A theater is a form of art that combines literature, music, as well as choreography, vocals and even visual art. Theater can be of different types. For example, dramatic, opera, ballet, puppet. Currently, the pantomime theater is famous. Even earlier, this art was something collective.
Now, in addition to the screenwriter, director and actors, there are other persons who are involved in this work. This is a stage designer, composer, dressers, make-up artists and many others. Everyone contributes to this incredibly powerful art.
The theater has always developed along with society and culture. It was with them that his dawn and decline fell. In this article, we will cover 10 interesting facts about the theater.
10. Emerged from ancient ritual festivals
Not many people know that theater emerged from various ancient ritual festivals. The people who participated, tried to reproduce some kind of labor processes or phenomena that occur in our nature.
But these actions, peculiar rites, were not a theater. Many art historians claim that the theater itself appeared when a spectator arose who was interested in this activity and the show.
That is why, goals can be achieved when there is a response from the audience. This happened only through teamwork. Previously, the theater existed only in indissoluble unity with other components (music, singing, dancing), but now it has lost its original synthetism, as new forms of it have formed.
9. The ancient Greek theater was born from the mysteries dedicated to the gods
Theater in Ancient Greece originated from the mysteries that were dedicated to the gods. These were mainly patrons of agriculture. This includes the god Dionysos, whom many festivals have always dedicated.
People wore animal skins, mostly goats. Also, one of the main rituals that were performed was the singing of songs for unusual motives. More often than not, myths were at the core. That is how the people glorified the god Dionysus in their unusual representations.
8. The first genres: tragedy and comedy
Tragedy - became the very first genre in the development of the theater. In ancient Greece, they called the peculiar song of the satyrs, which translates as "song of the goats ".
That is how they glorified the creatures in the form of goats that served the god Dionysus. Satyrs have always been very fond of drinking, and when you drink something, you really want to sing. Apparently, this name is connected with this. Singing has become a real tragedy for satyrs.
The tragedy in Greece is a pretty serious idea, which is based on Greek myths. In them people try to resist the gods. But everyone understands that the forces are unequal in any case.
At the end of such Greek tragedies, a sad ending is always expected. Moreover, he is always sad for people. One of the most famous Greek tragedies was the story of Prometheus. It was he who brought fire to people and showed how to properly preserve it. For this he was severely punished by the god Zeus.
The second genre that appeared at the same time is considered to be comedy. In such a funny, unpretentious and fun game, everything is simple. Here people and gods laugh and have fun. They joke with each other and at the same time expect nothing bad from anyone.
It is believed that another genre was founded - drama. It is perceived a little easier than tragedy. In this version, people do not oppose the gods, but simply very harmoniously combine with each other. The finale is not always tragic, as people here are exposed courageous, full of strength. They can resist their fate.
7. Fathers of the Greek tragedy: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides; comedy father - Aristophanes
Aristophanes is the father of comedy. The first comedy was staged by him in 427. But then she was exposed under a false name.
Aristophanes wrote many comedies, but only a few have come down to us. To understand them, you need to be familiar with the life of that time. This is how the viewer can appreciate the hints, sarcasm and just the depth of the whole plan. Not everyone succeeds.
Aeschylus is a playwright, also one of the fathers of the tragedy. Almost all his life he lived in an unusual city, which was always famous for its sacraments and traditions. His only drama, which has survived to this day, is called the Persians.
Sophocles and Euripides are no less famous poets and playwrights. Their tragedies are characterized by rare, but real dialogues, dynamic actions, as well as complex dramatic nodes that unleash quite simply and naturally.
6. Ancient folk theater was represented by fliacs and mimes.
It is worth noting that the last genre that originated in Greece was a new-atatic comedy. It was attended by simple everyday characters and plots.
Small sketches, which were more of a household nature, were called mimes. Greek means "imitation". The content of this view was completely diverse.
Unfortunately, the texts of many written memes have not reached us. We can only assume how simple the words and meaning were in them.
It is worth noting that another type of comedy game also appeared at this time - flaki. Most of them were used in Italy and Sicily. They differed from the previous ones only in that during the performance, it was necessary to wear a mask on the face.
5. During the Renaissance, opera and ballet were born
Opera and ballet appeared at the same time - in the Renaissance. Opera is such a form of theatrical art, where all actions are very closely connected with vocal performance and orchestra music. You can often see a combination of dance in this form.
Opera also has several genres - big opera, comic, romantic, opera ballet and many others.
Ballet is a type of stage art. Choreographic images with music prevail here more. The basis most often lies in a certain plan.
4. In Russia, the theater appeared in the second half of the 17th century
The first theater in Russia appeared in the 17th century. Many items were taken from buffoons. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich is the first person who thought about building a court theater. But in order to realize this idea, it was necessary to bring several foreign experts.
Thus, in 1644, a small group of actors arrived in Russia, which within a month began to stage their amazing performances. But already a full-fledged theater appeared under Alexei Mikhailovich.
3. Theater symbols - masks
A mask is a special item that is superimposed on a person’s face. Designed to hide identity. Each mask has a specific shape that repeats the human face.
Since ancient times, masks play a big role in theatrical tradition. This is more common in eastern cultures. But their use has survived to the present day.
2. The smallest theater in the world - “Kremlin Courtyard”
Austria is famous for the smallest theater in the whole world. It’s simply called the “Kremlin Court”. Its stage size is 1.3 by 1.3 meters. Only eight people and no more may be present at the performance.
It is worth noting that he is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It was first opened in 2009. The first performance, which was staged here, is called “Snow”, which was written according to the story of the writer Paustovsky.
1. The largest theater in the world - “Pearl on the Water”
The largest theater in the world is called "Pearl on the Water". It is located in Beijing and was built in 2007.
The theater has 3 halls, each of which can accommodate up to 6500 thousand spectators. Outwardly, it has an unusual shape, for which people nicknamed it "Egg".