1. Discuss the French Royal Theatre.
2. Discuss the rise of Realism and Naturalism.
3. Discuss the history of threatre in America.
4. Discuss the history of the American Musical Theatre.
5. Discuss the Current Theatre.
Today we stand in the midst of a world society, a world vastly beyond the wildest dreams of most playwrights of a few decades ago, a society of constant and often turmoilous change, a society in which each generation is vastly diverse and divergent from the previous generation. A world of sonic booms, atomic booms, of rampant plagues and tribulations, of seemingly endless wars and political hubbub. This is a world of strong issues and oppressions longing for expression, and a world in which theatre can not help but be a part. We stand at the point in time where theatre is the most diverse, not only in its forms and locations, but also in the myriad of promotional avenues that surround its production; therefore, it is a difficult objective to evaluate the current status and influence of theatre. As we stand on this top floor of theatrical history, we can evaluate the building blocks that have lifted us here, we can review the construction models that are still in use, and we can inspect the mortar that binds the theater-of-time together. "Almost certainly, theatre companies the world over will continue to present a large number of plays from past eras...and will 'conserve' many of the theatre's traditional...ways of working" (Cohen 278).
It was noted, that great periods of theatre tend to appear between society's great bursts of creative energy and intellectual structuring; thus, we can conclude that new great periods of theatre are as much dependent on the developmental swings of society as society is influenced by theatre. As we approach the third millennium of human society, we can wonder if theatre is winding down and waiting for that span between society's creative energies and structuring, or are we now in the midst of such a gap in which new creative diversities of theatre evolve as landmarks in the history books? This is a large and interesting question, and one that only time will answer - for the fascinating forms and thrills of today's theatre may quickly disperse with a slight wind of time, but there are current trends and shifts that appear to be of recognizable important to the history and evolution of theatre.
The course of the modern theatre was set in the late 1800s by the duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who organized a company devoted to revolutionary theatrical principles in that time, but now are accepted as standard. He set forth that the primary purpose of a production was to give a true and faithful rendering of the play, that the entire group must work together like an orchestra with scenery and costumes being authentic. The tours of this troupe influenced Antoine's Theatre Libre in Paris and Constantin Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre, which in turn influenced theatre groups in many other countries down to America and the present-day Theatre Guild and little theatre movements.
In discussing the current threatre, I shall mark 1960 as a reference of beginning the era, mainly as it is the time period of my life and it is a point in history that seems to separate history with more recent influential conflicts and issues. The violent social decades following the 1960s were marked by assassinations of great leaders (Ghandi, King, Kennedy...) political and racial riots (Watts, Johannesburg, Vietnam, Watergate, L.A....) and it was a time to confront past and present horrors (the Nazi Holocaust, Indian massacres, and environmental problems) and becoming aware of persisting social issues. It was a frightening reality when mass media brought the horrors of war into the common living room (Vietnam) but is was also a frightening extreme in which theatre confronted the turmoil of the world - bold profanity, total nudity, open copulation, and direct political accusation became almost commonplace. But in comparison to the Roman Theatre, which had to compete with the gladiatorial events of its day, theatre of the 1960s, had to compete with the mass media gladiatorial events of war and political intrigue. In contrast, the Romans were specifically attempting to attract crowds, and it could be argued that the theatre of the 1960s, was attempting to force the issue to the front by attracting attention. All this was a transforming crisis of the age known as modernism - a style that developed at the end of the nineteenth century with it complete break from the past and freedom to redefine convention. Perhaps the violent era of the 1960s, caused it to redefine too much.
The 1970s, found itself demanding a more intelligent and focused response to issues as well as being more confined by restrictions. Even the radical extremity which modernism used to push the issues of the day failed to examine hidden issues of the times, and perhaps only served to hide or be a distraction from them. Theatre would begin to examine individual problems and bring them to collective attention - it would examine collective problems and bring them to individual attention. This served a far better means in which to restudy the crises of a contemporary society. The more refined organization of theatre to present the problems and issues of the day correspond to the comments of Ralph Waldo Emerson, in that human thought becomes increasingly refined and better organized as it passes through the minds of succeeding generations.
Currently, we are in the "postmodern" era of theatre, which is broken into three major movements: revival, postmodern experiment, and open theatre.
The Theatre of Revival is perhaps today's renaissance: a theatre that seeks to revive styles of the past, including the recent past "modern" theatre of the 1960s, as well as Shakespeare, Romanticism, and musicals of the "golden era" of the 1940s to 1960s. It is a theatre that is tried and true: familiar, entertaining, and aesthetically satisfying for its audience. Since the problems of humanity remain fairly constant throughout the ages, the Theatre of Revival is still capable of addressing serious and tangible problems around the world. But leaning on the past for mere recreation does not place it on the cutting edge of innovation and creativity.
The Theatre of Postmodern Experiment represents an unanalysisable way of thought or non-thought. In its approach it dismisses logic and cause-and-effect, it relies on random association and reflections (perhaps something more appreciable under the influence of LSD). It is a style that is not about something in particular, nor of any event in particular - it is about art, or "art for art's sake." It might be so presented as to "deconstruct" itself, so as to make us think about ourselves, if not the state of the artist's mind. The roots of such oddness are found in the Antirealism Theatre that sprung up against Realism with forms that included Dada of the 1910s in Switzerland and the 1920s of Berlin and Paris. Current examples of this funny quark theatre are Samuel Beckett's Happy Days (1961) and Rocabye (1981) or Robert Schenkkan's Pulitzer Prize-winner, The Kentucky Cycle.
The Open Theatre is a theatre that spans the gambit of interests, cultures, and individuals of society. This is perhaps the theatre that is the most influential of the times: a theatre that has evolved over the course of time to be the most modern diverse theatre of an atomic age society. The Open Theatre started with Joseph Chaikin in 1963, with his combined production of social improvisation and Brechtian techniques that resulted in a play that allowed direct interaction with the audience addressing immediate concerns. The Open theatre is continually developing in grounds that comprise and address issues from all levels of gender, race, physical condition, and sexual preference. It is the theatre best suited to address the individual issues and problems of any one group or minority in a multicultural modern world.
The theatre of today is more diverse than it has been at any other time in history, and perhaps is not at its full diversity. It has come to encompass women not merely as actors, but as playwrights and major forces in the creation and production of theatre ideas and stagecraft. It has come to represent a vast array of minorities and their issues. It has expanded across cultural differences and stereotypes to build bridges. It has crossed the gender\sexual role long established to present the ever increasing equality-in-difference of a modern society. It has trampled the racial barriers of prejudice that has separated a common human race for so long. It is crossing the gap of interaction between audience and actor in a variety of on-stage and off-stage methods. The theatre of today is not reserved solely for the professional, but takes place at all levels of society and in every community. It occurs on street corners, in churches, in community centers, in high schools, in community colleges, in universities, in theme parks, in dinner theatres, on television, on the Internet, and many other nooks and crannies yet unknown.
1. Discuss the French Royal Theatre.
2. Discuss the rise of Realism and Naturalism.
3. Discuss the history of threatre in America.
4. Discuss the history of the American Musical Theatre.
5. Discuss the Current Theatre.