1. Medieval Theatre History of Theatre 900-1500 AD

2. Introduction  medieval introduction medieval introduction medieval introduction  Watch the clip. What did you learn?

3. Background  After the fall of Rome, and before the renaissance, the time is called Middle Ages.  A very active time as cathedrals were built, the crusades occurred, and kingdoms were divided and conquered  The foundations for modern languages were laid during this time

4. Background continued  The fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century also signified the fall of theatre. Drama was banned and theatres were closed.  In the 5 th century, church felt theatre was barbaric and evil.  Dealing with an illiterate and pagan audience, the church slowly began dramatizing The Bible as a way to give religious instruction to their congregation.  The Church developed its own dramatic ceremonies to combat the appeal of pagan rights.

5. Religious and Civic Purposes  The Church felt dramatized episodes made moral lessons more graphic and easier to understand.  The Church calendar provided several holidays to develop theatre.  Drama remained inside the Church Walls for 200 years

6. Vocabulary  Mystery Plays- Based on biblical history.  The Passion Play- Play based on the last week of Jesus Christ's life.  Cycle- A series of short plays depicting religious history from beginning of life to end.  Folk Dramas- Feel-good plays, not based on religion.  Morality Plays- Taught the difference between right and wrong, in the context of the devil and God battling for souls.

7. Festival Theatre  The church still had to approve  Between 1350-1500 Medieval theatre flourished  Clergy began to reduce its participation  Towns began to finance and produce the festivals  Producers oversaw everything, they got choirs, nobles loaned costumes, meals were prepared and lodging was provided.  Laborers built the staging.

8. The York Cycle  Actors would dress in costumes, and hop on Pageant wagons  Pageant wagon -a movable stage or cart  Crowds gathered in the streets to watch them pass  The wagons would often have two levels to portray heaven and hell

10. The Procession  The wagons paraded through town, stopping before the homes of dignitaries  Each wagon is responsible for the telling of a biblical tale  This took place every year on Corpus Christi Day  Began with “The Creation and Fall of Lucifer”  Ended with “The Judgment Day”  It was a religious theatre, therefore its bookings, costumes, dialogue and staging came from the Church calendar-Were staged during Spring and Summer

11. Acting and Rehearsing  Rehearsals took place over months  Held between dawn and beginning of the work day  Actors were fined for lateness, not knowing lines or being drunk  Multiple playlets were rehearsed at the same time

12. Actors  Late 1600’s began to see professional actors  Very few women performed in medieval plays  Only exceptions were for female Saints  There were two reasons: male hierarchy and trained choir boys had better projection

13. The Audience  Spectators came from surrounding towns and countryside – all classes came  Posters were put up on city gates and invitations were sent out to neighboring towns  A trumpeter rode through town announcing the events  Work was forbidden during performance time  Most were free, however in some of Europe there was a fee

14. Visual Elements

15. Special Effects  Producers gave great attention to “secrets”- special effects machinery  Examples included Hell issuing fire, smoke and cries of the damned, trapdoors, pulleys and ropes.  Semiprofessionals begin to develop for scenery and special effects

16. Costumes and Props  Two types of garments: ecclesiastical robes and everyday clothes  Accessories such as wings were added  Props were used to identify characters i.e. sword, mirror, snakes etc..)  Heaven reps dressed to awe  Hell reps dressed to scare  Common humans dressed according to rank  Great detail went into designing the devil

17. Music  Music was prevalent in medieval theatre  Heavenly scenes featured beautiful choruses  Trumpets announced God  Vocal and Instrumental music bridged intermission.  Singing was performed by choirboys and actors  Instruments were played by professionals