1. What is Theatre. : Aristotle’s Poetics (5th C
What is Theatre?: Aristotle’s Poetics (5th C. BCE) & the Aristotelian Tradition
Aristotle’s view of theatre = rooted in Greek terms “drama” & “theatre:
drama < Grk. dromenon, “thing done”
drama = “an imitation of an action,” says Aristotle
theatre < theatron, “seeing place”
performance of the imitation for spectators

2. Aristotle’s 6 Elements of Tragedy (Drama)
Plot:
the “structure of events” through which action is imitated/represented
Character:
personof the drama or “moral bent” of the person
Thought:
“proof and refutation of moral choice”
Verbal Expression:
“conveyance of thought through language”
Music & Spectacle
sensuous, less artistic elements

3. Key Dramaturgical Concepts:
dramatic situation or “given circumstances”
including setting
character objectives & superobjective
obstacles
dramatic tension or conflict
crisis
climax
reversal
recognition

4. The Aristotelian Tradition = founded in Theory of Ritual Origin
drama/theatre evolve from dithyramb, (ritual choruses performed in praise of Dionysos prior to 6th C. BCE )
theatre began when some participants stepped out of chorus and became spectators of the ritual
the first actor, Thespis, stepped out from chorus to perform individual role in dialogue with it
ritual action gradually evolved into theatrical imitation of action
purpose = more aesthetic than religious

5. Modern Dev. of Theory of Ritual Origin:
The Cambridge School of Anthropology (late 19th C.)
The Cambridge Thesis
primal ritual -> various religious rites -> dramatic genres
certain Greek tragedies follow form of the primal ritual
rise of Aesthetics as independent branch of philosophy (began Germany, late 18th C.)
What makes a work of art a work of art and not something else?

6. Aesthetic(ist) Views of Theatre:
What makes a work of theatre essentially theatrical?
imitation of human action + live performance (social or communal, ephemeral)
CP. other literary forms, the visual arts, music
CP. other dramatic media (film, television etc.)
theatre has the unique capacity to combine all of the arts in a single work
Richard Wagner: the Gesamtkunstwerk

7. Performance Studies Theoretical Foundations: dramatism or dramaturgism
Kenneth Burke, A Rhetoric of Motives
analysis of human motives and actions in dramatic terms
role theory
Erving Goffman, Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
theatrical analysis of social interaction re: roles performed
structuralist anthropology > Richard Schechner, Performance Theory (1976)
refutes Cambridge Thesis
replaces vertical view of ritual <-> theatre across time with horizontal view across society/societies

8. Schechner’s Dev. of Performance Studies
recurrent performance genres:
Ritual, Play, Games, Sports, Dance, Music, Theatre
Characteristics:
rules/conventions: “scripts”
special ordering of time and space
objects have special value beyond an economic one
form of event remains constant although rules may change
dynamic of ‘efficacy’ <-> ‘entertainment’

9. Performance Studies - The Philosophical Problem
To what activities may the basic principles of the performance genres not be applied?
Is life inherently theatrical or performative, OR are performances specialized activites det apart from life?
“All the world is not a stage, but the ways in which it isn’t are not always easy to specify.” (Goffman)