Realism
Theatre 101: Introduction to Theatre
Theatre In the Industrial Age - Historical Background 1800-1900
  1. The Industrial Revolution (1800-1860)
    1. Cotton Gin
    2. Mechanization
    3. Mass migration to urban areas
    4. Poor living conditions
  2. Theory of Evolution
    1. Charles Darwin
    2. Natural Selection
    3. Connects man with animals
    4. Science and Church in conflict
  3. Positivism
    1. August Compte
    2. Human behavior is explainable and predictable by science
  4. Psychoanalysis
    1. Sigmund Freud
    2. The human mind is subject to scientific study
    3. Human actions can be predicted and explained
  5. Socialism
    1. Karl Marx
    2. Das Kapital, The Communist Manifesto
    3. Accepted political and religious norms are challenged
    4. Extends humanist doctrine
Contemporary Popular Theatre Prior to Realism
  1. Melodrama
  2. Vaudeville
  3. Opera
Theatrical Reactions to the Times
  1. Truth is derived through the Five Senses
  2. Drama as a mirror on Real Life
  3. Dwells on Heredity, Environment, Cause and Effect
  4. Attacked Social Evils
  5. Acting relies on Psychological Analysis
Theatrical Movements
  1. Realism
    1. Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekov, George Bernard Shaw
    2. Plays deal with real world problems
      1. Divorce - A Doll's House
    3. Real people struggling through real situations
    4. 4th wall
    5. Stanislavski's "Method"
      1. Based on emotional recall and psychoanalysis
  2. Naturalism
    1. Emile Zola
      1. French philosopher
      2. Wanted to scientifically view life on stage
    2. Maksim Gorky's play The Lower Depths
      1. Dealt with the living conditions of factory workers
      2. The set design was made to smell and feel authentic
    3. Nothing left to the imagination.
      1. National Geographic type recreations
Key Players in the Theatre
  1. Konstantin Stanislavski
    1. The Method
  2. George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
    1. The Meiningen Players
    2. Ensemble Acting
    3. Attention to historic detail
    4. Unifies all theatrical elements
      1. Father of Modern Directing
Key Concepts
  1. The 4th Wall
  2. Box Sets with extreme attention to detail
    1. David Balasco buys a restaurant and rebuilds it onstage (The Governor's Lady, 1912)
    2. Andre Antoine has a set built with 4 real walls
  3. Star System vs. Ensemble
  4. Theatre audiences were fanatical
    1. "Old Price Riot"
      1. Covent Garden theatre
      2. Owner, John Philip Kemble raised prices
      3. Working class fans revolted
    2. Astor Place Riot in NYC
      1. May 8, 1849
      2. W.C. Macready vs. Edwin Forrest
        1. Realistic acting vs. Presentational
      3. Forrest's fans prevented Macready from performing. When he performed, 15 thousand attacked the theatre, 22 people were killed
  5. Electric Lighting
    1. Safer than flame
    2. Infinitely more controllable
      1. Colors
      2. Shuttering
Independent Theatre Movement
  1. Theatre Companies start in every major city
    1. Winning the audiences from Melodrama
    2. Moscow Art Theatre - K. Stanislavski - Moscow
    3. Die Freie Buhne - Otto Braum - Berlin
    4. Theatre Libre - Andre Antoine - Paris
  2. Places of theatrical risk taking and discovery
  3. League of theatre owners
  4. Subscriber audiences
Updated 11/02/03
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