Roman Theater

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.
Triumvir Pompey- was one of the first permanent (non-wooden) theatres
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. Themes for
Roman theater plays
1. chariots races
2. gladiators
3. public executions
Theatre of Pompey Chariots Races

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. Eventually, 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

Commedia dell'arte Knight Masque

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) Public theatres were developed like, the Commedia dell'arte (Italian comedy and a humorous theatrical
presentation) and the elaborate masques (a dramatic entertainment consisting of pantomime, dancing, dialogue, and song and
sometimes players wore masks).
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,
The famous actor and poet who emerged in this period was William Shakespeare. Some of these plays were well-loved Romeo
and Juliet, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Much Ado about Nothing.
Ballet -was performed in public during this period.
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).

Ballet de la nuit
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
Baroque period 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.
Where the character gods were finally able to come down from the heavens and rescue the hero in dangerous
situations.
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 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 idea of changing scenery and backdrops become more noticeable, particularly with the invention of
pulley systems that allowed parts to move more quickly across the stage.
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.

An 18th-century Neoclassical theatre in Ostankino, Moscow

This period officially established just two types of plays, tragedy and comedy. This restriction led to the use of
the now well-known pair of happy and sad masks that symbolize the theatrical arts. Tragedies portrayed the
complex and fateful lives of the upper classes and royals, while comedies, which were either public discourse or
comedies of manners, tended to focus on the lower ranks of society
Three playwrights
1. Pierre Cornielle (1606 – 1684) was often called the father of the French tragedy, writing scripts for more than
four decades.
2.The Cid ”. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière (1622 – 1673) was known for his comedies,
3.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

TRIVIA about the Neoclassical Theater:

1. The first "spotlight" was used in the U.S. during this period and was called the "Limelight

2. The Theatre Regulation Act of 1843 banned drinking in legitimate theaters. Many tavern owners took
advantage of the situation and renovated their establishments to accommodate live performances

Romantic Theater
1800-2000 Romantic
Playwrights:
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. Such as acting, scenery,
and costumes and dance were important elements of the theater. It is usually performed in an opera house,
accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.

Victor Marie Hugo

- Was born on February 26, 1802 and died on May 22, 1885.
-One of the greatest and best known French writers.
-He was a poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement.
Hugo's literary fame comes from his poetry, novels and his dramatic achievements.
Among his works
“Les Contemplations La Légende des siècles Les Misérables, Notre-Dame de Paris”

Different Western Classical Plays and Opera A.

Greek:

Sophocles-Playwright
-is an ancient Greek tragedian. His contemporary playwrights were Aeschylus, and Euripides. Sophocles wrote 123 plays, but only
seven have survived in a complete form:
Ajax, Antigone, The Women of Trachis, Oedipus( Ee dih - pus) the King, Electra
, Philoctetes and Oedipus at Colonus.
Sophocles was the most famous playwright. He won first place in 24 out of 30 competitions and was never judged lower than
second place. Aeschylus won 14 competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles, while Euripides won only 4
competitions The most famous tragedies of Sophocles were Oedipus and Antigone:

Oedipus Rex
(Sophocles-Playwright) Main Characters:
Oedipus - the king of Thebes Creon - Oedipus brother-in-law Eurydice - Creon’s wife
Apollo - god or oracle of Delphi King Laius - father of Oedipus Jocasta - mother and wife of Oedipus
Polynices and Eteocles – sons of Oedipus Tiresias - the blind prophet Polybus - Oedipus foster father
Merope - Oedipus foster mother Antigone and Ismene – the daughters of Oedipus
Haemon - Antigone’s lover Sphinx- the half-human half-lion that symbolizes plague and misfortune

Theatrical Elements:
Genre: Tragedy
Number of Characters per Play: 1 to 3 characters only, but they can portray
other characters.The Chorus: consists of twelve (12) members, all of whom wore identical masks since they were
supposed to be of like mind and opinion
Masks: The use of masks acts to advance the universality of the themes and the dramatic impact of the events
and to keep the audience from being distracted by the actual, physical attributes of the actors Oedipus: a gold
mask with exaggerated deep empty eye sockets

Jocasta: the wife of Laius, mother of Oedipus, the expression of her mask depends on the scene of the play
Antigone and Ismene : white face, dark under the eyes and sad-looking

Creon : brother in-law of Oedipus, mad

or angry facial expression, with crown
Gestures and Movements:
Music:
Sophocles also used the Chorus at the beginning of the play to help tell the audience the given
circumstances of the play..
Costumes: Men wore loose floor length poncho with pleated shoulder while
Females wore draped robes

Staging: The Parthenon’s façade: has the design of Ionic order columns with cornice and moldings on the top,
and elevated by 5 step-risers at the center; and has a platform in front near the audience.
Elements/Principles of the Greek Play:
Actors: Festivals: Voice: Facial
Expression
3 Actors in Lenaia and The delivery: Facial
tragedy Dionysia declamatory expression is
(Add 5 actors in not important
comedy) because of the
masks they
wear.
Movements: Music: Venue : Audience:
Conventionalized, The musical Auditorium on Audience: the
stylized or accompaniment the slope of spectators
symbolic gestures for drama is Acropolis which standing or
like those in played on a flute. is panoramic seated on the
mimetic dance landscape. slope of
Acropolis;

B. Renaissance

Romeo and Juliet

(William Shakespeare)
Genre: Tragedy
-He was born and baptized on April 26 1564 and died on April 23 1616.
-At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and
Judith.
-He was an English poet and playwright, widely known as the greatest writer in the English language and the
world's pre-eminent dramatist.
-He’s been known also as the "Bard of Avon". -His
existing works consist of about:
38 plays,
154 sonnets, two long
narrative poems
With the exception of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's most famous tragedy and one of the world's most
enduring love stories,
- Shakespeare also wrote several comedies during his early period:
A Midsummer Night's Dream Merchant of Venice Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It and Twelfth Night Titus Andronicus
The Comedy of Errors The Taming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Later Works: Tragedies and Tragicomedies Hamlet King Lear Othello
Theatrical Elements:
Staging for Romeo and Juliet:
The stage itself was divided into three levels:
• a main stage area with doors at the rear and a curtained area
at the back for "discovery scenes";
an upper, canopied area called "heaven", for balcony
scenes; and
an area under the stage called "hell," which could be
accessed through a trap door in the stage

Props:
Props in this play may vary depend on the scene/act the learners are going to perform. Here are lists of props one may use for the
play.
Dagger Drums
Shovel Champagne Glasses/Champagne
Laundry Basket with Clothing Small Tree Scarves(Shawls)
w/ Bulb Champagne Glass Garbage
Fireworks/Poppers/Bubbles
Montague Sword Handkerchief
Capulet Broadsword Basket/collecting device
Grocery Bags w Scarf
Vendor Cart/Tray Small Bouquet of Flowers
Items for Cart/Tray Sheet for Lovers to wrap themselves in
Women's Handbag Vial of Potion
Broom, Shovel Invitation
Garbage Can Party Invitation
Sheets, Pillow for bed. Torches/Lamps (Flashlights)
Mirror or Mirror Frame Banners

Characters:
Montague’s Family:
Romeo — sole heir to the Montague fortune Lord Montague — Romeo’s father Lady Montague — Romeo’s mother
Benvolio — Romeo’s cousin Balthasar — Romeo’s faithful servant Abraham — Montague servant

Capulet’s Family
Juliet — sole heir to the Capulet fortune Lord Capulet — Juliet’s father Lady Capulet — Juliet’s mother
Tybalt — Juliet’s cousin The Nurse — Juliet’s faithful Nurse Peter — Capulet servant Sampson
— Capulet servant Gregory — Capulet servant

Other Characters:
Friar Lawrence — friend and advisor to Romeo and Juliet Mercutio — Romeo’s best friend; Prince’s kinsman
Prince Escalus — Prince of Verona; kinsman to Mercutio and Paris Paris — Loves Juliet
Rosaline — Romeo’s first love who never actually appears in the play Friar John — Friar Lawrence’s friend
Apothecary — Romeo’s acquaintance in Mantua
Costumes:

King Queen Prince Princess

Peasant/Servant Man Peasantl/Servant Girl Knight Friar

Carmen (Georges Bizet) Opera

C. Romantic Period
Georges Bizet
(Composer, Arranger)

Main Characters of Carmen:

Carmen (soprano) Don Jose (tenor) El Dancairo (baritone)
El Remendado (tenor) Escamillo (baritone) Frasquita (mezzo-soprano)
Mercedes (mezzo-soprano) Micaela (soprano) Morales (bass) Zuniga
(bass)
Costumes: Carmen Spaniard Soldier

Famous Filipino Playwrights Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz

He was born on April 2, 1788 in Panginay, Bigaa, Bulacan Died on February 20, 1862 of
pneumonia.
He was also known as Francisco Baltazar.
His best known work is the Florante at Laura.
Francisco Balagtas was the youngest of the four children of Juan Balagtas, a blacksmith, and
Juana de la Cruz.
He studied in a parochial school in Bigaa and later in Manila
During his childhood years. Francisco worked as houseboy in Tondo, Manila.
Balagtas learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the most famous poets of Tondo.
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'. He
died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 73.

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. - He
studied at San Juan de Letran College and later at the University of Sto. Tomas, where he studied philosophy.
- A Filipino writer, dramatist, and playwright,
-He 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 historical events in Bulacan during the Philippine revolution.
Severino Reyes died on September 15, 1942,

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.
- Full-time Faculty, Department of Sociology and Anthropology;
-Artistic Director, Tanghalang Ateneo Metrobank Network of Outstanding
Teachers Pathways/ANI, Ateneo de Manila University Role Players,
Theater for Life Social Weather Stations
-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.
-Theater Guild. Many of his theater productions were classics of western
drama but in terms of a Filipino and Asian sensibility, like Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet.

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.
• Taught briefly at Ateneo de Manila and University of the Philippines • He had
designed more than 250 productions in ballet, theater and film.
• National Artist awardee