Theatre History Timeline

Primitive (?-600 BC)

Very little is known about primitive theatre other than it was most likely used to re-enact hunts. It might have then evolved from after a hunt, to before a hunt and became a ritual to bring good luck.

Greek/Roman (600 BC – 600 AD)

Tragedy, comedy, and satyr play all emerged from the Greek city of Athens. The drama masks are an iconic convention of classic Greek theatre. Roman theatre is very similar to Greek theatre. Two genres, drama and comedy, were prominent in the Roman empire. The Roman stage was laid out like the Greek theatre were you had a backstage area, a place for the audience, and an orchestra.

Significant playwrights include: Plautus, Seneca, Lucius Accius

Medieval (925 AD – 1537 AD

Medieval theatre began by churches trying to explain new religions to the illiterate population. They began staging dramatizations of biblical events on certain days of the year. The four main types of plays in this time period were mummers plays, mystery plays, morality plays, and miracle plays.

Significant playwrights include: Hrosvitha, Suckling, Adam de la Halle

Renaissance (1537 AD – 1660 AD)

The first permanent theatre, the Red Lion, opened in 1567, and soon, many others followed for example, The Theatre. The drama genre became a huge phenomenon in England. The theatres were generally built from plaster and timber, and were three stories tall. Many theatres were closed during the time of the plague.

Significant playwrights include: William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson

Restoration (1660 AD – 1750 AD)

Restoration theatre speaks of English comedies produced during that time period. Many of the performers who were on stage during this time became the first celebrities. The decline of comedy was due to two theatre companies converging, bringing a decline to the amount of comedies being written.

Significant playwrites include: George Etherege, William Wycherly, William Congreve

Romanticism (1750 AD – 1850 AD)

Napoleon led Europe away from Rationalism, into Romanticism. It was sometimes refered to as a return to the Middle Ages because of the return of the church. In the later years of Romanticism theatre, the industrial revolution evolved the theatres because of things such as gas lighting.

Significant playwrights include: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Friedrich Schiller

Realism (1850 AD – 1875 AD)

Realism focused on everyday drama, normal speech, and normal settings. Realism came around for three main reasons. One, August Comte developed a theory known as Positivism. Two, Charles Darwin published the book called The Origin of Species. Three, Karl Marx created a political philosophy against ubanization.

Significant playwrights include: Emile Augier, Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw

Modern (1875 AD – 1915 AD)

Modernism was a European movement that broke away from traditional forms of theatre and arts. Modernism is often credited to the fallout World War 1.

Significant playwrights include: Edward Albee, Caryl Churchill, Lillian Hellman

Musical

Musical theatre is a form of modern theatre that incorperates songs and dance into theatre. Many plays were aimed to urge racial harmony such as West Side Story. Musicals are very similar to operas except for a few factors. Musicals have much more spoken dialogue, and there is usually more dancing encorperated within the song numbers.

Significant playwrights include: Arthur Laurents, Elton John, Gaston Leroux

Information From: Prezi