THEA 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Fallen Woman, John Wilkes Booth, Edwin Booth
Document Summary
American theater: exodus to the cities, increase in the popularity of going to the theater, increase in smaller specialized theaters, increase in size of some theaters catering to more popular fare. The bowery (1896: large theater in new york, nicknamed the slaughterhouse for its bloody productions, seated 2,500 in 1826 and 4,000 by 1840. Melodrama: a person being melodramatic is someone who is overreacting, just as in a melodramatic play, delsarte. Prescribed acting poses used in melodramatic plays so the audience always knew exactly what was happening. The plays: most popular: uncle tom"s cabin, melodrama: music drama. Constant music underscoring and intermittent songs throughout these musical dramas: stock characters. Damsel in distress: women; often put in peril by the villain. The sidekick: foil; shows how great the hero is or how evil the villain is. Fallen woman: under the power and influence of the villain. Often sacrifices herself for the hero as a redemption.
