毓 僑 中 學

PHILIPPINE YUH CHIAU SCHOOL

Del Pilar, Cabatuan, Isabela
Transforming Lives through Education with Quality Assurance
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
SY 2022-2023
HANDOUT 1: ARTS 9
MAIN TOPIC: Theater
SUBTOPICS: Greek, Medieval, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romantic

What is theater?
Theater is a form of art that is presented through a
collaborative effort. It is usually performed in a particular
place such as a stage. It uses live performers or actors to tell
a story, real or imagines, in front of a live audience.
Performers use combinations of gestures, speech, sound,
music, and dance to communicate this story.
ORIGIN OF THEATER
Theater is a part of human history. It is seen in
ancient wall paintings, artifacts, and decorations. The art of
theater originated from the rituals and ceremonies of our ancestors; these rites often incorporated costume, song,
and dance. These rituals were perceived by our ancestors as important because they helped please the gods and
in turn delivered a bountiful harvest. These ceremonies soon became tradition and resulted in myths and legends.
Storytelling was an important part in spreading the myths to the young. It soon included movements and acting
that became not only informative but also entertaining. It was a way for the community to impart lessons and
values of the tribe to future generations.
Storytelling events became more elaborate and extensive. Roles were specified and the venue became
more permanent. And soon the theater was born.
Some of the earliest forms of theater were found in ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians narrated the life
of the pharaohs. Early theater came as a form of a ceremony to act out the death and resurrection of Osiris, the
Egyptian god of death and fertility.
I. GREEK AND ROMAN THEATERS
The origins of Greek theater were also in connection with honoring
the gods specifically the god of fertility and wine, Dionysus. The festival
was celebrated as a competition among the playwrights. Their works were
staged, and the winner would have his tripod (a three-legged bronze
cauldron that serves as a trophy in the modern times) displayed on
monuments that surround the theater.
Three Types of Greek Play:
1. Tragedy
• It is a play in which the main character goes through a series of
events that lead to his/her own downfall or demise.

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 2. Comedy
• It is a type of play in which life is represented in light and sometimes ironic episodes
3. Satyr
• It is a genre of ancient Greek drama that preserves the structure and characters of tragedy while
adopting a happy atmosphere and a rural background.
The ancient Greeks stages their plays in open-air theaters
called amphitheaters; surviving examples of which are the Theater of
Dionysus in Athens, Greece and the Theater of Epidaurus. These
open theaters can seat thousands of spectators. They consist of a
semicircular plan with elevated bleachers surrounding the stage. The
stage where the actors and the chorus is performed is called the
orchestra. Later on, the skene was added to be used as a backdrop and
where the actors can hide and change their costumes. The Greek
theaters were so well-designed in terms of acoustics that even the
softest whisper can be heard from the last row.
The Greeks also pioneered different stage elements. They used trapdoors to help actors enter and exit the
stage. They used trapdoors to help actors enter and exit the stage. The skene had the pinakes, or painted panels
that serve as scenic elements and were placed in front of openings. They used a crane called mechane that was
used to make an actor appear as if he/she is flying. A platform was used to wheel in a dead character for the
audience to see which was called ekkyklema.

Greek Theater Music

The Greeks were also one of the first to incorporate music in their plays. Music was often used to represent
a mystical scene or to suggest that a character is in deep thought. They also provide accompaniment to the chorus,
which is a group of players who would give background information or comments regarding the events that are
unfolding in the scene. The chorus was composed of twelve to fifteen members who can sing, dance, or recite
their lines.
Greek Theater Actors, Costumes, and Props
Greek plays utilized costumes and various simple props. Thick boots and enlarged gloves helped make
the actor look taller and bigger. This made their movements easier for the audience to see. Actors had to
exaggerate their movements and say their lines loudly in order for the audience to see and hear them from afar.

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 They also used masks called prosopon that had exaggerated facial expressions. These masks were different
for each character to help people distinguish one character from another even from far away.
The masks also helped actors switch from one character to another. In a traditional Greek play, only three
actors performed all the speaking roles. All the other performers were assigned to the chorus. The members of
the chorus have identical masks since they were considered as one character.
WESTERN PLAYS AND OPERA
I. MEDIEVAL THEATER
During the medieval period, the Catholic Church declared that theaters were sinful/ The only type of
theater that was considered moral was the liturgical drama. Liturgical dramas are plays
based on the stories from the Bible or the lives of the saints.
These were performed during church services and were staged on a platform at the side
of the altar. They built stages called mansions. As its popularity increased, the Church
allowed plays to be performed in public and staged in movable mansions called
pageant wagons that were set up in plazas where the public could watch it. After a
while, the Church lessened its restrictions on theater plays that allowed the formation
of theater companies. These theater troupes traveled across the region.

II. RENAISSANCE THEATER

English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, or (commonly) as Elizabethan
theatre, refers to the theatre of England between 1562 and 1642. This is the style of the plays of William
Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson.

The Renaissance style soon arrived in England. English Renaissance theater, focused on human existence
and nature. There were two types of theaters during the English Renaissance: public and private theater.

Public theater performed comedies, tragedies, history plays, and domestic and city plays that depicted the
everyday lives of the people. Many Shakespearean plays were performed in public theaters and contained a high
degree of poetry as evidenced by its used of the sonnets, soliloquies, etc.

Private theater was for the nobility and by invitation only. Favored themes for this type of theater were
the Italian intermezzi and pastoral plays.

English Renaissance Playwright

The Renaissance produced not only art masters like da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, but also some
of the greatest playwrights in history like Christopher Marlowe who wrote Doctor Faustus, a play about a man
who sold his soul to the devil to gain knowledge.

Another well-known playwright of the Renaissance and perhaps of all time was William Shaespeare.
William Shakespeare was a master in expressing emotion in writing. With this talent, he was able to create a
rapport between the audience and the actors.

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English Renaissance Theater Design
Public theaters were found outside the city limits of London. There were nine public theater s in operation
during the Renaissance period, namely, the Swan, The Curtain, The Hope, The Fortune, The Rose, The Theater,
The Globe, and two others whose names have been lost.
Permanent theaters were constructed throughout England starting the end of the sixteenth century.
Theaters, particularly English theaters, followed a typical plan where a multistory building made of galleries was
built around a polygonal-shaped space. The gallery surrounds the three sides of the stage that leaves the back free
for the movement of the actors and the stage equipment. In between the galleries and the stage is the pit, a cental
yard that was open to the elements. The admission prices differ where you are seated. The more affluent members
sat on the gallery that was made of wood and covered with a thatched roof that made it susceptible to fires, while
the pit -priced the least -was unroofed.
The image below is the restored Globe Theater in London. This was where Shakespeare staged many of
his plays. This also follows the typical architecture of the theaters built during the Renaissance.

Globe Theater in London

The Renaissance stage is more intimate compared to the layout of Greek theaters. The stage is closer to
the audience and is surrounded on three sides.
The English theaters were closed down in the middle of the 1600s by the English Protestants called the
puritans since they believed that it was sinful.
Renaissance Actors, Costumes, and Props
The backdrop and stage design of the public English theaters were often simple, if not bare; most of the
props used were just furniture pieces. Furniture was used to represent something else, such as chair could be made
to represent a throne. Lighting was dependent on natural light or torches to provide illumination to the play.
The costumes used in English plays were often fashionable at the time. Costumes were under the
responsibility of the actors. They were the ones who decide which type of costume is appropriate for their
character. Costumes were quite expensive, which is why many times they would be reused in different
productions. If the play is a period piece, often only the main character would be the one in a historical attire,
while the rest of the actors would just be wearing current clothing.
English theaters companied were comprised of male actors. The female roles were usually played by
young men in women’s clothes.
Acting gestures were also exaggerated, and their facial expressions were theatrical. Actors were more
concerned with communicating the message of the scene rather than giving a realistic performance.
Private theaters, however, showcased elaborate scenery, lavish costumes, singing and dancing. They were
presented in proscenium stages with painted scenery that employed perspective. Machines were used to change
scenery similar to the ones found in the Italian Renaissance theaters.
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