EARLY AMERICAN THEATRE 1700’s – Civil War

Starting in the 1700’s, entertainers from England performed in U. S Starting in the 1700’s, entertainers from England performed in U.S. large cities. During the Revolutionary War, many colonies banned theatrical performances to focus on the war.

In the early 1800’s, well known stars toured the country. Popular theatrical forms of the 1800’s included: Specialty acts: jugglers, tumblers, etc. Burlesque (parodies / satire of a serious form of literature) Pantomimes – elaborate tricks with scenery and costume. Short musical revues ("vaudevilles" in France) Comic operas – sentimental stories, original music. Revivals of Shakespeare – usually bowdlerized (censored for questionable material) Circus acts

The most popular theatrical form of the 1800’s? 1. What was The most popular theatrical form of the 1800’s?

The word 2. “_________" comes from 3 The word 2. “_________" comes from 3. ________, the Greek word for song, combined with 4________. Music is used to increase the emotional response or to suggest characters.

5. A_________in a more neutral and technical sense of the term is a 6 5. A_________in a more neutral and technical sense of the term is a 6._______, film, or other work in which 7._______ and 8. _______ are more emphasized than character development. 9._________ can be distinguished from tragedy by the fact that they are open to having a 10._______ (2 words)

There is a tidy structure or formula to melodrama: a villain poses a threat, the hero escapes the threat (or rescues the heroine) and there is a happy ending. In melodrama there is a world of heightened emotion, stock characters and a hero who rights the disturbance to the balance of good and evil in a moral universe. "... A bad gunslinger called Salty Sam was chasin' poor Sweet Sue "He trapped her in the old sawmill and said with an evil laugh, "If you don't give me the deed to your ranch "I'll saw you all in half! "And then he grabbed her (and then) "He tied her up (and then) "He turned on the bandsaw (and then, and then...!) …”

The Most Successful Melodrama (until WWI) was: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Summary of Uncle Tom’s Cabin: The story follows the fortunes of a slave, the dutiful Uncle Tom, who is sold by his owner in Kentucky to pay off debts to Augustine St Clair in New Orleans. In the St Clair's household, young daughter Eva becomes fond of Tom and life is relatively happy. However, following the deaths of both the decent St Clair and the kindly Eva, Tom is sold again, but now to Simon Legree. Legree is a cotton plantation owner and treats Tom terribly, leading to his demise just before rescue belatedly arrives in the form of his original owner's son. There is also a parallel tale of another slave, Eliza, who escapes to freedom in extraordinary circumstances to lighten the tone somewhat.

So what does this have to do with today’s theatre? Melodrama is ubiquitous (being everywhere) on television: it is evident, for example, in a long series of TV movies about diseases or domestic violence, or the large number of hour-long television programs about lawyers, police officers, or physicians.

Issues melodrama is a type of melodrama in which current events or politics are given a dramatic treatment, hoping to use some recent crime or controversy as a vehicle to draw an emotional response from the viewer. The usual method is to involve lawyers, police officers, or physicians, who can then make speeches about the crime or controversy being dramatized. By this artifice, the dramatist seeks to engage the audience's recently refreshed sense of fear or moral disapproval, while simultaneously maintaining the posture that the drama so produced is timely and socially engaged.

Action melodrama is another type of melodrama that is particularly prevalent in the action Hollywood film blockbuster. An athletic action hero is pitted against an evil villain, and through a bevy of fights, car chases, love scenes and splatter, the hero overcomes the villain and restores the balance of good in the universe. This subgenre often includes a heroine who fights then falls in love with the hero. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are examples of the stars of these action melodramatic flicks.

Informal use / Slang Casual use of the word as an adjective translates to exaggerated emotional affect or ways in expressing oneself. For example: "Don't be so melodramatic!" This has fallen into common everyday language.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the most performed melodrama up until WWI. Summary of the Characteristics of Earl American Drama: During the Revolutionary War, many colonies banned theatrical performances to focus on the war. Starting in the 1700’s, entertainers from England performed in large U.S. cities. MELODRAMA - Comes from "music drama" – “Melo” means music. Music was used to enhance the storyline. A melodrama is a play, film, or other work in which plot and action are more emphasized than character development. A simplified moral universe; good and evil are embodied in stock characters (same types of characters used over and over again) Episodic form: the villain poses a threat, the hero or heroine escapes, etc.—with a happy ending. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the most performed melodrama up until WWI.

THE END!!