form of art to society- In 1660, the french introduced a more sophisticated use of scenery and staging techniques- Also introduced more natural acting.. actors had to identify w/ the actors they were portraying- However it wasnt until the 19th century with the intro of gas lights and elect. Did the creation of realistic effects and scenery come to be- As the 19th century came to a close, th e20th century promised a richness that had never been present in thr history of theater- In the erly part of th ecentury, theater styles were very defined. Today plays can be combinations of styles to communicate th emeaning of the play.- Diff styles:- Realism- attempts to show life as it really is- Romanticism- romantic view of th e world- Symbolists- presented the world of the spirit- Expressionism- world is seen thru a central character- Musical comedy a prodct of 20th century- Often said to be americas contribution to theater- possibly one o fth emost popular forms of theater- Audiences ar ealso diverse (like the diff stlyles)- Continues to draw a broad spectrum of society- Broadway, off- broadway, and off- off broadway are flourishing along with summer stock and unniversity theaters- In our area, broadway is by far the most popular- Box office statistics tell only a part of what th etheater means to NYC- With well dressed crowds hopping out of taxis, walking down the sidewalks and into the theaters and then chasing cabs afer the last applause- Gives NYC sophistication, spontenaity and animation, that even movie premiers, even at their most elaborate in hollywood, cannotr capture with spotlights and velvet robes- However the decline in broadway theater in the 1920s is blamed on the beginning of movies- since most plays were mediocre or worse, they offered little competition to movies- The Great Depression also added to the decline- WWII gave theater a boost with so much money to spend, but afterward i...
