Introduction to Theater Concepts

Oct 17, 2024

Crash Course Theater Episode 1: Introduction to Theater

Welcome and Overview

  • Host: Mike Rugnetta
  • Topics to cover in the series:
    • Tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, and more.
    • Explore the history of theater and how to analyze it.
    • Significant plays and performances.

Defining Theater

  • Theater:
    • A place where plays are performed (Greek origins: "the seeing place").
    • Can be varied in setting: big/small, indoors/outdoors, purpose-built or improvised.
    • Includes performances in unconventional spaces (parks, sidewalks, homes).
    • Refers to performance of plays and related literature/documentation.
    • Includes closet dramas (not meant for performance) and improvisational performances.
  • Basic Definition: Requires at least one actor and one audience member.
    • Actors can be human, robots, laptops, animals, or puppets.
  • Extended Definition: John Cage's perspective - theater takes place everywhere, facilitated by art.
    • Narrow Definition for series:
      • Deliberate performance by live actors for a live audience, typically scripted.

Spelling of Theater

  • The spelling "theater" (E-R) is chosen for consistency.
  • Both R-E and E-R are acceptable.

Theories on Origins of Theater

  • Lack of Consensus: No unified origin story exists.
  • Theories to Explore:
    • Ritualism:
      • Theory linking theater to religious rituals (6th/7th century BCE).
      • Ritual as a means of mediating between human and supernatural.
      • Ritual reenacts significant events (births, marriages, etc.).
      • Mircea Eliade: Ritual makes past events present.
    • Cambridge Ritualists:
      • Scholars like James Fraser viewed theater as evolving from rituals.
      • Involved anthropological approach, but often Eurocentric.
      • Example from Herodotus about Egyptian ceremonies demonstrates the ritualistic origins.
    • Functionalism:
      • Myths explain and rationalize the world.
      • Bronislaw Malinowski: Myths justify existing social orders.
      • Some early Greek dramas have origins in myths that serve this function.
    • Clown Theory:
      • Theater as derived from clown figures in early societies.
      • Clowns as secular shamans who critique authority.
    • Ludic Impulse:
      • Suggests theater arises from human playfulness and games.
    • Mimetic Impulse:
      • Proposed by Aristotle: humans' innate desire to imitate leads to theater.

Importance of Theater

  • Why does theater matter?
    • The impact of theater throughout history will be discussed in the series.
    • Quote from Percy Bysshe Shelley: Theater aims to teach the human heart about itself through sympathies and antipathies.

Production Information

  • Produced in association with PBS Digital Studios.
  • Filmed in Indianapolis, Indiana.
  • Supported by patrons on Patreon.