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Back to Subjects - Theater

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None Provided - Tonight in America, approximately 5.5 million will attend a movie, - more than 40 million will listen to the radio and - more than 150 million will turn on their tvs, - while fewer than 100, 000 will attend the theater - Theater has had great influence on society for over 2500 years - unlike tv and motion picture which hasn’t sprung up til this century - although, tv, radio and movies have added a lot to the world of entertainment - they are based on theater in some way or another - Theater was the first form of real entertainment - First established theater- theater if the greeks - performances were based on religion and the worship of gods - at first, playwrights acted in their own plays but prof. Actors soon took over the stage - actor had to have a powerful voice and the ability to to play many diff. Roles b/c there were only 3 actors and the audience had to be able to differentiate b/w the characters - Roman theater- greatly influenced by greeks - Actors never aquired the the respect of the greek actor - Plays – comedies dealing with everyday situations and social conflicts - collapsed with the fall of Roman empire - by 400bc , roman theater was lost only to be rediscovered - After the collapse of the roman empire, society- structured around the church - Theater slowly returned in the form of miracle and mystery plays- performed in churches - stories form the bible – acted out by priests - later moved to the streets were prof actors took over - not produced with entertainment in mind- did a lot to rediscover theater - Medieval drama continued to be produced into the 16th century, but the renaissance brought a new theater into being, one that would dominate until the 20th century - With william shakespeare’s, the Globe, and many other famous theaters, london became a bustling theater town - Not since the greeks had the theater reached such heights - Theater was once again a popular 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 wasn’t 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. - 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 america’s 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 it was hurt by tv and rising production costs that could not be met by increasingticket prices - The major thetaers remaining in NY, particularly in times square, represent only about half the number in the 1920s - Once up to 11.6 million in 1984, attendence was down to 8.1 million in1994. - Broadway’s role in the realm of drama was quickly fading - The concept that broadway was the national american theater was losing credibility - the best work was being done off broadway , whether in NY or other cities - Audiences did not want to pay the stiff prices of broadway - Off- broadway was however was alive w/ productivity. - having sprung up since the 1950s in lofts , garages and churches- seat fewer than 300 - one of the most popular- stomp---which attracted a very you ng audience- - gorup of youth making rythmic noises with a varity o fprops including wood siticks an garbage cans - Summer theater , aka smmerstock- also competition 4 broadway - Staged during the summer months—often hits if the previous year or experimental palys - today there are more than 300 summer theaters I the US - plays in the park--- edison, nj new play Is offeres every week - outside theater stage is located at bottom of hill- audience brings chairs and blankets and sits on lawn - More importantly .. some of these theaters have become year round thater, providing more competition for NY - Basically Broadway was left to a theater of musicals - from the longest running broadway show, Cats opened in 1982, to the newest Sound of Music, musicals attracted record audiences - To keep up with the competition of these off broadway plays and especially tv and movies, - NY is doing whatever they can to get broadway back to what it used to be - Despite its major financial difficulties, the city spends mote than 1million a year on performing arts in order to keep up with these other forms of entertainment - Theater has changed a lot and evolved overtime, but one thing has not changed since the 1st production in 534 BC – the purpose o ftheater was and always willl be to entertain. - Because of its long and outstanding history, theater seems destined to live on for another few thousand years as long as we support it - I realize it is so much easier to turn on the tv or pop in a movie, but one day when you’re bored you should drive or take a train into the city and enjoy a show on broadway Bibliography:

Word Count: 1142