The Distinctive Feature of Theatre Which Separates It From Other Arts

	Introduction to Theatre Online Class Dr. Eric Westward. Trumbull, Professor, Theatre/Speech

Last update:

Nov 16, 2007

Medieval Theatre

Resource:  Wilson and Goldfarb, Chapter eleven

Objectives for this lesson:

Students volition examine:

Medieval History

Liturgical Drama

Drama Exterior the Church

Medieval Staging

Medieval Drama - Plays

One thousand edieval H istory

After the fall of Rome the 600�s A.D., came a period known to us equally the "dark ages."

Much political turmoil � no reliable political structure

The Church was the only stable "authorities"

The church exerted increasing influence. In the four^th Century, the Bishop of Rome, claiming to be the successor to St. Peter, established supremacy in church building matters and in secular concerns.

Feudalism � the manor was the master non-church political entity.

The manor (large estate), headed by a nobleman, had absolute authority over the serfs, (peasants) who worked the country.
Lords of manors were vassals, or subjects, of a king. The king�s knights protected the lords and their land.

Serfs (servants) owed allegiance to their lord.

There are many church edicts against mimi, histriones, ioculatores � terms for secular performers.

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Niggling is known about the theatre between 600-thou A.D.

There are references to actors (histriones), jugglers, rope dances in nomadic tribes, remnants of Roman mimes, popular pagan festivals and rites.
Teutonic minstrels or troubadours ( scops [pronounced "shope] ) became the primary preserver of tribal histories, but the Teutonic tribes converted to Christianity later the seven^th or viii^th century, and the scops were denounced, branded every bit bad as mimes.
But there was niggling written drama; none that survives, and almost no other surviving references to it.

Hrosvitha of Gandersheim, a nun, wrote religious plays based on Terence'due south plays, but they were
        probably "closet dramas."

Likewise Christian ceremonies, where the theatre seems to have been "reborn."

Between 925 and 975, drama becomes re-introduced into the church services.
Theatre was "reborn" within the very institution that helped to shut it downwards.
Perhaps the church had niggling choice � it couldn't�t stop the pagan rites � besides popular � then many aspects of infidel rites plant their way into Christian ceremonies. (Christmas the nascency of Christ, not historic in Dec till the 4^thursday century, to take advantage of the winter festivals; Easter supplanted the spring festivals).

In the 12^th century, the Crusades helped bring other cultures to Europe (or, to exist more authentic, Europeans took from other cultures and brought them to Europe).

"Liturgical drama" �  within the church liturgy, the service
Other religious dramas extended outside the church, in the vernacular [native language]

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Earliest extant drama from the eye ages:

a four-line dramatization of the resurrection, with direction for its performance.
Comes from an Easter trope (interpolation into existing text, originally lengthened musical passages with words eventually added). � 925 A.D.
Sung by a choir at first
called the "Quem Quaeritis"
    "Whom seek ye in the tomb, O Christians?
    Jesus of Nazereth, the crucified, O heavenly beings,
    He is non here, he is risen equally he foretold;
    Become and announce that he is risen from the tomb."

• The Three Marys (Mary, the female parent of Jesus; Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus of Bethany; and Mary Magdalene) come up to the tomb of Jesus, and the angel asks them who they are looking for.

By 975, it had go a lilliputian drama within the service, probably played past altar boys.

The practice blossomed � many playlets developed dealing with biblical themes�mostly Easter, Christmas, the 12^th Night (Feast of the Epiphany).
Commonly serious, but at the Banquet of Fools and the Feast of the Boy Bishops, much dancing and foolishness and parodies of church practices.

At beginning, the church had command of the drama exterior of the church, simply then it gradually became more controlled past secular groups.
The Guilds (tradesmen or Confraternities) took over in some cities, and information technology was common for certain Guilds to retain command over certain plays / stories, all of which were based in some way on the Bible or religious teachings.
For instance, the Bakers� Guild would control the play nigh the Last Supper, and Shipwrights� Guild would go plays nearly Noah, etc.

Municipalities took over in some cities. Only the church still needed to approve the scripts, even when its role diminished.

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Drama inside the Church � Liturgical Drama

Before 1200, nearly were nonetheless being washed inside the church as part of the liturgy. Most were probably still in Latin, the language of the Church.

Staging:

There were ii primary areas for the performances to take place:
    Mansions -- pocket-size breathtaking structures for indicating location (for instance, a throne might equal the palace of Pilate).
In more complex plays, there were many mansions.
    Platea � general acting area, adjacent to the mansion.
The church structure usually served equally the mansions (the choir loft, for instance, could serve as heaven; the altar might be the tomb of Christ).
Machinery was besides used: to fly Christ up to heaven, have angels come downward, etc.
Costumes were probably ordinary church vestments.
By 1200, some of these plays were existence performed outdoors.

By 1350, plays were in the colloquial, rather than Latin.
Laymen were the actors (male person members of the community, unpaid�though in that location were some women on phase in France), no longer clerics and priests.

The stories began to range even further than when they were role of the liturgical services.

The church seemed to support these dramas.

Why did they begin to move outdoors? Probably because of the expanding needs of the plays.

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Medieval Drama exterior of the Church:

With diminishing church building control, secularization led to some changes.
Sometimes the plays were very circuitous � in cycles � that someone was hired to oversee.
The chief copy of the script was called the Register � sometimes the producing company / guild could monopolize or conscience information technology or ban information technology --
The Keeper of the Register was an important position and had much control.
The Master of Secrets � was in charge of the machines (secrets) � the special effects.
Oft very intricate (need 17 people to operate Hell machinery in Kingdom of belgium in 1501).
Flight was a major technique.
Quite common � almost all the scenes had Heaven on the right, Hell on the left, and Earth on the middle.
Therefore, angels, resurrection � had to use flying.
Platforms covered with cotton (the "glories") held angels.
Trap doors � appearances and disappearances (Lot�southward wife turning into common salt, etc.)
Fire � the hellmouth � a burn down-breathing monster representing hell.

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Ii major kinds of stages in the medieval theatre: Fixed and Moveable

These technical tricks would be more than all-encompassing on fixed stages.

The mansion and platea were borrowed from the church services.

Simultaneous display of several locations too borrowed from liturgical drama-

Simultaneous staging was a distinctive characteristic of medieval theatre.

Fixed Staging: on the Continent (except Espana and parts of Italy) (West&G call them "platform stages)

• Mansions set up in available spaces (courtyards, town squares, etc.), normally arranged in straight lines or rectangles or circles, depending on the space.
• Heaven and Hell were at contrary ends, if possible.

Moveable: pageant wagons (or click here) moved through the streets while the audience stayed in one place � like parade floats. (Due west&1000 call them "carriage stages") (encounter illustration in text) (click here for a picture..)

The term "pageant" is used to refer to the stage, the play itself, and the spectacle.
Plays performed in sequence � thus each play was performed several times.
There are few reliable clarification of pageant wagons.
One claims that the wagons must exist over 12 feet alpine�information technology would seem impossible to fit through the streets (many medieval streets had overhanging buildings), and would be flimsy. [Archdeacon David Rogers, c. 1600].

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T he M edieval D rama � the plays themselves�

Medieval drama seems naïve if nosotros don�t understand the menses.
They have little sense of history � reflecting the limited knowledge of the people.
Anachronisms were quite common (In The 2d Shepherds� Play ,  for instance, the stolen lamb becomes the baby Jesus, and the Shepherds had been using Christian references even before this "baby Jesus" arrived).
Comic elements appeared in plays that were otherwise quite serious, and had as their purpose to teach Biblical stories and principles to the people.
The medieval mind looked at the temporal earth (World) as transitory; Heaven and Hell were the eternal realities.

The Religious Plays:

Performed in cycles.
Three kinds of religious plays:
    -- Mystery plays � almost Christ or from the Old Testament � usually done in cycles ( Second Shepherds� Play is one of these).
    -- Miracle plays � lives of saints, historical and legendary
    -- Morality plays � didactic allegories, often of common man�s struggle for salvation ( Lowest � only his skilful deeds accompany him in death).

Characteristics in common:

1. aimed to teach or reinforce Church building doctrine
2. melodramatic: good rewarded, evil punished
3. God and his plan were the driving forces, not the characters

To u.s.a., these plays seem to be episodic, confusing sequences of time, and an odd mixture of comic and serious � unnerving.

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Medieval Secular Plays

Latin comedies and tragedies were studied in schools and universities

1. Farce � very pop

Especially in French republic, where it was well-adult.

Pierre Patelin � xv^th century France � clever knaves outwitting each other.
Moralities � secularized � allegories based on classical gods and heroes, frequently with some political content
Mummings and disguisings � given at wealthy homes on holidays � pantomimes, danced and narrated stories
Interludes and Masques � between courses at a banquet, masques were emblematic compliments to the guests � with intricate dances and spectacle.

Towns staged pageants�the plays were oft put in celebrations in honor of dignitaries.

Secular plays were nigh often performed by professional person actors fastened to noble houses.

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T he D ecline of M edieval T heatre:

1. Increased interest in classical learning � afflicted staging and playwriting
2. Social structure was changing � destroyed feudalism and "corporate" nature of communities
3. Dissension within the church led to prohibition of religious plays in Europe (Queen Elizabeth, the Council of Trent, 1545-1563 � religious plays outlawed.).

By late sixteen^th century, drama of medieval period lost its force. Results of the turn down:

Professional person actors still needed, but non amateurs.
Professional person theatre rose, became commercial (no longer a customs venture).
No longer religious plays � returned to the classics for new ideas for stories.

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