A Short History: The Roman and Medieval Theater Drama A Short History: The Roman and Medieval Theater

III. Roman Theater: Origins Emerged 3rd C. BC By 146BC Rome had conquered Greece As was their habit, the Romans “borrowed” ideas from parts of Europe as their empire expanded Thus, absorbed all influences of Greek culture from art and lit to religion and theater. Roman mobs demanded diversions for entertainment so early Roman theater consisted of religious festivals that featured Acrobatics Animals Dance Music Prize fighting and sports Dramatic acts As time passed, empire expanded, more gods were added and new festivals were added to worship them Festivals also celebrated war victories, funerals, weddings By 35AD 100 days were devoted to theater productions and entertainment Terence

Origins State financed and free to public New entertainment constantly produced and people traveled far to view performances Imitated Greek Drama Traditional “Roman” tragedies and comedies based on Greek plays Original Roman Drama Comic representations of daily life Focused on comic business rather than plot or character development Plots focused on mistaken identity, clever servants, young lovers, old men with complaining wives---Early slapstick style

Origins Habits change into character. ~~Ovid As Roman theater and culture expanded, it became more advanced than the Greeks Major Roman contribution to drama--Eliminated chorus –added music Did not limit number of actors New thrills constantly introduced Violence Sex Tragedies Comedies But plays mostly associated with religion Later replace with gladiator fights, wild beast shows, chariot races Habits change into character. ~~Ovid

Theater Structure First theaters built around 55BC, about 200 yrs after it was introduced Seated about 8,000-10,000 people Eventually sat about 70,000 people Theaters built in front of the temple for the god to whom that theater was dedicated The first was to Venus, goddess of Beauty As theater grew, became too expensive to build theaters to all the gods so began to honor each god with his/her own festival Medieval manuscript of a play by Terence

Roman Amphitheater What do you notice about the Roman Amphitheater?

What similarities and differences to the Greek Amphitheater do you detect?

The Roman Theater of Pompey

The Colosseum Amphitheaters soon became too small so they enlarged the area by building 2 amphitheaters back to back to create what we know as Colosseums Most famous “amphitheater”— Colosseum (2 amphitheaters put together) The Colosseum today— when you get to this page, wait to allow it to fully load.

Production Magistrates (think town council) governed the theater Watched each play before it was performed for censorship purposes Generals, leaders, or troupes of players bought plays and supplied music, props, costumes, etc. Most plays performed in front of judges (usually the magistrates) Prizes were given Seats were reserved for emperors, senators, or other important people to have best viewing Scenic backgrounds usually depicting street scenes or nature Dialogue revealed location, purpose, etc Curtain came up to allow some scene changes, much like today Masks were used; some showed expressions, others blank expression Made of linen Became less common when new forms of theater, such as mimes, used face paint

Simple costumes, modeled on Greek fashion Mimes would wear hooded cloaks Actors were believed to have been slaves bought by managers and trained to perform They would specialize in a genre: comedy, tragedy, or mime

Titus Maccius Plautus Roman comedian Helped develop stock character Stereotypical character whose behavior, qualities, or beliefs conform to familiar dramatic conventions He developed 7 stock characters: An old miser. A young man, often the miser's son, who rebels against authority. Usually a pair of slaves. One smart, the other less smart-- source of most humor. The parasite. Brother in law comes for a visit--stays forever. The maid with bad reputation The slave dealer. Unscrupulous The braggart soldier. Talks big but runs at the first sign of conflict. I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the give of fortune, while character comes from within.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, drama slowly disappeared. Life is a play. It’s not its Length, but its performance that counts. ~~Seneca Seneca Beginning in 1st C. AD Wrote closet drama Plays meant to be READ rather than ACTED With the fall of the Roman Empire, drama slowly disappeared. A quick overview of Roman Drama Why is the Roman theater important? Many of the changes that evolved in Roman theater find their way into the structure of our modern theater and literature.

IV. Medieval Drama The Christian (Catholic) Church revived drama in Western World Europe and England from 5th C.- 13/14th C. AD Began with decline of Roman Empire Ended with Renaissance

Other styles of drama existed (mimes), but they were Pagan (those who worshiped old gods) Church drama meant to keep people from watching other non-Christian influences. Began as springtime religious observance-- Easter Arranged around religious holidays Stories from Old/New Testaments Performance was meant to Help church members (most illiterate) understand and relate to Bible Show consequences of human behavior Entertain The Fall of Angels Mystery Play York, England

In Europe, performed in Churches (the Cathedrals themselves told stories) about 200 yrs Series of small platforms called mansions Arranged around perimeter inside the church Audience moved from one to another to see action Eventually moved outside circa 13th C. Performances more elaborate, difficult to do in church Some scenes considered inappropriate for inside church Once outdoors, mansions were lined up horizontally; create a larger “stage” Once outdoors, performed in the vernacular.

In England, often performed on pageant wagons A structure like a modern day float Moved from town to town Crowds gathered in streets to watch Stopped in front of homes of dignitaries Usually had 2 levels—Heaven, Hell Costumes and some props (had to be minimal)

Not always on pageant wagons or fancy ones Especially smaller towns and small monasteries Could be performed on any elevated surface Plain flatbed wagon/cart A raised platform in the town square The steps of the church Etc. Larger cities who had cathedrals could afford the fancy wagons

Who was the cast? Monks Priests, choirboys, and nuns Church members Later, clergy less involved in performing Secular drama companies associated with church— but plays must be approved by Church Secular drama companies sponsored by nobility

Towns began to sponsor and finance religious festivals Producers oversaw everything They got choirs Nobles loaned costumes Meals were prepared and lodging was provided Laborers built the staging Almost entire community helped The Village Festival Brughel 1627

Guilds Certain guilds would sponsor certain plays that told various Bible stories: Noah and the Flood (Shipbuilder’s Guild) (The painting to the right) The Journey of Magi to see Baby Jesus (Goldsmith’s Guild) Jonah and the Whale (the Fisherman and Fishmonger Guilds) The Procession of the Prophets (the Dressmaker’s Guild) Joseph and His Coat (the Weaver’s Guild) The Garden of Eden (Farmer’s Guild) The Last Supper (The Baker's Guild)

Playwriting Originally clergy wrote plays Later, dialogue expanded Not very elaborate Later, dialogue expanded Became more elaborate, more playwrights were recruited Opened door for professional playwrights Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim 10th C nun, poet, chronicler First Female Playwright

Types of Early Medieval Plays Liturgical Plays Q & A song performed by monks on Easter Sung in Latin Later included priests, choirboys, and nuns Later translated into the vernacular Later performed on Christmas and other religious holidays. Some of the music gave rise to some of our modern day Christmas songs Abraham and Isaac

Miracle plays or Saint’s Plays Based on legends of the saints and their lives (one could not be designated a saint without having performed 3 miracles that were witnessed by others) Performed in the vernacular Began to be performed outside the Church Mystery Plays Based on Biblical history Depicted things that are mysteries to believers For example: The Passion Play; addresses the last week of Christ’s life. (The next performance at Oberammergau will be 2020--you can still get tickets.)

An overview of Morality Plays Allegory—characters or events represent abstract ideas or segments of society. Makes statements about life and the human condition. “The Masque of the Red Death” Prince Prospero=the wealthy Prosperous means one who is well off Dealt with right and wrong Usually devil and God battling for souls Presented by Church outside of the Church Not associated with a specific holiday celebration An overview of Morality Plays

An Overview

The Decline of the Medieval Theater A number of factors are responsible for the decline of Mystery, Morality and Miracle dramas. Within Continental Europe and in England, the rise of the Protestant Reformation meant that drama and other entertainments were targeted and edited and even banned. The popularity of Mystery plays and the changing and format also added to the decline. By the early 15th Century, interludes (often comic in form) appeared between parts of the cycles of Mystery and Miracle plays. These interludes became increasingly popular until sometimes the length of some comic interludes exceeded the actual religious plays themselves. Some of these interludes started to borrow off other secular forms such as the Mummers (seasonal performances or parades or festivities where people go from one place to another dressed and masked as characters normally speaking in rhyme) and Masques (pageants, pantomimes, mimes or dumbshows where people dress up as characters and act out scenes). More liberal attitudes towards the performances of Ancient Greek and Roman plays also saw a decline in religious drama. This also saw a rise in popularity for new secular dramatic forms such as the Commedia del arte and Humanist dramas (some translations of Greek and Roman histories) such as those created in France by Jodelle with Cléopâtre Captive (1553) and Grevin with Jules César (1560). This, along with the building of purpose built theatres, meant the end of Medieval Drama in Europe and the beginning of a European Renaissance Theatre. From http://theatrestyles.blogspot.com/2014/04/medieval-theatre-liturgical-mystery.html