WESTERN CLASSICAL PLAYS/ OPERA – Fourth Grading Period

History of the Theatrical Forms and Their Evolution

 Theater began from myth, ritual and ceremony
 The repeated rehearsals, performances and creation of different actions broke the ground for theater.
 Theater means ―place of seeing, but it is more than the buildings where performance take place.
 To produce theater, a playwright writes the scripts, the director rehearses the performers, the designer and technical
crew produce props to create the scenes, and actors and actresses perform on stage.
 it will only be a true theater act when an audience witnesses it.
Ancient Theater - 700 B.C.E.-410 C.E.
Greek Theater
 European theater began in Ancient Greece
 It began around 700 B.C. with festivals honoring their many gods such as, Dionysus (Di-on-i-sus), the god of wine and
fertility. This religious festival was called, ―The Cult of Dionysus.
 The city-state of Athens was the center of a significant cultural, political, and military power during this period and
where the festivals and competitions were usually performed.
 The three well-known Greek tragedy playwrights were Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus
 The theater of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama: Tragedy, Comedy and the Satyr play
Tragedy
 a compound of two Greek words, ―tragos or "goat" and ―won (ode) meaning "song, referring to goats sacrificed to
Dionysus before performances, or to goat-skins worn by the performers.
 tragedy was the most admired type of play. It dealt with tragic events and have an unhappy ending, especially one
concerning the downfall of the main character
 Thespis was the first actor and introduced the use of masks and was called the "Father of Tragedy”
 The actors, directors, and dramatists were all the same person. After some time, only three actors were allowed to perform in
each play. Due to limited number of actors allowed on-stage, the chorus played a very active part of Greek theatre.
 Men performed songs to welcome Dionysus and women were not allowed to perform.
Comedy
 were derived from imitation; there were no traces of their origin. Aristophanes wrote most of the comedy plays.
 Out of these 11 plays Lysistrata survived, a humorous tale about a strong woman who led a female coalition to end war in
Greece; Cyclops, an adventure comedy by Euripides.
Satyr
 Satyr plays contain comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious play with a happy ending. The satyr play
was a short, lighthearted tailpiece performed after each trilogy of the tragedies
 It is an ancient Greek form of tragic comedy. It featured half-man / half-goat characters known as Satyrs. They were awful,
ridiculous, and usually drunk.
Ancient Theater Terms
 Theatre buildings were called a theatron (Epidaurus)
 The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three main elements: the
orchestra, the skene, and the audience.
 Orchestra: A large circular or rectangular area at the center part of the theatre, where the play, dance, religious rites, and
acting took place.
 Theatron- viewing place on the slope of a hill :Skene –stage :Parodos- side entrance
Roman Theater
 The theatre of ancient Rome started in the 3rd century BC. It had varied and interesting art forms, like festival
performances of street theatre, acrobatics, the staging of comedies of Plautus, and the high-verbally elaborate tragedies of
Seneca.
 According to Roman historian Livy, in the 4th century BC, the Etruscan actors were the first who experienced theater.
While in 240 BC, Roman drama began with the plays of Livius Andronicus, remained popular throughout late Antiquity.
 By the mid 4th century AD, 102 out of 176 ludi publici (public games) being dedicated to theatre, besides a considerably
lower number of gladiator and chariot racing events.
 Greek theatres had a great influence on the Roman’s theater too.
 Triumvir Pompey- was one of the first permanent (non-wooden) theatres in Rome whose structure was somewhat similar
to the theatron of Athens.
 The building was a part of a multi-use complex that included a large quadriporticus ( a columned quadrangle), directly behind
the scaenae fron-, an elaborately decorated background of theatre stage, enclosed by the large columned porticos with an
expansive garden complex of fountains and statues.
 There were rooms also that were dedicated to the exposition of art and other works collected by Pompey Magnus which were
located along the stretch of covered arcade.
 The usual themes for Roman theater plays were chariots races, gladiators, and public executions.
 The Romans loved a good spectacle. They loved to watch combat, admired for blood sports and gladiator competition.
The more realistic the violence, the more it would have pleased Roman audiences.
 The Christians however opposed the barbaric themes of the plays and closed down all theaters.
 Comedy plays were popular too in the Roman Theater from 350 to 250 B.C.E. and women were allowed to perform on
stage.
Medieval Theater ; 500 C.E.-1400
 During the Medieval era, theater performances were not allowed throughout Europe.
 To keep the theater alive, minstrels, though denounced by the Church, performed in markets, public places and festivals.
 They travelled from one town to another as puppeteers, jugglers, story tellers, dancers, singers, and other theatrical
acts. These minstrels were viewed as dangerous and pagan.
 Churches in Europe started staging their own theater performances during Easter Sundays with biblical stories and events.
 some plays were brought outside the church due to their portrayal of the devil and hell. An example of this kind of play is the
―Mystére d‟Adam” or "The Mystery of Adam.
 The story revolves on Adam and Eve and ends with the devil capturing and bringing them to hell.
 Over the centuries, the plays revolved around biblical themes from the Story of the Creation to the Last Judgment.
Renaissance Theater: 1400-1600
 Renaissance theater arts were characterized by a return of Classical Greek and Roman arts and culture.
 In the Middle Ages, mystery plays formed a part of religious festivals in England and other parts of Europe during the
Renaissance period.
 Morality plays (in which the protagonist was met by personifications of various moral attributes who try to choose a Godly life
over the evil) and the University drama were formed to recreate Athenian tragedy
 Public theatres were developed like, the Commedia dell'arte (Italian comedy and a humorous theatrical presentation
performed by professional players who traveled in troupes) and the elaborate masques (a dramatic entertainment consisting
of pantomime, dancing, dialogue, and song and sometimes players wore masks) that were usually presented in court.
 One of the most prominent supporters of the theater was Queen Elizabeth I.
 The companies of players (companies of actors) were organized by the aristocrats and performed seasonally in many
places. They were called professional players that performed on the Elizabethan stage
 Gorboduc (authors were Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville), also known as Ferrex and Porrex, was an English play
and first performed at the Christmas celebration in 1561, and performed before Queen Elizabeth I on 18 January 1562, by the
Gentlemen of the Inner Temple ( was one of the four Inns of Court -professional associations for barristers and judges in
London).
 The famous actor and poet who emerged in this period was William Shakespeare.
 He was baptized on April 26, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. He was an English poet, playwright and actor and
regarded as the greatest writer and dramatist in the whole world.
 Shakespeare was often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"
 His works consist of about 38 plays. Some of these plays were well-loved Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Much Ado about Nothing.
 The four tragedies considered to be Shakespeare's greatest works were Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.
 Other contemporary playwrights were Christopher Marlowe's (tragedies such as Dr. Faustus and The Jew of Malta),
and Thomas Kyd (The Spanish Tragedy)
 The history plays depicted English or European history. Shakespeare's plays were about the lives of kings, such as
Richard III and Henry V, Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and George Peele's Famous Chronicle of King Edward the
First.
 Comedies were common, too, that dealt with life in London after the fashion of Roman New Comedy. Some of comedy
plays were ―The Shoemaker's Holiday by Thomas Dekker and ―A Chaste Maid in Cheapside by Thomas Middleton.
 For the first time, ballet was performed in public during this period. Ballet is a formalized form of dance which originated
from the Italian Renaissance courts.
 It developed and flourished from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de' Medici, (Queen of France). An early example
of Catherine's development of ballet is through „Le Paradis d' Amour', a piece of work presented at her daughter's wedding,
Marguerite de Valois to Henry of Navarre.
 The first formal ―court ballet ever recognized was, 'Ballet des Polonais' in 1573.
 A true form of royal entertainment, 'Ballet des Polonais' was commissioned by Catherine de' Medici to honor the Polish
Ambassadors who visited Paris for the enthronement of King Henry in Poland.
 Innovations of the Stage:
1. Proscenium was developed. This is the area of a theater surrounding the stage opening. Arches frame and divide the
stage from the audience.
2. Backdrops for scenery were popularized by the art of painting clothes.
3. Commedia dell‟arte or ―Comedy of the Profession was developed. It was quick-witted performance of the
characters/players
Baroque Theater: 1600-1750
 is marked by the use of technology in current Broadways or commercial plays.
 The theater crew uses machines for special effects and scene changes which may be changed in a matter of seconds
with the use of ropes and pulleys.
 This technology affected the content of the performed pieces, practicing at its best the Deus ex Machina (a Latin word
meaning "god from the machine) solution
 the theater was richly decorated, and the multiplicity of plot turns and a variety of situations characteristic of Mannerism (a
variety of approaches or intellectual sophistication as well as using artificial qualities of the play) were succeeded by
the opera.
 The use of theatrical technologies in the Baroque period may be seen in the films like Vatel (2000), Farinelli (1999) and in
the different stage productions of ―”Orpheus” by Claudio Monteverdi.
Neoclassical Theater: 1800-1900
 The Neoclassical period was a movement where the styles of Roman and Greek societies influenced the theater arts.
 the theater was characterized by its grandiosity. Costumes and sceneries were highly elaborate. The main concepts of the
plays were to entertain and to teach lessons. Stages were restyled with dramatic arches to highlight the scenes. Multiple entry
points on the stage were evident in many plays. Lighting and sound effects intensified the mood and message of each scene,
enhancing the dramatic experience.
 The concept of decorum (meaning right and proper audience behavior) was applied in this period which means classical
concepts and appropriate social behavior must be observed.
 This period officially established just two types of plays, tragedy and comedy.
 Three playwrights achieved a significant amount of success.
 Pierre Cornielle (1606 – 1684) was often called the father of the French tragedy, writing scripts for more than four
decades.One of these was “The Cid.
 Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière (1622 – 1673) was known for his comedies, “Tartuffe and The
Missanthrope”was one of his works.
 Jean Racine (1639 – 1699) was a tragedian beloved for his simple approach to action and the linguistic rhythms and effects
he achieved. ―Andromache and Phaedra” was one of his scripts.
 These men were able to take elements from classical Greek and Roman literature and transform them into plays
Romantic Theater: 1800-2000
 During Romantic period, melodrama and ―operas‖ became the most popular theatrical forms..
 Melodrama originated from the French word “melodrame”, which is derived from Greek ―melos”, music, and French
drame”, which is derived from Greek ―dran” to peform.
 Melodrama can be also be described as a dramatic work that puts characters in a lot of danger in order to appeal to the
emotions and in which orchestral music or song was used to accompany the action
 Opera in the other hand is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called a
libretto) and musical score.
  Victor Marie Hugo was born on February 26, 1802 and died on May 22, 1885
 He is considered one of the greatest and best known French writers. He was a poet, novelist, and dramatist of the
Romantic movement
 Among his works that stand out all over the world are “Les Contemplations , La Légende des siècles, Les Misérables, and
Notre-Dame de Paris” which is known as the Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
 Quasimodo, a deformed hunchback, the bell-ringer of Notre Dame had a good heart of helped Esmeralda, a beautiful Gypsy
street dancer with a kind and generous heart. Esmeralda captured the hearts of many men that had always wanted to own
her.
 There are several playwrights that had been known in this period such as, Charles Nodier, George Sand, Heinrich von
Kleist, Ludwig Uhland and many more.
Romantic Composers
Georges Bizet
 Bizet was the only child of Adolphe Armand Bizet( formerly a hairdresser and later became a singer and composer) and Aimee
Marie Louise Leopoldine Josephine Delsarte, (a pianist).
 Carmen is the most popular among his works.
 The opera tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the charms of the sizzling Gypsy,
Carmen
 Some of his stage works are La prêtresse, operetta (1854), Le docteur Miracle, opéra bouffe (1857), Don Procopio,
opéra bouffe (1859), Les pêcheurs de perles, opera (1863), Ivan IV, grand opera (unfinished), La jolie fille de Perth,
opera (1867), Noé, opera by Fromental Halévy finished by Bizet (1869), L'Arlésienne, 'musique de scène' (1872),
Djamileh, one-act opera (1872).
 His contemporary composers during the Romantic period were Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig
van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelsshon and Hector Berlioz
Famous Filipino Playwrights
Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz
 was born on April 2, 1788 in Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan and died on February 20, 1862 of pneumonia.
 He was also known as Francisco Baltazar. His best known work is the Florante at Laura.
 Balagtas learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo. It was de la
Cruz himself who personally challenged Balagtas to improve his writing
 In 1835, Balagtas moved to Pandacan, where he met María Asunción Rivera, who served as the muse for his future works.
She is referenced in Florante at Laura as 'Celia' and 'Mer'.
 Balagtas published Florante at Laura upon his release in 1838
 He died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 73.On his death bed, he asked a favor that none of his children become a poet
like him, who had suffered under his gift. He even told them it would be better to cut their hands off than let them be writers.
 Balagtas is so greatly revered in the Philippines that the term for Filipino debate in extemporaneous verse is named after him:
Balagtasan and one of the greatest literary awards in the Philippines is also named after him.
Severino R. Reyes ( a Playwright )
 "Father of the Tagalog Zarzuela"
 The son of Rufino Reyes and Andrea Rivera, Reyes was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila on February 11, 1861.
 A Filipino writer, dramatist, and playwright, Reyes was highly acclaimed as one of the giants of Tagalog literature
 In 1902, Reyes founded and directed the Grand Compania de Zarzuela Tagala
 On June 14, 1902, the company staged his play Walang Sugat (No Wounds), a drama set against the historical events in
Bulacan during the Philippine revolution.
 In 1923, Reyes co-founded the Liwayway, a Tagalog literary weekly which published a series of fairy tales titled ― Mga
Kuwento ni Lola Basyang‖, written by Reyes. The storyteller, Lola Basyang was based by the author on a neighbor named
Gervacia de Guzman
 Severino Reyes died on September 15, 1942, when the Philippines was under the Japanese regime. .
Dr. Ricardo G. Abad (A Director)
 Born in Manila on August 10, 1946 of parents from Cavite and Camiguin
 Graduated at the Ateneo de Manila, after which he obtained a Fulbright grant to finish a doctorate in sociology at Fordham
University in New York.
 Has been involved as actor and director in over 120 productions while at the same time doing sociological work as teacher,
researcher, and editor.
 He has also directed and acted for professional companies like Teatro Pilipino and Tanghalang Pilipino of the Cultural Center
of the Philippines, and the Metropolitan Theater.
Salvador F. Bernal (Father of Theater Design in the Philippines)
 Born in 1945 to a family that ran a Terno shop
 He was the first to develop theater design as a profession and elevate it to an art form.
 Studied at Ateneo de Manila and at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, practiced and handled courses in the art
and craft of theater design.
 He had designed more than 250 productions in ballet, theater and film.
 National Artist awardee
4Q ARTS: WESTERN CLASSICAL PLAYS/ OPERA

ACTICITY 1: EVOUOUTION OF THEATER

DIRECTION: FILL- UP THE TABLE WITH THE NECESSARY INFORMATION FROM THE TOPIC. DO THIS IN A WHOLE SHEET
OF PAPER.

PERIOD CHARACTERISTICS THEATER NAME/ EXAMPLE DESCRIPTIONS

A. ANCIENT/GREEK
THEATER

B. ROMAN THEATER

C. MEDIEVAL
THEATER

D. RENAISSANCE
THEATER

E. BAROQUE
THEATER

F. NEOCLASSICAL
THEATER

G. ROMANTIC
COMPOSERS

ACTIVITY 2:

DIRECTION: EXPLAIN/ DEFINE THE FOLLOWING: (2 POINTS EACH)

1. THEATER
2. ELEMENTS OF THEATER
3. DIONYSUS
4. TRAGEDY
5. THESPIS
6. COMEDY
7. SATYR
8. ETRUSCAN
9. MYSTERY OF ADAM
10. MORALITY PLAYS
11. COMMEDIA DELL ARTE
12. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
13. FOUR TRAGEDIES
14. BALLET
15. BALLET DES OLONAIS
16. MANNERISM
17. DECORUM
18. THREE PALYWRIGHTS
19. VICTOR HUGO
20. GEORGES BIZET
21. CARMEN
22. FRANCISCO BALAGTAS
23. SEVERINA REYES
24. RICARDO ABAD
25. SALVADOR BERNAL