Theaters Greek Theater From 7 th Century

Theaters

Greek Theater (From 7 th Century B. C. E)

The Land • The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic. • Greece is located in southeast Europe, in the Aegean Sea, close to both Africa and Asia. • The capital and largest city in Greece is Athens. • Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. • Ancient Greece is said to have laid the foundation for Western civilization, having a large influence on the Roman Empire and European culture.

The Greek Theater Masks of comedy and tragedy The stage

Three Main Portions of Greek Theater: • Skene – Portion of stage where actors performed (included 1 -3 doors in and out) • Orchestra – “Dancing Place” where chorus sang to the audience • Theatron – Seating for audience

Sophocles

Theatre of Dionysus

Theater of Epidauros

Types of plays • Tragedy • Comedy • Satire

Roman Theater (From Approximately the 4 th Century B. C. E)

Greek and Roman Theater

ROMAN THEATRE (From Approximately the 4 th Century B. C. E) • The Romans were greatly influenced by Greek Theatre. • The word “play” comes from the Latin word “ludus” which means recreation or play. • Roman Theatre was less influenced by religion than Greek theatre.

Gladitorial Combat

Seneca – was a Roman playwright and wrote some tragedies

The world of Opera

WHAT IS AN OPERA? • An opera is a drama told through acting, singing and instrumental music. • The dialogue (conversation) in an opera is usually sung. • In most operas an orchestra accompanies the singers. Sometimes there is music for the orchestra alone. • Dancing is also an important part of many operas.

Operas are usually staged. • A stage production includes costumes, scenery and lighting. • It is divided into scenes and acts, with plenty of dramatic action.

Two types of Operas Comic Opera: Example Act I: Boy meets girl. Act II: Boy and girl fall in love. Act III: Boy and girl are separated. Act IV: They find each other and everyone lives happily ever after.

Tragic Opera: Example Act I: Boy meets girl. Act II: Boy and girl fall in love. Act III: Boy and girl are separated Act IV: They never find each other and everyone dies!

• This opera is “Gianni Schicchi”.

• An example of costumes for the opera. This one is “I Pagliacci”.

Who is involved in writing an opera? • The Librettist: This is the person who writes the libretto, which is the words of the story. • The Libretto is the story. • The Composer: This is the person who writes the music.

THE CHORUS • The many actors and actresses that portray large scenes with their voices that were set by the composer based on the libretto.

THE SINGERS • The actors and actresses who use their voices to sing the music the composer writes based on the libretto.

THE CONDUCTOR • He or she tells everybody when they sing and play. They have to watch the action on the stage and coordinate it all!

THE CHOREOGRAPHER • The person who teaches the performers the dances in the show.

THE DANCERS • Once in a while, the beautiful and elegant dancers appear on stage. They usually always move in packs

THE ORCHESTRA • A group of musicians that play the music that the composer wrote based on the libretto. Orchestral players sit in the pit in front of the stage.

THE STAGE DIRECTOR • This is truly the person who runs the show. Their job is to tell EVERYONE what to do and to worry that it will all come together after much practice!

THE SCENERY • The artists that make the scenery spend months on it. They have to paint and build and design and decorate and make it look real.

THE COSTUMES • Costumes are made by professional sewers. First, they draw a picture of what they want, then they pick out fabric and cut it to fit on a mannequin. Then they call in the singers for a try-on. Costumes come in all shapes and sizes! They can be modern or old fashioned.

French Opera

Russian Opera

Czech Opera