Actor’s Studio II 7 th Block

A very brief lesson...

: war and civil strife Not many professional companies Theaters were rented and fees were charged Farces became popular 1548: First permanent theater built in France Hotel de Bourgogne – built by the Confraternity of the Passion 1625: Cardinal Richelieu comes to power 1635: Cardinal Richelieu established the French Academy – a prestigious literary academy to maintain purity of the French culture, language, and literature

1641: Cardinal Richelieu built the Palais Cardina – the first proscenium theater in Paris 1642: Cardinal Richelieu died and the theater was renamed Palais Royal and it became the home of Moliere’s company 1645: Giacamo Torelli was hired to redesign the court theaters After this point in history there would always be at least two professional theatre companies in Paris (usually more) With religious strife on the decline and the French Academy being established, educated men began to write plays

Neo-classism is still the determining factor as to whether a play is “good” or not Plays are usually written in rhyming couplets (verse) Five neo-classical rules: Anything that happens on stage must be able to happen in real life Every drama must preach a moral lesson by rewarding good and punishing evil No mixing of dramatic styles – a play could be a tragedy or a comedy…NO tragicomedies Three unities must be observed: time, place, and action Dramas must be divided into five acts

Standards of Judgment Developed by the French Academy Verismilitude Events of the play and the reactions of characters to them must occur as they could in life Bienseance Never carefully defined but close the English word “proprieties” – plays must not offend the sensibilities of the audience The Unities Unities of time, place, and action – the play must focus on a single action in a single location over a period of no longer than 24 hours

No soliloquies Soliloquy is a character talking to himself/herself and this is not realistic Types of characters in neo-classical tragedies Characters must be drawn from nobility Plot should address affairs of state Example: Who will be the next king Ending must be tragic Example: Everyone dies Poetic dialogue Types of characters in neo-classical comedies Characters should be drawn from middle and lower classes Plot should address domestic affairs Example: Love story Ending should be happy Example: Everyone gets married Dialogue should be written in prose

Public and private theaters Usually placed in existing structures (example: tennis courts) that were very narrow Rarely had facilities for sets or scene changes Performances took place two times a week at 2:00 or 3:00 PM Several works would be performed: comic prologue, a tragedy, a farce, and a song Nobles sat on the side of the stage during a performance Audience members were very vocal during performances Parterre (area in front of the stage without seats) was reserved for men but there were often mixed social classes since the seats were the cheapest Elegant audience members watched from the galleries Princes, royal pages, and muskateers were allowed to attend for free “Honest” women did not go to the theatre until after 1630

Style: highly oratorical and declamatory Actors most likely supplied their own contemporary costumes Acting was not approved by the Church – it was seen as morally wrong Both male and female actors were excommunicated Actors generally took stage names that described the type of roles they played