Theatre is one of the oldest forms of performance art and most major civilizations had a tradition of storytelling through role playing. A story being told dramatically is referred to as a play. Individuals who perform in a play are actors and the group of actors in a particular performance are referred to as the cast. The place where a performance takes place is the theatre and the performers act out their stories in a controlled area called the stage.
History of western theatre
[edit]
Western theatre got its start in the theatre of ancient Greece, which dates as far back as 800 BC. In the 4th century BC, Aristotle wrote about the history of Greek theatre, surmising that many of the earliest plays were celebrations of the god, Dionysus. This seems to have given rise to what were called satyr plays that mostly involved half-man half-goat creatures drinking too much and engaging in crude sexual situations.
Tragedy as a genre blossomed in the 5th century BC when many plays were produced including works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Tragedy wasn't just "something bad happens" but would be more like "how far the mighty fall". Commoners were not the subject of tragedies: kings could be or gods and their children could be, but not farmers or coal miners. Many of the Greek tragedies draw inspiration from mythology.
Comedy consisted of laughable people who commit some kind of blunder or display some kind of character defect that results in a ridiculous unforeseen event. The blunders do not cause pain or disaster. The Greeks would not have thought it was comedy when Wile E. Coyote blows himself up after he mistakenly crosses the wires on his Acme detonator.
Roman theatre largely derived from Greek theatre. The Romans tweaked some of the precepts of dramatical stagecraft, but largely stuck to the rules established by the Greeks. They continued to focus on two primary genres: comedy and tragedy. Fewer Roman plays than Greek plays survive (and are staged in the modern era). Surviving comedies are largely those written by Titus Maccius Plautus around 200 BC. Surviving tragedies are largely those written by Seneca in the first century AD.
The Dark Ages (roughly the 5th through 15th century) saw a decline in all the arts, including drama. Few significant plays emerged in this period. Theatre would re-emerge in the 16th century with the Elizabethan theatre in England and Renaissance works in Italy and other countries. The scope of dramatic works increased with works that go beyond the limits of comedy and tragedy. William Shakespeare penned a series of "History" plays about monarchs and wars in England that didn't necessarily have anything tragic or comic about them. Later works by other playwrights would incorporate more secular or vernacular themes, and musical theatre began to grow roots in the 19th century with "musical operas" by Gilbert and Sullivan.
The modern era of theatre began in the 19th century as playwrights began exploring social issues and creating works that were more realistic or more intricately explored human emotions. Early modern playwrights in Europe included Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. In the 20th century, a number of playwrights from the United States gained international attention as they brought American themes and characteristics to the stage. Thornton Wilder, Arthur Miller, and Tenessee Williams were some of the best known. August Wilson created theatre that reflected the black experience in America.
Given that this Wikivoyage article is in English, it's perhaps natural that it focuses mostly on English plays and theatres, but theatre is a worldwide art form that transcends national borders and linguistic preferences. Many European countries that spoke languages other than English had rich theatrical histories with great playwrights and spectacular venues. Spain, France, Germany and Italy all have rich theatrical histories. Václav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic was a playwright. Russia had a great number of playwrights during the age of the Russian Empire, and then more during the Soviet era. Some, like Anton Chekhov, are well-known to English theatre patrons while others remain obscure because their plays are seldom performed in English-speaking countries even though they enjoyed success and fame in Russia. Alexander Ostrovsky, for example, is rarely performed on U.S. stages despite having penned 47 plays.
Asian theatre
[edit]While western Europe was sinking into an abyss of ignorance and decay known as the Dark Ages, theatre was developing quite nicely in Asia, particularly in India and China.
Indian theatre
[edit]The roots of dramatic tradition in India appear around the 2nd century BC, but the oldest known work of Indian drama is Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali, dating from 140 AD. Sanskrit theatre were dramatic stagings of religious tales performed by priests. A treatise on these works provides several complete works dating from the period 200 BC to 200 AD.
The 7th century was a golden age in Indian theatre with a number of important works. The most popular of these were written by Bhavabhuti whow works included Malati-Madhava, Mahaviracharita and Uttar Ramacharita. India's emperor Harsha (606–648) wrote three plays: the comedy Ratnavali, Priyadarsika, and the Buddhist drama Nagananda.
After 1000 AD, theatre in India experienced its own Dark Ages as Muslim conquests discouraged or outright banned dramatic expression.
Theatre in India again prospered in the 19th century when British occupation encouraged drama. A number of notable theatres were built during this time and several playwrights built reputations as masters of drama. After the colonial era ended in 1947, Indian theatre continued to grow with large numbers of actors, playwrights and stage producers staging an increasingly large number of works.
Mumbai is often considered the hub of theatre in India, but theatre is more disperse in India than in the U.S. or Britain and significant works have been staged in many (often quite small) cities throughout the country.
Destinations
[edit]
Some cities have become hubs for dramatic performance, drawing travelers who come for the cultural experience.
- 1 New York City, United States: New York is the hub of American theatre with dozens of theatres staging hundreds of plays each year. Major concentrations of theatres are in mid-town Manhattan, including Broadway and Lincoln Center for large, popular works (mostly musicals). Theatres described as "off Broadway" or "off-off Broadway" tend to be more experimental works, focus on drama or works that are too "serious" for mainstream theatre goers the most famous shows are generally just light-hearted musical comedies with well-known famous actors and high ticket prices. Students of drama often stay away of the pablum of mainstream Broadway shows.
- 2 London, England: London is the hub of English theatre and the popular musical shows are staged in big theatres in the West End. A number of smaller theatres throughout the city perform more cutting edge, experimental, or "serious" dramatic works. Historical venues, particularly the Globe Theatre present Elizabethan or other historical works.
- 3 Athens, Greece: Athens is the birthplace of western theatre. Some of the ancient theatres survive and have been renovated and now stage performances of historic and occasionally modern dramatic works.
- 4 Toronto, Canada: Toronto has developed a reputation as Canada's leading city for theatrical productions with several large theatres staging dramatic works as well as opera, music and stand-up comedy.
Historic theatres
[edit]
- 1 Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London/South Bank. Replica of Shakespeare's famous open-air theatre.
- 2 Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Dionysiou Areopagitou. Locally known as the Herodeon, the huge amphitheatre was built near the Athens Acropolis around 160 AD. It was restored between the late 19th and mid 20th centuries. It hosts musical and dramatic performances and is home to the Greek National Opera. They have a website with more info, but it's Greek to me!
Modern theatres
[edit]Most cities have at least one theatre that stages dramatic works and some countries have their own "national theatre". There are often theatres that go by the term "opera house" because they present dramatic works in conjunction with classical music. Some of the largest, most established theatres that stage plays regularly include:
- 3 London Palladium, Soho, London. Huge theatre seating almost 2,300 spectators. The ornate theatre was built in 1910.
- 4 Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto. Historic venue with 2 grand balconies.
- 5 Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (Nhà Hát Múa Rối Thăng Long), Hanoi. Unique cultural experience. Stories of Vietnamese folklore are told dramatically using puppets that float on a pool of water accompanied by traditional live music.
- 6 Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. Since 1847, the Liceau has been the premier theatre for dramatic works in Spain. The theatre holds about 2,300 spectators.
- 7 Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow. Built in 1776 as an imperial theatre to the czars, the neoclassical theatre is the most important theatre in Russia. It is the home venue for the famous Bolshoi Ballet. The theatre has undergone several restorations over its lifetime keeping the facility up-to-date with staging technology and luxury features to impress the powerful and well-heeled patrons. The theatre seats over 1,700 spectators.
- 8 Teatro Nacional Cervantes, Buenos Aires. In 1897, Maria Guerrero, one of Madrid's foremost theatre producers, moved her company to Buenos Aires where they are credited for popularizing dramatic theatre in Argentina. Although she later returned to Madrid, she donated a sizable fortune to building a great theatre. Spain's King Alfonso XIII contributed to the effort by commissioning sculptures, paintings and other artworks for the new facility. The theatre, opened in 1921, features three stages and has become a major venue for dramatic works as well as comedy.
- 9 Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai. Modern theatre with elegant atmosphere and an attached restaurant and bookstore. Performances are staged every night except Monday and seating is first-come, first-serve.
- 10 Finnish National Theatre (Suomen kansallisteatteri), Helsinki. While the theatre was established in 1872, the National Romantic-style theatre building near the Central Railway Station dates to 1902. It houses four permanent stages, which together seat over 1,400 spectators.
See also
[edit]- Musical theatre
- Chinese performing arts
- Arts in Japan
- European classical music - Includes opera
- New York City/Broadway - Broadway is the city's famous theatre district
- London/West End - the West End is the city's famous theatre district