Chapter 6: Theatre of the Italian Renaissance – Flashcards

a period of invention and exploration beginning in Italy and spreading throughout Europe. people became eager to explore and conquer the world around them. the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe, 14th-17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.

the activity of changing something (art or education or society or morality etc.) so it is no longer under the control or influence of religion

A revival of the literary, architectural, musical, and artistic forms that are considered a standard or model, and therefore "classical."

a convention for representing depth on a flat surface objects in the distance are smaller than those in the foreground, parallel lines converge in the distance. this convention allowed artists to paint human subjects in realistic backgrounds.

In Renaissance literature, the major movement was humanism. The humanists focused on people rather than gods; they were preoccupied with describing humanity and human powers, and they studied and imitated the Greeks and Romans.

were short pieces depicting mythological tales, usually comedies, often thematically related to the full-length works they accompanied. non-literary, scenic These pieces required spectacular scenic effects. they were presented between the acts of full-length plays, 6 intermezzi for each comedia erudita (5 acts) developed in royal court theaters lead to the development of elaborate stage machinery

learned comedy

short, ribald comic pieces that had been presented as a follow-up to Greek tragedies. The subject matter is romance; the characters are usually shepards and mythological creatures who inhabit the forest and countryside. Not bawdy or sexual like satyr plays

the only surviving theatrical form of the Italian Renaissance. Developed at a Florentine academy at the end of the 16th century. originally a form for aristocratic audiences had widespread popularity by mid-17th century its inventors with the desire to revive classical forms, believed that they were re-creating the Greek tragic style, which had fused music with drama. considered a form of music bc most operas are completely sung and dramatic action, mood, and characters are created through song and music. text of the opera (libretto) is often secondary to the music The subject matter of most 17th century opera was historical or mythological. The basic elements of opera are the purely musical sections and the recitative, or sung dialogue. Included in the musical segments are the aria, a solo song accompanied by the orchestra; and duets, trios, and quartets.

"play of professional artists" not a written, literary form, but improvisational improvised dialogue around a fixed scenario. had stock characters, with standard names, unchanging costumes and masks. companies traveled and usually consisted of ten performer, 7 men & 3 women. staged mostly comedies but some serious forms of drama

plot lines for improvised scenes scenes short scripts without dialogue, written by members of a company, no set text but these scripts provided plot outlines. Using these outlines, actors would create the dialogue and would be expected to move the action along through improvisation.

•Pantalone • Dottore • Capitano

a stock character of commedia dell'arte a lecherous, miserly old Venetian mask always had a hooked nose

a foolish pedant (a person who is overly concerned with formalism and precision, or who makes a show of their learning.) always involved in his neighbors' affairs tries to be smart and speak in Latin but ends up butchering the language wore academic robe, long beaked mask

a stock character of commedia dell'arte cowardly, pretentious braggart soldier pretends to be brave. usually the unwelcome suitor to the female lover (innamorata)

innamorato/innamorata play ends with their marriage romance blocked by Pantalone and Dottore no masks

servants who were sometimes sly, sometimes foolish;

or Harlequin most popular of the comic servants. known by diamond pattern of harlequin costume. clown

repeated bits of physical comic business three stooges comedic "interruptions" that stood alone from the main line of the commedia. Mostly performed by Zanni and Harlequin characters. sometimes bawdy, sexual ex. sword as phallic symbol "lazzi of the sword"

manuscripts put together by Commedia actors that include jokes, comic business and repeated speeches

oldest surviving theatre of the Italian Renaissance; Designed by Andrea Palladio for the Olympic Academy Palladio died, so Scamozzi built it; Miniature indoor Roman theatre; The ornate façade of the scene house, patterned after the Roman scaena frons, (5 alleyways leading off) designed to look like a street with perspective scenery

most notable building of the Italian Renaissance, The oldest standing proscenium-arch stage (Aleotti 1618) raised horseshoe seating, revolutionary proscenium arch, which hides stage mechanisms used for scene changes and special effects (first use of movable wings), floodable orchestra

picture frame, fourth wall or conventional stage, still among the best-known types of theatre space. Audience, facing one direction, views the action through the arch, which frames the stage picture hides stage mechanisms used for scene changes and special effects, increasing theatrical illusion.

this type of seating was to become the standard theatre space throughout the western world for over 300 yrs. pit- racucous where audience members stood, an open area on the house floor extending to the side and back walls built into the walls were tiers of seating boxes- the lower tiers were the most expensive; they were divided into separate boxes frequented by the upper classes gallery- the upper tiers had open bench seating (least expensive)

important figure in the history of scenic design he introduced perspective--with its sense of visual realism--into scene design his book on architecture was published in 1545 only a small portion of it was devoted to theatre but that section influenced European theatre for the next 100 years

a series of flats hinged in a fixed position and painted in perspective placed one behind the other on both sides of the stage. downside: with this setting it was virtually impossible to shift scenes during the performance. some solutions to this problem was pull painted canvases around wings to conceal previous ones. this concept was made possible by advances in art (perspective painting) however, once the illusion of depth could be created on a flat surface, it was no longer necessary to have angle wings, and they were abandoned for flat wings.

in the period after 1550, various solutions to the inability to change the scene problem were attempted, this was one of the first. a three-sided device used by the greeks which could be rotated to show three different scenes.

series of non angled wings on each side of the stage parallel to the audience, placed in a progression from the back of the stage and enclosed at the very back by two shutters that met in the middle. The final element in these perspective settings was an overhead border, a strip across the top of the stage, to complete the picture. first use credited to Aleotti, designer of the Teatro Farnese

the earliest method of scene shifting for flat-wing settings Wings and shutters were placed in grooves in and above the stage floor allowing them to slide offstage easily and quickly so that a new series of wings and shutters (in place behind the original set) would be immediately revealed to the audience. In this fashion, a number of sets were positioned one behind the other, allowing for rapid scene changes Downfall: coordinating the removal of the flat wings by scene shifters at each groove position

This final step in scene-shifting was introduced by Giacomo Torelli in 1641. According to this system, slots were cut in the stage floor to support uprights, on which flats were mounted. Poles were fastened to below-stage wagons called "chariots" and to onstage flats. Rolling on tracks, the chariots could carry flats into the wings, where they could be replaced with new scenes that were then rolled onto the stage. When the entire system of ropes and pulleys was attached to a single winch, this made it possible to change every part of a setting by turning a single winch. This invention, adopted by every European country except England and Holland, was the standard method of shifting scenery until the end of the 19th century.

most important set designer of the 17th century; was huge in special effects; made innovations in machinery which allowed sets to changed in an instant - pole and chariot system

flying machines

rules formulated by Italian critics; believed that the rules would force dramatists to imitate the Greeks/Romans; insisted ideas derived from the Greeks/romans; establish madates for playwrights 1. Reason - what could happen in everyday life, no fantasy or supernatural events 2. Unity - time (24 hours), place (one), action (one storyline) 3. Decorum - expected language or behavior, proper behavior. imitation that contributes to moral enlightenment. function of drama is to teach, move and delight , 1. must be based in reality, therefore no fantasy or supernatural events 2. No soliloquies 3. no violence 4. evil must be punished 5. unities of time, place, and action -must take place within 24hr period, restricted to one location, can only involve one central story 6. 5-act structure 7. most maintain purity of form 8.

all dramatic characters should behave in ways based on their age, profession, sex, rank, etc. each character was expected to follow set behavior that was deemed appropriate

all drama was to be "true to life" no supernatural elements. not like modern realism but ideal but still realistic world the neoclassicists condemned some Greek and Roman dramatic conventions and banished the chorus, soliloquy and the deus ex machina (a god coming down to decide the final outcome)

must take place within 24hr period

restricted to one location or different scenes of one location

only involve one central story, involving a relatively small group of people. no subplots

the neoclassicists defined, this (type or category) very narrowly. Tragedy dealt with royalty, comedy dealt with common people; tradegy must end in disaster, comedy must be resolved happily.

a type of criticism intended for instruction used by most neoclassic critics of the Italian Renaissance telling the playwrights what to write and what not to write.

1. Actors played same stock characters throughout their careers 2. Performers fused their own personalities w/ characters - worked together for long periods of time - adept at improvisation 3. Conventional entrance and exit speeches 4. Prepared musical duets 5. Traditional costumes for audiences to recognize them immediately 6. Masks covering whole or part of face = ESSENTIAL (except young lovers)

set speeches, standard entrance and exit speeches for stock characters

verbal puns and jokes

three basic settings for drama 1. Tragic scene (stately houses) 2. Comic setting (common street scene) 3. Pastoral setting (trees, hills, cottages) Perspective: most significant innovation; illusion of depth on a flat surface (Fixed) angled wings (4 sets and a backdrop): flats hinged in a fixed position and painted in perspective, played one behind another on both sides of the stage - gave appearance of house and had some 3D ornamentation; set enclosed by painted backdrop or shutters in the middle Raked stage: back area slightly inclined or slanted - enhanced illusion of depth Single vantage point Shutter system