PJC Theater Appreciation 2

December 30, 2023

• This deck is about some key innovators of the Italian Renaissance. >>>[Who is Sebastiano Serlio?] The "Perspective Guy" Sebastiano Serlio took great consideration into how architecture should be built in relation to the perspective of the audience/monarch. Basically, he could be summarized as the guy who first noticed. "What you see from the top row won't necessarily look the same from the ground floor". So his scenes were designed in a way that would be pleasant from multiple angles. Sebastiano Serlio lived from 1475-1554. He was an Italian Architect who designed a theatre in the style of the ancient Roman theater. He built temporary stages in palace halls with the central perspective from the seat of the monarch. He designed scenery. One for comedy, one for satyrs, one for tragedies. >>>[Who is Andrea Palladio?] His designs were inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome. He developed the architectural style called Palladianism, a style that emphasizes symmetry, balance, harmony, and used classical forms. When you see a balanced looking set. Like both sides are pretty even in height, width, style you have Andrea Palladio to thank. Andrea Palladio lived from 1508-1580. In 1579- Designed the oldest, and still remaining theater in Europe after the Roman Era. Teatro Olimpico (Non court theater) Located in Vicenza, Italy. It was basically a miniature roman theatre brought indoors. He forced a single point of perspective, and permanent scenery lit by torches and oil lamps. He is where you get the proscenium arch template. Proscenium/skene/scene decorated with statues. >>>[Vincenzo Scamozzi] The "Universal Architecture Guy" Because he provided a comprehensive guide about architectural principles encompassing various styles of historical periods. He aimed to provide a universal guide that could be applied across different architectural contexts. Lived from 1548 to 1616. He designed permanent scenery at the Teatro Olimpico. Designed the Teatro All' Antica located in Sabbioneta, Italy. Known for using roman colonnade. He created the typical court theatre and it's perspective is based on the monarch. >>>[Jacopo Vignola] The "Periaktoi Guy" because he created the Periaktoi. A Periaktoi is a series of triangle shaped columns that can be turned to display different scenes. This allowed plays to change the background of their play quickly. >>>[Bernardo Buontalenti] The "Sloped seating guy", The "Fireworks Guy" and the "Costume designer guy". Also the "Gelato Guy" Ever been trying to watch a movie and a guy with a big cowboy hat sits in front of you? Well, Bernardo Buontalenti probably had a similar experience. He designed the sloped seating model. That way you can see over the audience member in front of you. He was also known for designing costumes, and fireworks shows. He developed the frozen dessert Gelato for the Medici Family. He was the original Ice Cream Man. >>>[Giovanni Battista Aleotti] The "Moveable Wings/Stage Machinery Guy" He is famous for building Teatro Farnese (a theater) which was a birthday present for Ranuccio I Farnese, the Duke of Parma. (I wish I got a theater for my birthday). His style was kind of cool because he used a lot of machinery and created moveable wings on stage. He would hide his stage machinery and use it to create illusions. Because his style hid the machinery, it created a 'picture frame' for the audience to look through. He did have a typical court theatre approach focused on the seat of the monarch and a horseshoe shaped orchestra. Designed the Teatro Farnese located in Parma Italy. >>>[Nicola Sabbattini] The "Light dimming machine guy" Because he was the first guy to focus a lot on how light effects the immersive experience of a play. He created a light dimming machine. He also used trap doors and hoisted actors in the air using ropes/counter balance weights/pulley systems to allow actors to fly in and out of the set. Wrote the practical fabrication of scene machinery book that was a how to on stage machinery. >>>[Giacomo Torelli] Created the pole and chariot system which revolutionized set changes. Heres a pole and chariot system in action [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q20zsC7Zwmk&ab_channel=AllTicketsWebmaster ] He outfitted the Teatro Novissimo and the Drottninghold Theatre. Shows were rewritten to flex his engineering skills. Some notes about Drottninghold theatre: Located in Stockhold, Sweden. Court Theatre in the Drottninghold Palace in 1766. Designed by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz Did not have a horseshoe Orchestra Court was seated in the front rows instead of on a balcony. Used Capstans, rollers, drums, blocks, ropes and has around 30 surviving sets.

December 30, 2023

• The French Renaissance- Stated the 16th to early 17th century between the reigns of Louis XIII through Louis XIV. Saw a shift from the medieval mystery plays to more sophisticated forms of drama. Some seneca adaptations and works loosely based on Plautus ("witty dialogue guy") but eventually led to Neoclassical works. Neoclassical works had rules. Rules like: No soliloquys (where the actor voices their thoughts aloud to the audience), no breaking the 4th wall (the 4th wall is the imaginary wall between the audience and the actors), and the play must be believable. Drama was meant to teach and be enjoyed. There was no violence and was to exhibit good French morals. You were not allowed to mix styles/genres. Like Comedy will remain comedy, tragedy is tragedy. ect.. ect.. It had to adhere to three unities: -Time "things were supposed to happen within a realistic timeframe within the setting" -Place "things were supposed to happen in the same place" -action 'actions were meant to teach lessons' And the plays had a 5 act structure. Here's where things are different between Medieval play and Neoclassical works: Subject Matter: - Medieval Mystery Plays: These plays were typically religious in nature, often depicting biblical stories or moral allegories. They were performed by guilds and were part of religious festivals. - Neoclassical Works: Neoclassical plays focused on a wide range of themes, including classical mythology, history, and contemporary issues. They often drew inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman literature and were not exclusively religious. 2. Purpose and Tone: - Medieval Mystery Plays: Primarily didactic and intended to convey religious messages to a largely illiterate audience. The tone could be solemn and reverent. - Neoclassical Works: Neoclassical plays aimed at entertaining and educating the audience. The tone was more refined and rational, emphasizing order, reason, and clarity. 3. Setting and Style: - Medieval Mystery Plays: Often performed outdoors on elaborate pageant wagons or at fixed locations within a town. The style was more symbolic and stylized. - Neoclassical Works: Indoor theaters became more common, and the style was characterized by a return to classical principles. The plays adhered to the unities of time, place, and action, with a clear structure and decorum. 4. Language and Verse: - Medieval Mystery Plays: Written in vernacular languages and featured a mix of prose and verse. The language was accessible to the common people. - Neoclassical Works: Often written in a more formalized and elevated language, frequently in rhymed couplets or other structured verse forms. 5. Representation of Characters: - Medieval Mystery Plays: Characters were often archetypal and symbolic, representing moral qualities or biblical figures. - Neoclassical Works: Characters were more individualized and driven by motives and emotions. The emphasis was on creating well-defined, realistic characters. 6. **Influence and Source Material:** - Medieval Mystery Plays: Rooted in religious traditions and influenced by medieval religious dogma. - Neoclassical Works: Influenced by classical Greek and Roman literature, emphasizing reason, order, and the imitation of ancient models.

December 30, 2023

• The English Renaissance happened 150 years after the Italian Renaissance. The 100 years war (war between england and france) provided a cultural shift for a few reasons. There were economic shifts such in that there was a decline in Feudalism. It led to a money focused economy. The increased wealth in urban areas, coupled with a growing middle class, provided a new audience for productions. There was a cultural exchange because English soldiers were exposed to continental European culture. This included French literature and drama. This created a national identity and plays started focusing on English history and mythology. The war of the Roses was a civil war between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. The political instability and social upheaval in England influenced the cultural climate. The conflict and uncertainty created an environment where theater could serve as a means of reflecting and commenting on the political and social realities of the day. Henry VIIII (14th) established The Office of the Revels. The Office of the Revels was responsible for organizing royal entertainments and festivites. Actors were professionalized as servants. Called The Lord Chamberlain's Mens, The Lord Admiral's Men, ect. The english renaissance saw women on stage in 1660.

December 30, 2023

• William Shakespeare Famous for many things but most commonly 'Romeo and Juliet' He was born in Stratford Upon Avon between April 23-26 in 1564 He left school at 13 to 15. in 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. Had a daughter named Susanna one year later. In 1584 he had twins (Judith and Hamnet) Hamnet died at 11. In 1592 he was a popular actor. When theatres closed due to the plague he started writing poems. Theaters reopen and he joined the Chamberlain's men. (royal acting troupe) In 1597 he was wealthy enough to buy property in Stratford and made his money as a shareholder, not a playwright. 1611 he retired. 1616 dies at the age of 52. in 1623 and 7 years after his death, two actor friends decide to publish Shakespeare's works, 36 plays called the first folio.