The Essence and History of Theatre

Why Do We Do Theatre?

• Theatre's live nature creates unique chemistry between performance and audience every night, defying formula.
• A good night at the theatre can lead the audience on an unexpected journey.
• Theatre has the potential to create enchantment and excitement.
• Theatre is an engaging and transporting experience, unlike the passive consumption of cinema with excessive snacks or the casual nature of TV.
• Theatre thrives on the unpredictable, where anything can happen, making leaps in the dark imperative.

History of Acting Overview

• 2,500 years ago, Thespis of Icaria revolutionized Western theatre by stepping out of the Greek Chorus to become the first actor.
• Thespis enacted the role of a tragic hero, shifting storytelling from a distant recount to a first-person representation of character.
• Great acting teachers and theorists have explored questions of acting for over 2500 years.
• These questions include: How does an actor become someone else? How much is talent versus training? Should actors use real emotions? How does an actor stay spontaneous? Is acting a craft?

Overview of World Theater

• Romans and Greeks thought emotions could cause illness, so feeling emotion was crucial for stirring others but needed safeguards.
• Each emotion had a specific physical manifestation communicated through standardized gestures, facial expressions, vocal inflections, body poses, and movements.
• Classical Indian actor-dancers performed Sanskrit dramas with costumes, music, dance, and hand gestures.
• Classical Chinese theatre featured stylized movement, dance, chant, and music, with regional styles.
• Women were banished from the stage in the eighteenth century and restored in 1912 in China.
• Classical Japanese theatre includes Noh influenced by Zen Buddhism with slow music and male performers.
• Kabuki, the popular type of theatre, was started by a woman (prostitute) and then became all-female before becoming both.
• Japanese modern drama (Shingeki) uses naturalistic acting and contemporary themes, differing from Noh & Kabuki's stylized conventions.
• Across Africa, elaborate rituals involving costumes, masks, music, dance, and storytelling were used to pass down social patterns, history, and encounters with gods.
• Large gestures, movement, and voices were typically used in African rituals
• Drumming was the primary musical accompaniment for African rituals.
• Comic theatre included acrobats, dancers, and mimes, relying on improvisation within familiar stories, similar to the commedia dell’arte.

Classic Italy: Commedia dell'Arte