The Role of Theatre in Society and Culture
Alaa L. Alnajm
Affiliation (Department of English, University of Kufa) Kufa, Iraq
University of Kufa, Kufa, Iraq
E-mail :alaal.alnajm@uokufa.edu.iq
Abstract this paper studies the role of theatre in society and its importance in life of people. It studies the historical background of theatre and how dramatic work began. It studies the origin of theatre. This paper also studies the interaction between audience and actor. It shows how theatre plays an important role in discovering the mistakes and faults of people through the dramatic work of actors. It examines the development of theatre throughout different eras at different places.
Key words: theatre, community ,interaction, origin of theatre, Romantic theatre.
1-1The Origin of Theatre:
How and when has drama started? Surely, no one knows, but theatre, along with human civilization itself, almost certainly has begun in Africa. In northern Africa beside the Nile River in ancient civilization of Egypt, the first recognized dramatic work had initiated, as much as five thousand years ago, probably as early as 3300 B.C. But African theatre is far older than that. The vitality of literally
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And when Western drama reappeared, as it did in Europe shortly before the year 1000, it was an altogether different product, sponsored by the same Christian Church that had once forbidden it. The earliest known dramatization of that period was not a play in the ordinary sense but rather a brief moment in the church’s Easter service, when officiating monks reenacted the biblical story of the Virgin Mary and her two companions (also named Mary) as they visit the tomb of Jesus. It is fascinating, of course, that European drama of the Christian era, like the drama of ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, began with the springtime celebration of a divine
The Federal Theatre Project was a New Deal plan, administered by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), during the Great Depression. The FTP came about during the height of the Great Depression, 1935, only four years before the Depression came to an end. The Great Depression has been referred to as the greatest economic disaster in the United States and lasted from 1929-1939 (history.com). During this time, nearly 13 million Americans were unemployed (history.com). The FTP was administered by the WPA in hopes to send many unemployed theatre professionals back to work.
I now appreciate the thought process behind a theatre production more greatly, as I realised that every factor in the production contributes to the overall performance with a symbolic purpose. I also gained a greater understanding in the purpose of theatre as an artistic medium. After watching the film adaptation of Rabbit Hole, I realised that the impact of the character 's emotions were dulled by the disconnect between audience and actor. As I acted as Jason however, I learnt that theatre is the best medium for growing a deeper connection between the cast and audience, thus allowing for poignant works about social issues or emotional experiences. Stories presented in the form of rama can be more affecting to the audience than other mediums due to live performers, thus paving the way for discussions on key themes or catalysing social
This alcove of the basement museum will be designed to give visitors the experience of walking through the theatre. The current basement museum makes little reference to the theatre space upstairs. The history of the building and its role in the culture of the city is extremely important to the story of the assassination. For example, the reason doctors decided to remove the President from the building was because a theatre was too crude a place for a president to die, thus leading to their decision to move him across the street to the Petersen Boarding House. Ignoring the purpose of the building means ignoring a significant aspect to this story.
“Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it.” (Boal) Applied theatre is an umbrella term that covers theatre and drama in non-traditional settings with marginialised members of societies; with focus customarily on relevant social and cultural issues of those socieities. The Applied Theatre Reader by Tim Prentki and Sheila Preston consists of chapters by various authors who have experienced and been involved with the practice of applied theatre first-hand, and who share these experiences in the book. Three chapters that I found interesting and engaging were Chapter 7 (“Lift your mask”), Chapter 39 (“Is this the play?”), and Chapter
Youth pull themselves away from life to focus all of their attention on the theatre. This becomes the social life of the
The Greeks were the first to introduce the concept of theater. As a matter of fact, one performer, Thespis, created the idea of a chorus, which was a group of people that expressed opinions, gave advice, and had the author’s point of view. The chorus would be the equivalent to the “score” in modern theater. The International Thespian Society, an organization formed to honor student’s success in the theater, was named after Thespis. In Greek theater, the place that the actors performed was called the “paraskene,” while in modern theater it is called the stage.
The emergence of a popular mass culture depended upon the introduction of many new forms of entertainment such as film, radio, and theater. One of the most notable forms of theater that emerged was vaudeville, which gained popularity in the late 1800’s, reaching its height in the 1910’s through the 1930’s. Vaudeville theaters’ affordability and accessibility allowed Americans of different ethnic and social backgrounds a chance to socialize in a way that was previously not allowed. Vaudeville had a major impact on popular culture and many films took much of their content from vaudeville acts. An example of a film that was influenced by vaudeville is the play turned film, Wonder Bar.
One of the most notable changes jazz brought to musical theater was fusing audience and actor interaction. Younger audiences wanted more enticing and stimulating music that would let them move however they felt and participate more actively in the show and the music. Jazz was the most recent generation’s chance to define who they were and what culture they stood for. The jazz musicians themselves built their style for each unique performance around the audience’s energy and focused improvisations based on the crowd. To the older generations, this was a seemingly bizarre interaction between musician and attendee.
With dramaturgical analysis comes status and role. Goffman views status as a “part in a play” and role as the “script” (132). The way we display ourselves by acting out these parts and scripts is considered our performance. Goffman defines our performance as the presentation
Throughout the series of time, the theatre has been an essential integral in human-being. It is through theatre that people gain a sense of understanding for different and relatable perspectives. For many individuals who are, or have been involved in theatre, it has nourished them with meaningful messages and morals. A well-known company called “ Bread and Puppet” is an old but prevalent theater in our society today. The Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann in Lower East Side of New York City (Bread and Puppet Theater).
Broadway Musicals Through out the years Broadway has produced many wonderful musicals. Many of these musicals are based on comedy, or carry a highly comical tone. However, Broadway is probably most well-known for its more thought evoking, solemn musicals. Topics for these musicals rang anywhere from the obscurity of cats dancing in a junk yard, to the barricades of nineteenth century France.
From Colonial Williamsburg Theatre to Broadway, theatre is ever-changing. The differences in each era of theatre are vast; the costumes, staging, acting techniques, and audiences all vary drastically from each other. The major eras and genres of American theatre include the colonial era, the Post-Revolution era, the Civil War era, Broadway, and Post-Modern—all with unique and varying aspects to them. Although the first permanent English settlement occurred at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, according to Richard Hornby’s article The Crisis in the American History, the entire 17th century passed with no mention of theatrical productions or performances in the Colonies (Hornby).
There were numerous battles fought in the Eastern Theatre. These battles were named as campaigns such as Manassas Campaign, Jackson Valley Campaign, Peninsula Campaign, Northern Virginia Campaign, Maryland Campaign, Battle of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg Campaign, Bristoe Campaign, Bermuda Hundred Campaign, Overland Campaign, Richmond–Petersburg Campaign, Valley Campaigns of 1864 and Appomattox Campaign. The armies of the Confederates and the Union fought all these battles in the Eastern Theatre. The historians contemplated that the Eastern Theatre was more impactful than the Western Theatre. The Army of the Confederates was led by Robert E. Lee who surrendered in 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse.
Roman Theatres and Their Greek Counterpart In such a historically rich city such as Rome there are many spectacles to visit for one’s viewing pleasure. Typical sight-seeing tourists come through Rome expecting to witness monuments and buildings like the Pantheon, Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. However, one spectacle that seems to fly under visitor 's radars are the Roman Theatres.
To add on, some people might say “theater is not a necessity in life”. So what? Theater just gets taken away, which is too heartbreaking to understand when it’s not within people’s grasps. Theater might not be an essential for survival, but the importance of this argument is that it can improve in the educational system. And isn’t that what it is all about?