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Introduction To
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David Alan Holding
17 May 1995
Theatre Appreciation
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Index
1. Discuss the French Royal Theatre.
2. Discuss the rise of Realism and Naturalism.
3. Discuss the history of threatre in America.
4. Discuss the history of the American Musical Theatre.
5. Discuss the Current Theatre.
Thesis: From the Restoration to the current era, as technology and human society developed and expanded across the globe, theatre would ever increasingly reflect the trends and issues of a complicated human race.
Introduction.
Theatre, in general, portrays the cultural values, dreams, philosophies, and times of a society, either as a conformist restating the views of the current norm, or as a rebel shouting the need for change. Human society, in general, advanced through major historical changes from the seventeenth century on: changes in government, finance, social structure, technology, communication, philosophy, science, and thought on religion would continually advance and influence society. As human society would grow and change, theatre would be there right along with the growth and change, sometimes as a conformist, sometimes as a rebel. As society became more diversified, so did the means of theatre.
England saw the end of Divine-Right Monarchy with the beheading of King Charles I in 1649, and endured an eleven year Puritan Commonwealth before allowing the return of a limited monarchy under a more powerful and developing Parliament. France would also suffer the same growing pains as England. France would see the end of Monarchy with the beheading of Louis XVI in 1793, and would endured a short Jacobean reign of terror while establishing a republic. New nations were added to the world balance of power during this time: the United States of America proved its independence after its Declaration of Independence in 1776, Italy was fully formed by 1870, and the unification of Germany was completed by 1871. Russia would not be left untouched by the changes that were occurring elsewhere; the Bolshevik Revolution would end Monarchy in Russia by 1905, and set it on a new course of governmental development. All these nations, with their individual cultures, would undergo varying forces of change as the world progressed through sundrious wars and revolutions. Society was moving towards it adolescence, and theatre would be hard pressed to keep pace with the issues of a new world.
1. Discuss the French Royal Theatre.
2. Discuss the rise of Realism and Naturalism.
3. Discuss the history of threatre in America.
4. Discuss the history of the American Musical Theatre.
5. Discuss the Current Theatre.