What is Theatre
Theatre is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, in which the actors perform live for an audience. The word theatre comes from the Greek theatron, meaning ?seeing place?. The term drama, coming from the Greek word dran, meaning ?to do?. Theatre is something seen and done(Cohen, 9). People and ideas combine to form the art of theatre. The word theatre refers to everything involved in putting on a performance from the echniques used by actors to give a good show to the building and making of the sets. The business of theatre is woven together by many people?s hard work and artistic Theatre is traced back through history to Athens, Greece in the fifth century B.C. Four of the most talented playwrights of all time: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes spawned from this period. Unity of ?myth, legend, philosophy, social commentary, poetry, dance, music, public participation, and visual splendor? is what these playwrights produced in their writings(Cohen, 59). The Middle Ages is the time between the fall of Rome and the coming of the Renaissance. The theater of the Middle Ages was ?profoundly religious? and often referred
Protagoras expressed ?Man is the measure of all things?(Cohen, 116). Today the word theatre is used to describe where plays are put on, but that is only the ?hardware? definition. In great theatre we see not only at the emotional and physical parts of the play, but also the deep desires that drive the people?s search for purpose and meaning(Cohen, 17). Every actor?s performance is affected by the audience?s reactions such as: laughter, tears, applause, or silence. Theatre has been a part of human life dated back to the time of ancient Greece. The art of theatre can be designed to entertain , instruct, motivate, persuade, or even shock. People want a work of art to grasp ?the human spirit? and the ?meanings of life?. The church could no longer serve as a play house, so the religious plays were brought into the courtyards and streets. The most commonly used being ?amphitheatres, churches, garages, market places, street corners, and warehouses?(?Theatre?). That is why you might hear that actors ?lose themselves? or ?find themselves? during performances(Cohen, 20). The theatrical art involves actor?s impersonating characters. Drama soon left the building of the church because of growing popularity. The performers and audience ?mutually interact? (Cohen, 25-26). Theatre as an art is never ?pure? art, because it represents an artist?s own vision(Cohen, 17). The agreement being ?the actor will pretend to be a character, and the audience will pretend to see him or her as that character?(Cohen, 20).
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