SP ENG 203

Prepared by: Myla O. Duatin, LPT

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History of Theater Arts

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 What is Theater?

Theater, as a cultural expression, reflects the cultures of society. Stories

and themes of performances are based on community life experiences. It
mirrors social realities, thus, encouraging intercultural communication
throughout its history. Theater performances reflect the distinct cultures
of every society. Because people enjoyed performing and watching such
performances, it did not take long for theatrical performances to evolve
into a separate aspect of culture and society. As a result, almost every
civilization has its unique theatrical heritage.

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 The Origins of Theater
The origins of the theater are unclear. While it is
clear that ancient Athens’ traditions have
influenced Western theater and theories of
Western drama to the present day, it is difficult to
tell with certainty what the theater was like even
a few years before the emergence of Greek
plays.

Two pillars of theater, as these have been known

and loved throughout human history, are visible.
Ritual and storytelling. Both have existed since
ancient times and continue to exist now, although
in somewhat different forms.
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 Rituals
The roots of theater may be traced back to ritual,
in which actors re-create, magnify, and make
meaningful shared myths, beliefs, tales, and
traditions. The term ritual refers to a particular
ceremonial observance that is performed to confer
certain benefits on the participants. A ritual is a
religious or cultural practice performed by
members of a community.

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Storytelling
Storytelling originated shortly after ceremonial activities began. The
two forms began blending together quite quickly. In fact, humans have been
telling tales of their everyday exploits since the dawn of speech, including
tales of the hunt as well as tribal history.
Storytelling depends on a single voice, therefore, it a single point of
view. It is more personalized than a collective ritual performance. Every
narrative must have a listener-spectator who either does not know the story
being told or is eager to hear it again. Because of the use of impersonation ---
creating voices and facial expressions.
Example: Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang
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 Theater in the West

During the middle of the first millenium B.C., the city-state of

Athens produced four of the finest playwrights and the most
influential dramatic theorist In the theater’s long history. Greek
theater established the formal foundations of Western theater,
which developed and defined key concepts such as tragedy,
comedy, characters, and plotlines, all of which are still vital in play
as we know it today.

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Greek Drama

The fifth-century B.C., theater of Athens remains one of the

finest bodies of dramatic production of all time. The Athenian
theater developed the essential genres of tragedy and comedy
via a spectacular combination of legend, myth, social criticism.
Philosophy, dance, music, poetry and visual magnificence and
audience involvement.

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Greek Tragedians

• Aeschylus
• Sophocles
• Euripides

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 Aeschylus
He is considered the Father of Greek tragic drama. Aeschylean
tragedy is concerned with the plights, destinies, and choices of
people with whom the fate of the state or community is
inextricably linked. Both person and community, in turn, stand in
intimate connection to the gods. He wrote over 80 plays, but
unfortunately, only seven survived.
• Persians (472 BC)
• Seven Against Thebes (467 BC)
• Suppliants (463 BC)
• Orestia (Agamemnon, The Libation Beares, and The
Eumenides) (458 BC)
• Prometheus Bound

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 Sophocles
He is believed to have written more than 100 plays, however, only seven have survived. Sophoclean
plays usually concentrate on a few people and emphasize their strong characteristics and stubborn
natures, which ultimately lead to catastrophe. The plays that survive are:

• Ajax
• Antigone
• Trachinian Women
• Oedipus the King
• Electra
• Philoctetes
• Oedipus at Colonus

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 • Alcestis

Euripides • Medea
• Heracleidae
• Hippolytus
He is believed to have written • Andromache
• Hecuba
approximately 90 plays, that include
• The Suppliants
satire plays as well as tragedies. His • Elelctra
plays depict in grueling detail the • Herakles
• The Trojan Women
devastation of human life as a result
• Iphigenia in Tauris
of the pressures that the gods appear • Ion
to put on people on purpose. His • Helen
surviving plays are: • Phoenician Women
• Orestes
• Bacchae
• Iphigania in Aulis
• Cyclpos 12
 Roman Drama
More than two hundred Roman stage structures have survived to the
current day. Roman builders abandoned the Greek hillside theatron and threshing-
circle orchestra in favor of designing a theater that surrounded the audience while
remaining open to the sky.
For Roman drama works, most plays usually drew on Greek material
(characters and problems). They adapted Greek comedies but did not employ the
use of Greek chorus. Like the Greeks, all Roman actors were males who
performed on stage with masks in open spaces. Plautus, Terence, and Seneca
were the famous Roman dramatists during this period in theater history.

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Plautus

Plautus is a well-known dramatist whose comedic impact stems

from exaggeration, burlesque and frequently harsh humor, fast
movement, and purposely upside-down depiction of reality. His plots
are well-organized and carefully developed; focused on intrigue,
mistaken identity and similar tactics His plays were probably close to
50. Some of his plays include the following:

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• Amphitruo (Amphitryon) • Miles Gloriosus (The Braggart Warrior)
• Asinaria (The Comedy of Asses) • Mostellaria (The Haunted House)
• Aulularia (The Pot of Gold) • Persa (The Girl from Persia)
• Bacchides (The Two Bacchides) • Poenulus (The Carthaginian)
• Captivi (The Captives) • Pseudolus (Pseudolus)
• Casina (Casina) • Rudens (The Rope)
• Cistellari (The Casket) • Stichus (Stichus)
• Curculio (Curculio) • Trinummus (The Three Penny Day)
• Epidicus (Epidicus) • Truculentus (Truculentus)
• Menaechmi (The Twin Menaechmi)
• Mercator (The Merchant)
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 Terence
Terence’s plays are all about young love and usually have a double storyline. Terence’s
language achieves perfection in proper expression, lightness, clarity, and elegance. While everyday
speech may be recognized, but it is not the colloquial of the common people, but that of a more
sophisticated society. His most known plays include the following:

• Andria
• Hecyra
• Heauton
• Timorumenos
• Eunuchus
• Phormio
• adelphoe

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 Seneca
Seneca’s plays, best renowned for their depictions of brutality and terror, were reworkings of
Greek tragedies (Europides, Aeschylus and Sophocles plays). They differ from their originals in their
extended declamatory, narrative descriptions of action, intrusive moralizing, and grandiose rhetoric,
which were most likely intended to be performed at elite meetings. His known plays are:
• The Trojan Women
• Oedipus
• Medea
• The Mad Hercules
• The Phoenician Women
• Phaedra
• Agamemnon
• Thyestes

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 Roman dramatics contributed to the world theater
vocabulary which we continue to use up to the present, such
as auditorium, actor, and histrionics.

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 Medieval Drama

Medieval drama in Europe began with the celebration of

divine resurrection during Easter service. As part of the service,
officiating monks reenacted the Biblical story of the visitation of the
Three Marys in the tomb of Jesus. This playlet popularly known as
Quem Quaeritis (Whom seek ye?) reenacted the appearance of an
angel who told Mary that Jesus of Nazareth has risen already.

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Types of Medieval Plays

During the Medieval Period, most plays were religious

in nature, and were intended to teach people about the
Bible, how to live a good life, or the lives of saints. There
were three types of plays that were developed: Mystery
Plays, Miracle Plays and Morality Plays.

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Mystery Play
A mystery play was based on stories derived from the
Holy Bible. Stories ranged from creation story to judgement
day. Examples of stories under mystery play are the
following:
• Cain killing his brother Abel
• Noah and the Great Flood
• Trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus
• Nativity scenes
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 In these mystery plays, ordinary citizens, especially
those who mastered the major roles, became actors and
were paid for their performances. Authors of these plays
were usually anonymous, but they were highly regarded by
the people because of their skills in translating Biblical text
into a gripping drama on an open stage.

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 Miracle Plays
A miracle play, or saint’s play, depicted the saints’ real and apocryphal
lives. Actors were usually from the communities and organized by the play master,
their version of the director. Scenes were often spectacular showing events of
transformations and miracles. Some of these plays were staged using
processional staging (use of wagons) or pageants (the use of floats). Examples of
miracle plays are the following:
• Magdalene
• Virgin Mary
• Saint Nicholas
• Passion Play
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 Morality Plays

A morality play tackled stories of the struggle of humans between

good and evil. This type of play often called allegorical drama., followed the
life’s journey of the main character that personifies moral qualities and
taught moral lessons. Everyman was the most famous morality play written
in about 1500, which dramatized the final hours of man before his death.
Other morality plays include the following:
• The Castle of Perseverance
• Condemnation des banguets
• Het eshatement den appelboom (The Miraculous Apple Tree)
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 English Renaissance Drama
In the works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the Renaissance
produced the greatest theatrical masterpieces of that age.
The Renaissance theater had hundreds of writers whose works are still
popular today. While Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and John Webster were
three of Shakespeare’s most renowned contemporaries and excellent authors in
their own way, none can match Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was nearly alone among the world’s greatest authors in his
ability to create exceptional masterpieces of both comedy and tragedy.
Shakespeare was not just an author, he was also an actor and co-owner of
his own theater company, the King’s Men, as well as of London’s The Globe
theater, which his company constructed and ran.
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Shakespeare’s most famous plays include
the following:
• Hamlet
• Macbeth
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Much Ado About Nothing
• King Lear
• Othello
• Twelfth Night
• The Tempest
• Romeo and Juliet
• The Merchant of Venice 26
Classical India

Asian theater is most likely to have originated in India,

where it sprang from the same Middle Eastern origins as its
Western counterpart. Some academics think the Greek deity
Dionysus hailed from India (Cohen & Sherman, 2017).
During this period, India had developed three classical art
system: Sanskrit plays, Kutiyattam, and Kathakali.

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 Sanskrit Plays

In Classical India, Sanskrit play emerged in the Hindu culture in

the second century B.C. up to the 10th century. The comprehensive
study of the principles of performance and staging, music, gestures,
dance and dramatic texts of these plays are recorded in the
Natyasastra (loosely translated as Treatise on Theater). This treatise
describes the major Sanskrit plays, including the two primary plays:
• Nataka – plays that are based on famous king’s heroic stories.
• Prakarana – plays that are based on the theme of love.
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 Features of Sanskrit Plays

• The plays were performed on an open stage inside roofed buildings.

• The stage was rectangular in structure and the building could set
between 200 to 500 audiences. Theater spaces were decorative and
symbolic.
• The style of performance was presentational, aided with colorful
costumes, music and dance, plus sequences of intricate hand gestures
that convey meaning.
• Sanskrit performers came from priestly castes.
• Women performed prominent roles.
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 Kutiyattum
Kutiyattum is another religious theatrical form performed in temples
about ancient epics. Originating in the province of Kerala, this theater form
reflects the local traditions and Sanskrit classicism. The performances focus
on the feelings and thoughts of the main character. A performance can last up
to 40 days due to the elaboration of details of the story. Actor training is usually
between ten to fifteen years before the actor can become a fully-fledged
Kutiyattam actor, who has perfected subtle shifts of body face muscles and
breathing control. Following a stylized and codified theatrical language,it
highlights two distinct features:
• Neta abhinava (eye expression)
• Hasta abhinava (language of gestures)
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 Kathakali
Kathakali is considered as the most dominant classical art form in
Indi. Originating from the villages of Kerala in 17th century, the stories come
from the great Indian epics: Ramayana and Mahabharata. Performances
start in the evening and last until dawn of the next day. Audience are free to
leave and eat during these performances.
Traditionally, Kathakali is performed by all-male actors. However, in
modern times, women artists have joined performances. Two singers sing
the text accompanied by percussion instruments of gongs, drums and
cymbals.
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Classical India
China is Asia’s largest country and home to the continent’s
oldest continuous civilization. Additionally, it is home to Asia’s
longest continuous theater culture. Chinese theater is more sung
than spoken. It is based on tonal changes and syllabis
pronunciation. Hence, all classical Chinese theater is referred to
as xiqu, which means tuneful theater, and translated as “Chinese
opera”(Cohen & Sherman, 2017).

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 There have been many forms of Chinese theater, but the most famous
in modern times is Beijing (Peking) Opera, which is known among the
Chinese as jingju or “theater of the capital”.
Stunning costumes, glittering headdresses, and vibrantly colored face
painting make Chinese opera a visual feast. Male and female actors wear
multi- layered costumes with vivid primary colors; many of the feature long,
flowing “water sleeves” that reach the floor. Chinese opera performers must
be proficient in the following four skills:
• Singing (chang)
• Speech (nian)
• Acting and movement (zuo)
• Martial arts and acrobatics (da) 33
Classical Japan
Noh and Kabuki are two of Japan’s most famous
classical theater forms. A living museum of centuries-old
theatrical practice, each is a unique experience. However,
while noh and kabuki are still performed today in the same
manner as they were in the past, they still provide a highly
satisfying theatrical experience for modern audiences.

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 Noh
As far as Japanese theater is concerned, Noh is the most
respected and cerebral form. Aside from that, it is the world’s oldest
continually performed type of theater.
In all noh plays, the main character called shite is probed,
prodded, and challenged by the secondary character called waki.
Shite characters can be gods, spirit, ladies, animals and even
warriors, while waki characters are always male humans. As
opposed to the waki, the shite wears a mask. In Noh, all actors are
males.
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Kabuki
Kabuki theater was a more dazzling and accessible
kind of entertainment. Kabuki is flamboyant and exciting in
its presentation. Its intention was to entertain a wide
audience. On stage, actors flaunt their moves and deliver
their words with intense enthusiasm.
The term kabuki is a combination of three words: ka
(song), bu (dance), and ki (skill), which could mean “song-
dance-skill”.
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 The Theatrical Tradition Today:
EAST and WEST

These great theater traditions of the past--- Greek, Roman,

Medieval, and English Renaissance in the Western world, and
Sanskrit, Kutiyattam, Kathakali, Beijing Opera, Noh, and Kabuki in
the East ---are all alive today, either through regular and carful
revivals or through a continuous tradition of performance. All of
these traditions have had an impact on culture theater practices in
the contemporary period.

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Thank you!