History of Theatre

The History of Theatre

Theatre is a form of performing arts; it focuses mainly on live performances. Theatre first debuted in Athens, Greece. These performances included politics, religion, festivals, law, etc. Greek theatre consisted of three forms: tragedy, comedy, and satyr play. The oldest type of tragedy developed in Athens, it emerged somewhere between 5th and 6th BCE. Many performances were to celebrate the Greek gods and competitions. Athenian tragedies sometimes focused on certain events that played out during Greek history. One popular tragedy was The Persians, which was about the military defeat at Battle of Salamis. Athenian comedy became a popular sector of theatre.

Western plays started to develop soon after in places like the Roman Empire, England, Italy, and Spain. The East also started to develop their own theatre traditions, which started in 1000 BCE. Puppet theatre developed in the medieval Islamic world. Sanskrit drama expanded in India as a part of their theatre. Eastern plays revolved mostly around their religion and the history of that era. Secular plays were also practiced in Medieval Islamic world but not as popular as the puppet shows.

Putting together a theatrical play involves numerous technical and collaborative efforts. Some things that are involved in production are playwright, theater director, cast, lighting/costume/stage designers. Technical characteristics involve lighting, design, props, make-up,