main forms of drama. They are comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy and melodrama.

What are the 8 elements of drama?

Terms in this set (8)

  • PLOT. (The Most Dangerous Game) …
  • DIALOGUE. (Catch the Moon) …
  • CHARACTER. (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) …
  • AUDIENCE. (The Gift of the Magi) …
  • STAGECRAFT. (To Build a Fire) …
  • GENRE. (A Sound of Thunder) …
  • CONVENTION. (The Incident at Owl Creek Bridge) …
  • THEME.

What are the 12 elements of drama?

They can be used in isolation or simultaneously and are manipulated by the performer for dramatic effect.

  • Focus. Focus is often used interchangeably with the terms concentration and engagement, assisting the performer in the portrayal of believable characters. …
  • Tension. …
  • Timing. …
  • Rhythm. …
  • Contrast. …
  • Mood. …
  • Space. …
  • Language.

Who is the father of drama?

Henrik Ibsen is famously known as the Father of Modern Drama, and it is worth recognizing how literal an assessment that is.

What are two theories about the origin of drama?

Origins of Theatre — Theories: No clear evidence, so all theories are conjecture. Aristotle suggested that mimesis (imitation) is innate in humans; theatre probably came from the dithyramb, a hymn sung or chanted before religious rituals in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine, rebirth, and fertility.

What was the name of the most famous Theatre?

The world’s most famous theaters and opera houses

  • The Comedie-Francaise in Paris. …
  • The Burgtheater in Vienna. …
  • The Semperoper in Dresden. …
  • The Royal Opera House in London. …
  • The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. …
  • The Teatro La Fenice in Venice. …
  • The Metropolitan Opera in New York. …
  • Sydney Opera House.

What is the oldest Theatre in the world?

The outdoor Theatre of Dionysius was the world’s oldest theatre, having been built in Ancient Athens in approximately 500 BC. With an estimated capacity of up to 17,000 people, the theatre was “in the round”, with stone rows built up a slope overlooking the stage.

What was the first Theatre?

The first plays were performed in the Theatre of Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens at the beginning of the 5th century, but theatres proved to be so popular they soon spread all over Greece. Drama was classified according to three different types or genres: comedy, tragedy and satyr plays.

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Jeopardy Review

ReviewChapter 1The word «theatre» comes from this Greek word
which means seeing place. . . What is theatron?This is the name for
a long standing theatre company or group of theatre
practicioners.What is troupe?

In this theatrical craft or job, technicians execute in proper
sequence, and with carefully rehearsed timing, the light and sound
cues, the shifting of scenery, the placement of properties,
etc.What is crewing?The task of handling all necessary personnel,
financing; promotion and legal efforts is the responsibility of
this person. What is the producer?The responsibilities for
admitting, seating, and providing for the general comfort of the
audience falls to this person.What is the house manager?The person
who controls and develops the artistic product and provides it with
a unified vision.What is the director?This theatrical craft is
usually executed away from the theatre building.What is the
playwriting?This distinctive feature of theatre, separates it from
other arts and started what we know as acting.What is the
impersonation?He created the paradox of the actor that onstagethe
actor disappears or seems lifeless while the simulated character
seems to live.Who is Denis Diderot?The English word for person
comes from this Latin word formask.What is persona?

This mode of performance is less theatrical and more
realistic.What is representational?

This mode of performance acknowledges the audience the performer
jokes, and responds overtly to the audience.What is
presentational?

The mode of performance in which the audience watches
interactions that are staged as if no audience were present at
all.What is representational?an action focused around a particular
conflict, which gives the action significance What is a play?The
purging or cleansing of pity and terror, which the audience
develops during the climax of a tragedyWhat is catharsis?Oedipus’
adoptive parentsWho are Polybus and Merope?wrote Oedipus the
KingWho is Sophocles?Wrote the Poetics and is considered the first
dramaturg.Who is Aristotle?The final scene, action, or lines in a
play devoted to bringing the play to a new level of harmony,
understanding, or resolution after the climax denouementThe
historical length of most playsWhat is two to three hours?The
number of acts in traditional full length playsWhat is three?The
minimal requirement for a theatre buildingWhat is a place to act
and a place to watch?In play construction, the single action that
initiates the major conflict of the playWhat is the inciting
incident?Oedipus wife and motherWho is Jocasta?The blind prophet
who tells Oedipus that he is the killer of Laius.Who is
Tiresias?Jocastas brother; Oedipus accuses him of trying to take
over the throneWho is Creon?This is where Oedipus learned that his
destiny was to kill his father and marry his motherWhat is the
oracle of Delphi?Oedipus used these to stab out his eyesA public
meeting in ancient Greek times where the playwright and actors
would publicize the playWhat is a proagon?Like when a circus comes
to town, ancient greek plays often started with this.What is a
procession or parade?In Elizabethan times, this would be flown
above the playhouse to advertise the playWhat is a flag?Aristotles
6 elements (plot, character, thought, diction, music, spectacle)
comprise this axis of play structure.What is vertical?Aristotles
element that describes the play’s use of rhythm and soundsWhat is
music?Aristotles element that includes words, epigrams, imagery and
other literary devices. . .What is diction?The temporal events of
the play; how the play is experienced in time is the ________
axis.What is horizontal?Aristotles element that includes all visual
aspects of the play (lighting, costumes, scenery, etc)What is
spectacle?Aristotles element that involves making an audience
care.What is character?The abstracted intellectual content of the
play.What is theme?dramatic genre purports to be serious but, in
fact, deals with human issues on only the most superficial level,
embellished with spectacular staging, sensational dialogue, and
highly suspenseful and contrived plottingWhat is
melodrama?Shakespeare often used this opening speech to give
exposition to the audience.What is prologue?A play that dramatizes
the key events in the life of a king or head of state, such as
Shakespeare’s Henry IV What is a history play?

An Actor or Actress is called “a thespian.” Why? There was a Greek man in the 6th century BC named Thespis. He is the first named man in the ancient Greek world who stepped out of his role in the traditional Chorus and started to act out the roles of the people who were being named in the scripted drama. He became an actor, “a participant in an action or process.” Over the last 2,000 years, actors and actresses have been called THESPI-ANS.Over time, as the Chorus (group of men who acted in concert with each other) remained playing its role, Thespis would alone play the various roles by switching masks.

                                                                                   Ancient Greek Masks

Thespis won first prize (Academy Award) in c. 534 BC for best tragedy in the City of Dionysia festival. From then on, the name Thespia was influential and he is even credited with developing masks for characters and may have written several plays.

How did plays and theaters as we know them originate? From very ancient times, man has been telling stories to people. Story telling probably began by a recounting to others of how a particular man did an heroic thing. The image on the left below of the Stone Age man, fighting bee stings, climbed a tree and got precious, sweet honey for his family/tribe must have been told over and over again. Then this act was memorialized forever, inscribed upon a cave rock in Valencia, Spain (c. 5000 BC).

Rendering of 5000 BC rock art of of honey climber                Honey climber in modern day Nepal
                                Aesop c. 620–c. 564 BC

The probably true stories in the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer in c. 1000 BC were eventually written down and preserved in papyri and codices for us to enjoy. And men like the slave Aesop in his Fables told stories about animals illustrating moral values.

Stories, true or fiction, were eventually demonstrated in plays. The Greeks are credited with having the    first “plays” and “theaters.” Probably the first plays in c. 700 BC were in Athens and were simply public festivals to honor their god of wine Dionysius. Several centuries later the Father of Theater, the Greek playwright Aeschylus (c.525—c.455 BC), wrote and staged his play The Persians in 472 BC. It is the oldest surviving Greek play.

  The Persians recounts the Greeks’ victory over Persian forces at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC

From that one play, it seems, the ensuing Greek dramatists developed tragedies, comedies and satyr plays. Greek theaters, plays and actors were soon cropping up all over the Classical world.
The word “play,” as in theatrical performance, is first attested in the early 1300’s from the Old English word plega meaning “quick motion; recreation, exercise, any brisk activity.”

The word “theater” comes from the Greek theatron, meaning roughly, “a place to behold.” Most of the Greek theaters still stun us today with their beauty and grandeur. The best-preserved theater is in the small Greek town of Epidaurus. It is still used today for performances and seats c. 14,000 people. The entire seating section was called the theatron. The theater itself as well as the plays must have been “a wonder to behold.”

   The Theatre of Epidaurus has a circular orchestra like the original shape of the Athenian theatre

Paul of Tarsus in the Bible got into a lot of trouble in Ephesus when he was preaching the Gospel and the silversmiths who made a lot of money on their idols of Artemis, the patron of Ephesus, riled the whole city against Paul and his companions:

“When they (Ephesians) heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.” Acts 19:28-31

Where the above Ephesus took place: in the Odeum (from Greek ōidē —“song”) in Ephesus, Turkey (above right) constructed in 3rd century BC. This writer has seen it and it amazes. It seats 25,000 people for concerts and performances in our time.

Over a thousand years later the medieval Christian church began to put on “plays.” At first they illustrated popular Bible stories: the Resurrection of Jesus; Daniel in the Lion’s Den, etc. The medieval Church expanded over the centuries. The most popular plays were Morality Plays which illustrated the conflict between good and evil in our lives.

The play Everyman by an unknown writer was first performed in c. 1510, but its popularity was revived hundreds of years later in 1901 when The Elizabethan Stage Society of William Poel gave three outdoor performances at the Charterhouse in London. Everyman was so popular it toured throughout Britain and was performed on Broadway in America from 1902 to 1918. Apparently, the theme of the forces of evil and the forces of good battling for the soul of every man after his death is timeless.—Sandra Sweeny Silver

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From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Panoramic view of the Hellenic theatre at Epidaurus.

A young cast of «Princess Turandot»

Theatre (British English and also American English), or Theater (mostly American English), has several meanings.

The word comes originally from the Greek Theatron, meaning roughly, ‘a place for viewing’. In American English, the word ‘theater’ can mean either a place where films are shown (this is also called a cinema) or a place where live stage plays are performed.[1] In British English, ‘theatre’ means a place where live plays are performed. Some people, both English and American, use the spelling ‘theatre’ to mean a place where live plays are performed, and the spelling ‘theater’ to mean a cinema.

‘Theatre’ can also mean the business of putting on plays. An actor might say «I am in the theatre business», or a writer might say «I write for the theatre», meaning that they write plays, rather than writing for movies or television shows.[2][3]

History[change | change source]

An ancient Roman theatre in Syria

Ancient Greece[change | change source]

The first people we know created plays were the Ancient Greeks, about the year 500 B.C. They divided plays into two kinds: tragedy and comedy. This division is still used today. The best known Ancient Greek writers of plays are Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Some of their plays survived, and are still performed today.

These ancient Greek plays were performed outdoors in large amphitheatres, so that many people could see them. There were contests among the playwrights (people who write plays are called playwrights) and the winner would get a prize.

The Greeks had many brilliant ideas. They used mechanical devices like trap doors and the machina: a crane for winching gods on and off the stage (hence ‘Deus ex machina’). They had a Greek chorus that offered information to help the audience follow the performance. The chorus comments on themes, and shows how an audience might react to the drama. The players wore masks. Illustrations on vases show helmet-like masks, covering the entire face and head, with holes for the eyes and a small aperture for the mouth, plus a wig. The mask was to ‘melt’ into the face and allow the actor to vanish into the role. Therefore, onlookers did not think about the actor, but thought about the character.

Middle Ages[change | change source]

In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church began to use theatre as a way of telling the stories from the Bible to people who did not know how to read. They wrote Mystery Plays, where each part of the Bible story would be a play put on by a different group of people. They wrote miracle plays which were about the lives of the saints. They wrote morality plays which taught the audiences how to live a good Christian life.

Commedia dell’arte plays[change | change source]

In the 1500s, groups of actors toured around Italy performing comic plays to entertain townspeople. These plays were called Commedia dell’arte, and different stories would be created around the same group of characters. Often the spoken lines would be made up by the actors for each performance.

Other kinds of plays called Neoclassical Dramas and Neoclassical Comedies were also popular in Italy and in France at this time. These plays were written to copy the style of the plays from Ancient Greece and Rome.

Elizabethan theatre[change | change source]

At the end of the sixteenth century (before 1600), the traveling actors began to perform in fixed theatre buildings. This was the period when William Shakespeare wrote. He lived from 1564 to 1616. At that time, in England, women were not allowed to perform, so male actors would play female characters.

His theatre was in London, England. It was called The Globe Theatre. It was an outdoor theatre and plays were performed in the daytime for large audiences. His plays were very popular and many are still performed today. Many people believe Shakespeare was one of the best playwrights (a writer of plays).

Plays including Shakespeare’s were banned during the Protectorate’. After that, many more were written and acted.

Plays from the 1900s[change | change source]

After World War II, playwrights in Europe and the United States began doing plays in a new style called «Theatre of the Absurd.» After seeing the horrors of war, these playwrights felt that all their old values had been destroyed. Playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Harold Pinter, and Jean Genet wrote plays that are considered to be «Theatre of the Absurd.»

The «Theatre of the Absurd» plays have some of the same ideas that are found in the philosophy (a way of thinking) called existentialism. Existentialism is very different from many other philosophies. Most religions and philosopies say that human life has a meaning (or a purpose). The philosophy of existentialism is that human life does not have a meaning (or a purpose). When something has no meaning, it is «absurd». (absurd means means silly and meaningless.)

The plays written in this style make people think about questions like «what is it like to be a person in the world?» and «what does it mean for a person to be free?» They are often filled with sad emotions, such as worry, fear, and thoughts about death.

Theatre breaks[change | change source]

Theatre breaks are a form of short holiday, based around viewing a theatrical convention show. Theatre breaks tend to include a nights hotel accommodation included in the price.

References[change | change source]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Theatre.

  1. Brown, John Russell. 1997. What is theatre?: an introduction and exploration. Boston and Oxford: Focal P. ISBN 978-0-240-80232-9
  2. Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. The Cambridge guide to theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN 0-521-43437-8
  3. Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. 1983. The Oxford companion to the theatre. 4th ed, Oxford: Oxford UP. ISBN 978-0-19-211546-1

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