THEA 1314 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Indian Classical Drama, Liturgical Drama, Folk Play
Document Summary
First actor: thespis, stepped out from chorus in 534 bce -- first performance of tragedy, portrayed character other than himself, origin of term "thespian, supposedly awarded a goat as a prize. Deus ex machina -- " god from the machine: mechane (crane) or ekkyklema (rolling platform) or trapdoor, now a literary term for a character / event that fixes problem at the end. Medieval drama: two types, liturgical drama -- religious drama, vernacular drama -- mystery plays and miracle plays moved outside. Folk drama -- not church-sanctioned; technically illegal: hrotsvitha of gandersheim, german canoness, wrote comedic plays, first person - a woman - since greek / romans to composed western drama. Fury: disgust, horror / terror, heroic, wonder, tranquility. Shadow puppetry: derived from china, depict great adventure and fantasy, 2 styles based on how they were made : northern (pekingese) and southern (cantonese, northern , delicate and smaller, pained in vibrant colors.
