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What is Theatre?:

Aristotles Poetics (5th C. BCE)

& the Aristotelian Tradition

Aristotles view of theatre = rooted in

Greek terms drama & theatre:

drama < Grk. dromenon, thing done

drama = an imitation of an action, says Aristotle

theatre < theatron, seeing place

performance of the imitation for spectators

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Aristotles 6 Elements of Tragedy (Drama)

Plot: the structure of events through which action is

imitated/represented

Character:

personof the drama or moral bent of the person

Thought: proof and refutation of moral choice

Verbal Expression: conveyance of thought through language

Music & Spectacle sensuous, less artistic elements

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Key Dramaturgical Concepts:

dramatic situation or given circumstances

including setting

characterobjectives &superobjective

obstacles

dramatic tension or conflict

crisis

climax

reversal

recognition

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The Aristotelian Tradition

= founded in Theory ofRitualOrigin

drama/theatre evolve from dithyramb,

(ritualchoruses performed in praise of Dionysos

prior to 6th C. BCE )

theatre began when some participants stepped outof chorus and became spectators of the ritual

the first actor, Thespis, stepped out from chorus

to perform individual role in dialogue with it ritual action gradually evolved into theatrical

imitation of action

purpose = more aesthetic than religious

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Modern Dev. of Theory of Ritual Origin:

The Cambridge School of Anthropology

(late 19th C.)The Cambridge Thesis

primal ritual -> various religious rites ->

dramatic genres

certain Greek tragedies follow form of the primalritual

rise ofAesthetics as independent branch ofphilosophy (began Germany, late 18th C.)

What makes a work of art a work of artand not

something else?

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Aesthetic(ist) Views of Theatre:

What makes a work of theatre essentiallytheatrical?

imitation of human action + live performance

(social or communal, ephemeral) CP. other literary forms, the visual arts, music

CP. other dramaticmedia (film, television etc.)

theatre has the unique capacity to combine allof the arts ina single work

Richard Wagner: the Gesamtkunstwerk

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Performance Studies

Theoretical Foundations: dramatism or dramaturgism

Kenneth Burke,A Rhetoric of Motives

analysis of human motives and actions in dramatic terms

role theory

Erving Goffman,Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

theatrical analysis of social interaction re: roles performed

structuralist anthropology-> Richard Schechner,Performance Theory (1976)

refutes Cambridge Thesis

replaces vertical view of ritual theatre across timewith horizontal view across society/societies

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Schechners Dev. of Performance Studies

recurrentperformance genres:Ritual, Play, Games, Sports, Dance, Music,

Theatre

Characteristics:rules/conventions: scripts

special ordering of time and space

objects have special value beyond an economic

one

form of event remains constant although rulesmay change

dynamic of efficacy entertainment

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Performance Studies

- The Philosophical Problem

To what activities may the basic principles of the

performance genres notbe applied?

Is life inherently theatrical or performative, OR

are performances specialized activites det apart

from life?

All the world is nota stage, but the ways in which itisnt are not always easy to specify. (Goffman)