Athenian tragedy

Athenian tragedy

Slide One: Introduction

The theatre, which is a collaborative type of performing art, has over the centuries incorporated different elements to enhance liveness.  Theatre performances can be traced to both the classical and the Hellenistic periods in Greece. The city of Athens is often cited as being the origin of modern theatre performances. Political structures, religious ritual, festivals and other social events contributed to the growth of theatre during in Greece.  Many of these festivals had religious meanings such as paying tribute to gods. The Athenian tragedy is one of the longest surviving dance-drama and remains to be popular in many theatre performances across Europe.

Slide Two: Background Information on Greek Theatre

Athenian tragedy serves as the highlight of Greece dramatic performances in the 5^th Century. However, tragedies decline towards the 6^th Century. It is worth noting that most of the plays durn this period sought to dramatize Greek Mythology. Athenian comedy was also common during this period. It can be classified into different periods, New Comedy, Middle Comedy and Old Comedy.  Comedy play borrowed significant elements from Satyr play. Comedy had a huge appeal as compared to tragedies. They offered a break from the demanding life and the political changes in Greece during the 5^th and the 6^th centuries.

Slide Three: Elements of Early Greek Theater

The early Greek theatre can be defined as having comprised of the audience, the skene and the orchestra. The orchestra was large rectangular or circular area in the theatre where most of the dances and plays were conducted. On the other hand, the skene referred to the backstage, which was often located behind the arena. Most of the preparations on a play were conducted in the skene. The early theatre also involved live performances and thus attracted many audiences. The main theatre was referred to as Koilon. Live performances served as the primary sources of entertainments.

Slide Four: Theatre during the Medieval Period

Medieval theatre refers to all drams and arts in European in the period falling between the Renaissance and the fall of the Roman Empire. Most of the medieval theatre comprised of masques, farces, morality plays, liturgical drama and mystery plays. Unlike the previous forms of drama, the medieval theatre was primarily centred on moral and religious teachings. Some of the renowned plays during this period include N-Town Plays, Chester Mystery Plays and the York Mystery Plays. However, towards the end of the medieval period, most of the performances began to be secularized. The move was based on the changing social structures and the desire to appeal to the audiences.

Slide Five: Contribution of the Early Church to the Growth of Theatre

During the middle ages, the church played a central role in the growth of theatre. It is worth noting that during the reign of the Roman Empire, the church was opposed to theatres. However, the Roman Catholic Church oversaw many creative innovations in the arts. Secondly, literacy was abolished as being a requirement for the performers. The positive changes can be linked to the creation of elaborate structures in the Roman Church. Moreover, there was also an increase in the number of towns and literate people that demanded their rights and own-self-control.

Slide Six: Theatre in the 19^th Century

There were significant changes during the 19^th Century. An example is the introduction of both melodrama and romanticism. Likewise, there was the introduction of different technological innovations that changed the staging of plays. Candle lights were replaced by gaslighting. The innovations allows for the incorporation of different visual effects. As such, live performances during the 19^th Century become more appealing to the audiences as compared to the earlier centuries.

Slide Seven: Theater in the 20^th Century

Just like the ancient Greek performances, the modern theatre still features performers, theatre space and audiences. However, there has been the introduction of directors, innovative designs, aspects and texts.  The primary highlight of the 2oth century theatre can be defined as being the integration with new technologies in areas such as sound, staging and lighting. Lighting allows for a detailed illumination of the stage. Likewise, the new technology allows for the inclusion of both audio and visual effects in the performances.  Some of the common types of theatre during the 20^th Century are comedy, historical plays, musical performances and autobiographical plays.

Slide Eight: Liveness in Theatre

Liveness in theatre seeks to create a lasting appeal on the audiences. Different changes have been introduced over the years to make the plays livelier. Major highlights include stage lighting, the revolving stage, stage elevation, and wearing costumes. During the 18^th Century, most of the stages were lit using candles. However, this changed with the introduction of electric light. The introduction of three-dimensional sets has equally revolutionized plays across Europe. Another significant innovation was the introduction of the moving panorama. In short, live performances are continually changing. There is thus an effort to integrate them with modern technologies.