Sunday, January 27, 2013

Technical Theatre


In Ancient Greece there are many ruins of the earliest theaters, usually outdoor amphitheaters, in places like Greece, Italy and Turkey. The designers of those theaters understood that communication was very important between the stage and audience since it was very big and fell prey to outside forces interfering with the production. Citizens attended the theaters to hear societal issues and of course for entertainment, and therefore sound was very important. They needed to build large amphitheaters in order for everyone to see and hear. They didn’t have the modern technology we have today that allows this to happen so easily.
Those early architects and builders considered
           How sound traveled both for the human voice and the accompanying music,
           What natural daylight would fall on the stage,
           What the actors would wear (masks and elevated shoes) and
           What stage machinery might enable the special effects needed to allow for the visits of gods to mortals.
There wasn’t much needed for the actual “set” design. The sun was the lighting, the actor’s and music had to be heard, and that was about it.
            The theaters were a long, rectangular building because many of them were converted from indoor tennis courts into theaters. Inside, there was a proscenium arch, with a back wall with bleacher-like seating. The stage was 5'-6' high, and had a small upper platform, at about 13' above the stage, probably for special effects. There were boxes forming a picture around the stage, and a pit as well. In 1640, Giacomo Torelli designed scenery and installed scene-changing equipment. He created the Petit Bourbon, a theater which utilized a pole-and-chariot system, as well as a proscenium arch stage. By 1673, there were five governmentally funded theatres in France: l'Opéra, Commédia dell'Arte , the Hôtel de Bourgogne, the Théâtre du Marais, and Molière's troupe. 



Works Cited



Aronow, Scott. "Tartuffe Costumes 1, 2, 3." Deviant Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. <http://scottaronow.deviantart.com/art/Tartuffe-Costumes-3-129684275>.

“Comedie-Francaise.” Wikipedia. Oct 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Com%C3%A9die-Fran%C3%A7aise


“Hotel du Petit-Bourbon.” Wikipedia. Jun 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit-Bourbon

“Hotel de Bourgogne.” Wikipedia. Dec 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B4tel_de_Bourgogne

Howarth, William D. “Theatre Architecture.” French Theatre in the Neo-classical Era, 1550-1789. Pg. 461.

Joyeuse. “French Neoclassical Theatre.” Aug 2003.  http://everything2.com/title/French+neoclassical+theatre.


“Neoclassic Drama.” Introduction to the Theatre. University of Idaho. http://www.class.uidaho.edu/thea101/Chapters/chapter_16.htm

"Neoclassical Costume and Clothing." Creative Costumer. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. http://creativecostumer.com/neoclassical-costume-and-clothing/

“Proscenium.” Wikipedia. Jan 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proscenium

"Study Guide: French Neoclassical Theatre - Time Tour Through Classical Theatre." Study Guide: French Neoclassical Theatre - Time Tour Through Classical Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. http://timetourclassicaltheatre.weebly.com/study-guide-french-neoclassical-theatre.html

"Timeline of Costume History:Â Main Page." Timeline of Costume History:Â Main Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. http://thecostumersmanifesto.com/costumeoldsite/history/100pages/timelinepages/timeline.htm.   


*Note: the Wikipedia citations are only for photos, not for information

Costumes in Neoclassical French Theatre


French Neoclassical theatre was commonly associated with “grandiosity” (Study Guide: French Neoclassical Theatre). Everything from the stages, scenery, and costumes were excessive and had fantastical style. According to William D. Howarth, the author of French Theatre in the Neo Classical Era, "costume generally followed contemporary fashion, though with some concessions to historical verisimilitude, if not accuracy, for characters from ancient or mythological times." In most cases, providing the costumes was the actor's responsibility. However, if a character required certain prop pieces, such as turbans and cloaks, the company provided them (Howarth).

Neoclassical women’s clothing and costumes had some influence from early Greek periods. Many dresses emulated the Greek drape line and had trains that were picked up and carried. They often carried long scarves or shawls as accessories that were made out of rich fabrics like cashmere. Women completed their outfits “with decorated mobcaps, turbans or bonnets with feathers.” Sheer material was most commonly used to make women’s garments. Other common fabrics included mull, linen, lawn, silk, gauze, tulle, taffeta and moire (Neoclassical Costume and Clothing).

Neoclassical men's costumes and clothing had lots of volume and gave the wearer lots of body and shape. Men were commonly seen wearing neutral breeches, made of wool or satin, paired with colorful waistcoats. Tailcoats were also popular during the period. Most male garments were made of woolen fabrics. If you were a wealthy man though, coats were made of fine fabrics like satin, silk and cashmere (Neoclassical Costume and Clothing).

Definitions of common garments worn during the French Neoclassical period:

Chemise Dress - high-waisted dress with a low draw-string neck, worn with a ribbon sash. Sleeves were either long and tight or short and melon shaped.

Hessian Boots - short riding boots worn by Hessian mercenaries hired to fight the American colonists. These black boots had no cuffs but were distinguished by a heart-shaped curve at the front top edge which was decorated with a tassel that hung from the dip in the heart.

“M” Coat Collar- unique “M” shape cut into men’s coat collars during this period.

Pantaloons- fitted calf-length pants made of elastic knitted fabric. Eventually became ankle length, often with stirrups under the foot. These pants had a fall front opening. Small fob-pockets for watches were placed at either side of the openings, close to the waistband.

Pelisse- a close-fitting, sleeved coat-dress with a high neck and matching belt. It opened all the way up the front.

Poke Bonnet - a bonnet with a small crown at back and a wide, rounded front brim which extended from the top of the head to beyond the face.

Quizzing Glass - A small, fashionable handheld devise used to see objects more clearly. The lens could be circular or oblong and the handle could be very ornate.

Redingote – A fitted, long princess cut coat worn by women. It was buttoned at the top while the bottom would be left open. It was originally trimmed with large buttons.

Reticule/Indispensible- a small, drawstring purse, worn at the wrist. Most fashionable Neoclassical dresses of the time could not have pockets due to their slim design.

Spencer - a very short, waist-length jacket with long, tight sleeves and often trimmed with fur worn outdoors with the chemise dress.

Steeplehat - predecessor of the top hat, it was made with a narrow, slightly rolling brim and a high crown, smaller at the top becoming wider around the head.

Tailcoats- the introduction of the tailcoat brought about two distinctive styles. The claw-hammer coat was the colloquial name for the swallow-tailed coat because its bottom edges were shaped like a hammer. The bobtail coat had shorter tails and rounded.

Topboots- high, solid-legged or laced boot of the 1780’s and 1790’s, of dark grain leather with tight, turn over tips that showed a lighter or contrasting dyed color.

Wrapped Cravat- a huge cravat wound high around the neck to hold up the shirt collar over the chin with the ends tied in a bow in front. The excess fabric was then draped over the shirtfront and tucked inside the waistcoat.






Theatres in Neoclassical France


·      Only a few theater structures were famous and often used by popular playwrights
o   Comedi-Francaise
o   Hotel du Petit-Bourbon
o   Hotel de Bourgogne
·       The most famous theatre of French Neoclassicalism is the Comedie-Francaise, otherwise known as “La maison de Moliere” (House of Moliere).
o   Named after Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, or Moliere.
·       Theaters from this time take the structure of a proscenium-based theater to another level.
o   Adds the orchestra directly in front of it.
o   Adds side boxes so that the audience can literally sit on stage with the actors.
o   The proscenium arch made it so the actors and audience can focus in one direction, rather than traveling around the stage to catch their whole audience.
·       Many of these theaters were made from indoor tennis courts that were changed into theaters, with the exception of performances in the palace.




Neoclassicism in France


Neoclassicism in France was evolving with the Age of Enlightenment, or The Age of Reason. With it came a spirit of inquiry into historical events and science.  Neoclassicism particularly refers to transformations in the decorative and visual arts, literature, music, theatre, and architecture that were inspired by the classical art and culture of Ancient Greece.  The majority of the Neoclassical era took place in the 18th century alongside the Age of Enlightenment and lasted into the early 19th century until Romanticism took over.   

Cardinal Richelieu was the man who determined that theatre would strictly have to follow certain rules in order to be considered a “neoclassical” play.  Here are the rules:

Decorum: French neoclassicism also had a very austere sense of decorum which required “proper” behavior.  For example, all violence was to occur offstage and all characters were to speak and act mannerly and true to their roles in society.  Everyone was required to behave in a justly upright manner.  

Verisimilitude: All action had to be true to real life.  Supernatural events in the plotline were not acceptable.  French neoclassical theatre was required to be very realistic and did not allow any suspension of disbelief. 

Unity of Time: All plays were required to be five acts long and must take place in a 24 hour time period.  As you can imagine, this sometimes led to unrealistic plotlines, such as entire wars, births, marriages, and deaths all taking place in 24 hours.

Unity of Place: All action in a play had to take place in a single location.  French Neoclassical plays were forbidden from having any set or location changes.

Unity of Action: All plays were only allowed to have a single plotline.  No subplots were allowed in any French Neoclassical play.

Purity of Genre: All plays must be either comedies of manners or heroic tragedies.  Comedies were required to have happy endings, while tragedies needed to end in death.  Tragedies were also not allowed to happen to “common people.”  Also, in the heroic tragedy, the hero was required to be royal or of noble descent.  Only the lower and middle classes were allowed to be the subject of comedies. 

Poetic Justice: Characters in these plays were expected to be dealt with according to their actions.  The good, virtuous people were rewarded and the evil sinners were punished accordingly.  By doing this, the audience was enlightened, educated, and amused.

Major playwrights of the time included Moliere, Racine, and Corneille.