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| "Okay,
listen up scumbags! I am Vita, personal
assistant tothe school principal, Violet
Prefusion. Violet would not let me direct
the school production of Romeo and Juliet.
But she says it is okay for me to let
you know a little bit about the history
of theatre because I have won 2 Oscars
and an Emmy. So! Pay attention. You
might just learn something!" |
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Okay
now everybody knows that it was very many
years ago that theatre came to be. Theatre
can be traced back to around 550BC in Greece.
It appears that a man by the name of Thespis
won a play competition which was held in
honour of the Greek God Dionysus. This of
course is where the term "thespian"
came from. In this day and age there was
a high rate of tragedy in Greece therefore
the diversion of a good comedy was a welcome
relief.
 And
where my little scumbags did the word 'play'
come from? Well, it is a literal translation
of the Latin word "ludus", which
means to play. And that brings us to Roman
theatre. Roman theatre came about in two
forms, one a direct translation from the
Greek plays into Latin - this was called
Fabula Palliata and the second form was
called Fabula Togata - a humorous based
play. After the Roman Empire fell many believe
theatre fell with it. It lived on of course
in the form of street theatre, this form
of theatre kept the concept alive through
the Middle Ages.
The church then became involved in theatre,
depicting their religious holidays and other
special events in the religious calendar.
These small community plays soon grew into
passionate reenactments of such things as
the crucifixion of Christ. These were referred
to as Passion Plays or Miracle Plays. And
then, then came the influence of the Renaissance
in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Greek
and Roman plays were revived, but this time
with more focus on art than religion.
Okay, with me so far? This period was followed
by that of Elizabethan and Shakespearian
theatre in the 16th and 17th centuries.
My favourite time! Although the wonderful
Shakespeare was the most notable of playmakers
in this time a number of others also deserve
credit including Christopher Marlowe and
Ben Johnson.
Now,
Shakespeare's
plays were all written and performed in
very formal English. Although would
you believe that Shakespeare's works were
more relaxed and natural than a number of
other playwrites in his time?! Shakespeare's
better known works include Romeo and Juliet,
A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Merchant of
Venice, Twelfth Night, Othello and many
more.
Wake up Attention Seekers! We are jumping
forward in time... over the years theatre
became accessible to everyone.
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