Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 212 views

    Medieval Theatre

    Uploaded by

    Nati Dure
    Medieval theatre originated from liturgical dramas performed in churches to enact Bible stories. These dramas later expanded and were performed in town squares in the languages of the people. Three popular types of religious plays emerged: mystery plays dramatized Bible stories, miracle plays depicted saints' lives, and morality plays used religious themes to teach moral lessons. Performances involved craft guild members and utilized portable stage wagons. Medieval theatre declined as the church's political power waned and with the Protestant Reformation's move toward secular performances.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Medieval Theatre

    Uploaded by

    Nati Dure
    212 views12 pages
    Medieval theatre originated from liturgical dramas performed in churches to enact Bible stories. These dramas later expanded and were performed in town squares in the languages of the people. Three popular types of religious plays emerged: mystery plays dramatized Bible stories, miracle plays depicted saints' lives, and morality plays used religious themes to teach moral lessons. Performances involved craft guild members and utilized portable stage wagons. Medieval theatre declined as the church's political power waned and with the Protestant Reformation's move toward secular performances.

    Original Description:

    Medieval theatre in England

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Medieval theatre originated from liturgical dramas performed in churches to enact Bible stories. These dramas later expanded and were performed in town squares in the languages of the people. Three popular types of religious plays emerged: mystery plays dramatized Bible stories, miracle plays depicted saints' lives, and morality plays used religious themes to teach moral lessons. Performances involved craft guild members and utilized portable stage wagons. Medieval theatre declined as the church's political power waned and with the Protestant Reformation's move toward secular performances.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    212 views12 pages

    Medieval Theatre

    Uploaded by

    Nati Dure
    Medieval theatre originated from liturgical dramas performed in churches to enact Bible stories. These dramas later expanded and were performed in town squares in the languages of the people. Three popular types of religious plays emerged: mystery plays dramatized Bible stories, miracle plays depicted saints' lives, and morality plays used religious themes to teach moral lessons. Performances involved craft guild members and utilized portable stage wagons. Medieval theatre declined as the church's political power waned and with the Protestant Reformation's move toward secular performances.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 12

    Medieval Theatre

    The “dark ages”


    • The Middle Ages were the period between
    500a.d.-1000a.d.
    • The fall of the Roman Empire marked the
    beginning of this era
    • Cities were abandoned and life became more
    agriculturally focused
    • The Roman Catholic Church controlled religion,
    education, and politics
    Rebirth of Theatre in the Middle Ages
    • The church shut down all theatrical activities for
    200-300 years, but jugglers, minstrels, and
    mimes still traveled from town to town.
    • Theatre was (ironically) reborn in the church in
    the form of liturgical dramas
    • In a liturgical drama, priests or members of
    the choir would enact small segments of the
    bible to eventually become short drama
    performances
    • In the beginning, the liturgical dramas were
    performed in Latin
    Rebirth of Theatre
    • Later on, the liturgical dramas expanded
    into longer plays based on biblical stories and
    were performed in town squares, not in churches
    • These later performances were called
    vernacular drama because the were
    performed in the everyday speech of the people
    Medieval Drama
    3 types of religious plays were popular in the
    Medieval Period
    • Mystery (cycle) Plays: dramatized biblical
    events from Adam and Eve in the Old Testament
    through the stories of Christ in the New
    Testament
    • Miracle (cycle) Plays: dramatized the lives
    of Saints
    • Morality Plays: used religious characters and
    themes to teach a moral lesson
    The Plays
    • Virtually all of the plays were short; equivalent to one act
    plays today

    • Mystery and Miracle plays were often strung together to


    form a series known as a cycle

    • Often times, the story was taken out of the Biblical era
    and placed in present day. Also, the character were given
    conventional new names.

    • The plays mixed comedy and drama


    Medieval Theatre Production
    • The plays took place across Europe including
    Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and
    England
    • Large stages were set up in the town square.
    These set ups were called mansions
    • Another convention was the use of pageant
    wagons which were rolling wagons that
    contained scenery and costuming including a
    backstage area and stage space.
    Medieval Theatre Production
    • The stage accommodated any change in scenery
    by standing as a universal set or unidentified
    space.
    • This freedom of movement based on
    imagination was later developed and perfected
    by Renaissance Theatre in Spain and England
    The Performers
    • The performers were usually local trade workers
    called Craft guilds.
    • These lay people (silversmiths, leather workers,
    carpenters, etc) rehearsed extensively and
    provided their own costumes & props
    • The productions could be quite lengthy, some
    lasted as long as 25 days.
    The decline of the Middle Ages
    • Decline of religious theatre occurred due to the
    weakening of the church as a source of political
    power
    • The Protestant Reformation was largely
    responsible for the decline of religious material
    and for the movement toward secular, or non-
    religious, theatre
    • The Renaissance is born!

    You might also like