e-Pedia: Dracula (TV Series) - Wikipedia contributors - E-Book

e-Pedia: Dracula (TV Series) E-Book

Wikipedia Contributors

0,0

Beschreibung

This carefully crafted ebook is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Dracula is a British-American horror drama television series. The series, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, was produced by London-based Carnival Films; it aired in the United States on NBC and in the United Kingdom on Sky Living. It was created by Cole Haddon, while Daniel Knauf served as showrunner and head writer. This book has been derived from Wikipedia: it contains the entire text of the title Wikipedia article + the entire text of all the 262 related (linked) Wikipedia articles to the title article. This book does not contain illustrations. e-Pedia (an imprint of e-artnow) charges for the convenience service of formatting these e-books for your eReader. We donate a part of our net income after taxes to the Wikimedia Foundation from the sales of all books based on Wikipedia content.

Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:

Android
iOS
von Legimi
zertifizierten E-Readern

Seitenzahl: 3135

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Das E-Book (TTS) können Sie hören im Abo „Legimi Premium” in Legimi-Apps auf:

Android
iOS
Bewertungen
0,0
0
0
0
0
0
Mehr Informationen
Mehr Informationen
Legimi prüft nicht, ob Rezensionen von Nutzern stammen, die den betreffenden Titel tatsächlich gekauft oder gelesen/gehört haben. Wir entfernen aber gefälschte Rezensionen.



e-Pedia: Dracula (TV Series)

Dracula is a British-American horror drama television series
by Wikipedia contributors
For a detailed list of authors, please use the link to the authors provided at the end of each article. 
Licensed by e-Pedia (an imprint of e-artnow) 2017, pursuant to: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC- BY-SA 3.0 License)
This edition has been last updated 2017-06-15
ISBN 978-80-268-5221-6
Editorial note: this carefully crafted ebook is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. This book has been derived from Wikipedia: it contains the entire text of the title Wikipedia article + the entire text of all the 262 related (linked) Wikipedia articles to the title article. This book does not contain illustrations or illustration descriptions.  e-Pedia (an imprint of e-artnow) charges for the convenience service of formatting these e-books. We donate a part of our net income after taxes to the Wikimedia Foundation from the sales of all e-books based on Wikipedia content. You can access the original Wikipedia articles on the internet free of charge. e-artnow and e-Pedia are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Wikipedia or the Wikimedia Foundation.
Disclaimer:
this book does not constitute professional advice. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
This book may include hyper-links to other sites which are not maintained by, or related to e-Pedia (an imprint of e-artnow). Hyper-links to such sites are provided as a service to readers and are not sponsored by or affiliated with Wikipedia or e-Pedia/e-artnow. e-Pedia/e-artnow has not reviewed any or all of such sites and is not responsible for the content of those sites. e-Pedia/e-artnow is not responsible for webcasting or any other form of transmission received from any hyper-linked site. Hyper-links are to be accessed at the user's own risk, and e-Pedia/e-artnow makes no representations or warranties about the content, completeness or accuracy of these hyperlinks or the sites hyper-linked to such site. e-Pedia/e-artnow provides hyper-links as a convenience, and the inclusion of any hyper-link to a third-party site does not necessarily imply endorsement by e-Pedia/e-artnow of that site or any association with its operators.
This book has been derived from Wikipedia, pursuant to the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC- BY-SA 3.0 License)
e-artnow and e-Pedia are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Wikipedia or the Wikimedia Foundation.

Recommended titles:

e-Pedia: Madam Secretary (TV Series)

e-Pedia: Bates Motel (TV Series)

e-Pedia: Lie to Me

e-Pedia: CSI: Miami

e-Pedia: Colony (TV Series)

e-Pedia: The Carmichael Show

e-Pedia: Greenleaf (TV Series)

e-Pedia: Big Love

e-Pedia: The Mindy Project

e-Pedia: Community (TV Series)

Main table of contents:

Dracula (TV Series)

Introduction

Premise

Cast and characters

Production

Episodes

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links

Linked articles

0-9, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
View in order of appearance
View in alphabetical order
Main TOC 

Contents

1Premise2Cast and characters3Production4Episodes5Awards and nominations6See also7References8External links

Dracula (TV series)

Dracula is a British-Americanhorrordrama television series.[1] The series, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, was produced by London-based Carnival Films; it aired in the United States on NBC and in the United Kingdom on Sky Living. It was created by Cole Haddon,[2] while Daniel Knauf served as showrunner and head writer.[3]

The series was given a straight-to-series commitment of ten episodes.[2][4] It was canceled after one season.[5]

TOP
 TOC Next  

 Premise

The series introduces Dracula as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. However, his plan is complicated when he falls in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.[6]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Cast and characters

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Main cast

Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Dracula / Alexander Grayson / Vlad Tepes[2]Jessica De Gouw as Mina Murray / Ilona,[7] a medical student and the reincarnation of Dracula's long-dead wife.Thomas Kretschmann as Abraham Van Helsing,[8] Mina's lecturer at university. Kretschmann previously played Dracula in the 2012 Italian horror film, Dracula 3D.Victoria Smurfit as Lady Jayne Wetherby, a fashionable huntswoman who is immediately enticed by the King of Vampires.[9]Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Jonathan Harker, a gauche journalist who's desperate to climb the ranks of aristocracy.[10][11]Nonso Anozie as R.M. Renfield, Dracula's loyal confidant and keeper of secrets.[12]Katie McGrath as Lucy Westenra[12] a rich society girl who harbors secret romantic feelings for Mina, her best friend.[13]
 TOC  Previous Next  

 Recurring cast

Ben Miles as Browning, the leader of the Order of the Dragon.Robert Bathurst as Lord Thomas DavenportMiklós Bányai as Szabo, Harker's friend and former co-worker at the newspaper.Phil McKee as Joseph Kowalski, Grayson's head technician.Anthony Calf as Dr. William Murray, Mina's father and the director of Bethlem Royal Hospital.Jemma Redgrave as Minerva Westenra, Lucy's mother.Tamer Hassan as Kaha Ruma aka "The Moroccan".[14]
 TOC  Previous Next  

 Production

The series was shot in Budapest.[9][15] Prior to the series premiere, NBC released an animated web companion entitled Dracula Rising, which serves as a prequel that depicts the origin story of the titular character.[16]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Season 1 (2013-14)

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers (millions)1"The Blood Is the Life"Steve ShillCole HaddonOctober 25, 20135.26[17]Enter the arrival of Alexander Grayson to England with his lavish party. He spots Mina, a woman who strongly resembles his dead wife Ilona, from across the room with her friends Jonathan Harker and Lucy Westenra. He also meets Lady Jayne Wetherby as well as his victims, members of the Order of the Dragon.2"A Whiff of Sulfur"Steve ShillDaniel KnaufNovember 1, 20133.39[18]Grayson and Lady Jayne become lovers, despite his suspicions about her being involved with the Order of the Dragon. Mina asks for Grayson's help with a challenge at medical school which leads to a much desired success; Van Helsing continues his work on a solar vaccine for Dracula as Harker enters a bargain with the devil.3"Goblin Merchant Men"Andy GoddardHarley PeytonNovember 8, 20132.96[19]With Harker's help, Grayson begins to dismantle the Order of the Dragon from within by attacking its members one by one. He unmasks and threatens to exploit Lord Laurent's secret to his own advantage. This ultimately leads the Order to take drastic measures to reprimand members who break their rules. As a result of a chain of events resulting from Grayson's blackmail of Lord Laurent, he, in turn, earns a powerful enemy within the Order of the Dragon — Lord Davenport. Renfield proves to be a sophisticated and skillful tactician in business matters on behalf of his employer. Grayson investigates Lady Jayne and finds brutal proof regarding her secret life within the Order — now he realizes he must change his tactics with her. Lucy tries to help Mina who is depressed over the current sad state of her relationship with Jonathan. Mina confides in Grayson about her troubles and Grayson offers Jonathan advice to help fix the situation. Jonathan and Mina reconcile and become engaged to be married — all according to Grayson's plan to continue to keep Mina close, but not too close.4"From Darkness to Light"Andy GoddardTom GrievesNovember 15, 20132.99[20]Grayson sets out to win Lady Jayne's heart and utmost trust in order to keep her and the Order of the Dragon from suspecting him to be the ancient vampire they're looking for. To this end, he sacrifices an old but loyal acquaintance who, according to the sage advice of Renfield, demonstrates too much brutish, uncontrolled behavior — thus, proving himself to be too much of a "wild card" to include in Grayson's strategically subtle plans for the Order (and possibly himself, with Mina). Harker looks into General Shaw, at Grayson's request, while Lord Davenport seeks out the help of an "expert" to destroy Grayson for indirectly causing the death of his son. Lord Davenport, without the sanction of the Order, aids in the kidnapping (and soon-to-be torture) of Renfield, Grayson's close associate, confidant & up-and-coming right hand man. Meanwhile, Lucy hides her broken heart over Mina by throwing herself into the planning for Mina and Harker's lavish engagement party — hosted entirely by Grayson.5"The Devil's Waltz"Nick MurphyNicole TaylorNovember 29, 20132.84[21]Mina dreams of Grayson in her bedroom telling her that Harker was not the right man for her. As they start to get intimate, Lucy walks into her room and Mina awakens abruptly from her dream. Van Helsing was able to make an initially successful attempt of the solar serum which was tried on a woman vampire after he and Grayson shocked her heart back to beating again — although she burst into flames after a few minutes' exposure to sunlight. Grayson reminisces about first meeting Renfield in America, while worriedly awaiting word from Harker who makes inquiry about Renfield's disappearance. Using the 'scent' of Renfield's pocket book which Harker found outside the building where Renfield was seen beaten and abducted into a carriage, Grayson was able to find and rescue him once night falls. Renfield admirably withstands grotesque torture techniques without uttering a single word of betrayal and then suddenly Grayson arrives to quickly and mercilessly exact bloody revenge against Renfield's torturers. During Mina and Harker's engagement party, Grayson was introduced to some of the elite gents of the Order of the Dragon and after shaking hands with them, he sniffs his hand in order to discover the man responsible for Renfield's kidnapping. Mina introduces Grayson to her mentor, Dr. Van Helsing, and the two men act as though they never met. Lucy observes Lady Jayne searching for someone and correctly concludes she's looking for Grayson and that they are lovers. Later on, Lady Jayne catches Lucy looking at Mina lovingly and deduces she is in love with her. As a thank you to Grayson for the engagement party, Harker gifts him the first dance with Mina. Both Grayson and Mina are visibly shaken by this. While dancing, Mina and Grayson inadvertently have a long 'moment' as they seem to only have eyes for each other -- Lady Jayne, Harker and Lucy each then become aware that there is an intense attraction between them and Harker promptly interrupts their dance. Browning discusses with Lady Jayne the possibility of Grayson being the old one they are seeking as his entrance into London society coincides with Dracula's appearance. Lady Jayne dismisses this and Browning informs her that she is not the first woman to be blinded by lust but she will be the first vampire hunter to do so. Grayson gently tends to Renfield's head wounds and we continue to learn how the two became fiercely loyal to one another.6"Of Monsters and Men"Nick MurphyKatie LovejoyDecember 6, 20133.83[22]Browning decides to host a board meeting in the sunlight in an effort to expose Grayson. Grayson and Van Helsing acquire a vital component for the wireless electricity technology and his sunlight drug. Lucy expresses her true feelings towards Mina and professes her love. Mina becomes very upset and tells Lucy to leave her. Mina and Harker make up and have sex.7"Servant to Two Masters"Brian KellyRebecca KirschJanuary 3, 20142.90[23]Grayson is so intoxicated by his invulnerability to sunlight that he doesn't indulge in blood. He foolishly deludes himself into thinking that avoiding his cravings for blood plus the serum is beginning to make him human again. He slowly grows sick which others notice. Renfield is sent to Budapest for a painting of Ilona which is stolen by the Order of the Dragon. Lord Davenport, having stolen and viewed the painting, then learns Mina Murray is the object of Grayson's desire. Lady Jayne continues her manipulation of Lucy and thereby the indirect assault on Mina, Grayson's true object of affection. She teaches Lucy the art of seduction and suggests she try to entice Harker so as to set Mina free for a relationship with Lucy. Harker realizes he was manipulated by Grayson and is introduced to the Order of the Dragon. The Order employs a policeman to poison the milk offered by Grayson Energies as Grayson is ready to present his technology to the public. This causes the people who drink it to become very ill. The same policeman then proceeds to force Grayson's business to be shut down by associating the "mysterious" illness with the demonstration's machinery. In retaliation, Grayson then proceeds to drain the policeman when everyone is gone. Meanwhile, Mina throws a dance at the hospital that Harker missed but she danced with Grayson which is noticed by her father. Angered that Van Helsing's serum has not "cured" him of the Order's curse upon him (something Van Helsing never promised), Grayson threatens to kill him.8"Come to Die"Brian KellyHarley PeytonJanuary 10, 20142.47[24]Van Helsing has a falling out with Grayson, after Grayson learned he would still crave blood despite taking the serum, and seeks payback against Mr. Browning and his family. Mina tries to avoid Grayson and focus on her schooling, but ends up being attacked by Lord Davenport's men, an act Harker vows to avenge. After the attack, Mina ends up in a hospital. Harker confronts Mina about her feelings towards Grayson. After seeing Mina's portrait that Grayson wanted to attain, Harker becomes mad with jealousy and sleeps with Lucy. Lady Jayne learns that Dracula has returned to London after seeing the three men who attacked Mina impaled on public gates.9"Four Roses"Tim FywellStory by : Jesse PeyronelTeleplay by : Daniel KnaufJanuary 17, 20142.78[25]Grayson goes to war with the Order of the Dragon just as Harker becomes a member of the group. Lucy reveals a secret that damages her friendship with Mina, as she recovers from her attack. Mr. Browning desperately searches for his children. Lady Jayne prepares to hunt the ultimate vampire, Dracula. Grayson turns Lucy into the monster he believes she is.10"Let There Be Light"Tim FywellCole HaddonJanuary 24, 20143.04[26]A public demonstration of Grayson's technology is sabotaged with it exploding and killing most if not all of the people there. It was sabotaged by Harker and now Grayson knows that he is the enemy and part of the Order of the Dragon. Mina is afraid of new Harker so she runs away from him. Van Helsing destroys the process that enables Grayson to walk in the light and escapes, stabbing Renfield and sends a ransom note for £50000 together with a child's finger to Browning's distraught wife luring Browning with the ransom to his children. There, Browning is shot before Van Helsing shows him that his children have become vampires through Dracula's blood. He then allows the children to eat Browning and before setting the place on fire. Lady Jayne employs a seer with a relic containing the blood of Christ to locate vampires that leads her, armed with a holy papal dagger, to a final confrontation with Grayson. She stabs Grayson and tells him that she never loved him before he throws her on the ground impaling her and watches her die, though not before feeding on her. Meanwhile, Lucy fully changes into a vampire and bites her mother. Mina discovers the secret of Grayson's love before having sex with him. Van Helsing decides to hunt down Dracula now that he had his revenge and tells Harker that Grayson is Dracula. Van Helsing employs Harker to fight and destroy Dracula.
 TOC  Previous Next  

 Awards and nominations

YearGroupAwardResultNotes2014American Society of CinematographersOutstanding Achievement in Cinematography in One-Hour Episodic Television SeriesNominatedDracula2014People's Choice AwardsFavorite New TV DramaNominatedDracula2014People's Choice AwardsFavorite Actor in a New TV Series - Jonathan Rhys MeyersNominatedDracula
 TOC  Previous Next  

 See also

Vampire filmList of vampire television series
 TOC  Previous Next  

 References

^Busis, Hillary (May 12, 2013). "NBC fall schedule reveals big moves". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2013.^ abcByrne, Craig (July 24, 2012). "NBC Orders 10-Episode Dracula Series With Jonathan Rhys Meyers". KSiteTV. Retrieved December 7, 2012.^Andreeva, Nellie (October 8, 2012). "'Carnivale' Creator to Run NBC's 'Dracula'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2013.^Keene, Allison (July 25, 2012). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers To Star in NBC DRACULA Series". Collider. Retrieved December 7, 2012.^Kondolojy, Amanda (May 10, 2014). "'Dracula' Canceled by NBC After One Season". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2014.^NBC. "About Dracula". NBC. Retrieved October 31, 2013.^Goldberg, Lesley (January 18, 2013). "'Arrow' Actress to Co-Star in NBC's Jonathan Rhys Meyers 'Dracula' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2017.^Roots, Kimberly (February 11, 2013). "Scoop: NBC's Dracula Casts King Kong Actor as Its Van Helsing – With a Twist". TVLine. Retrieved February 12, 2013.^ abHall, Eva (February 4, 2013). "Victoria Smurfit To Sink Teeth Into Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ ‘Dracula’". IFTN. Retrieved February 4, 2013.^Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2013). "Thomas Kretschmann & Oliver Jackson-Cohen Join NBC's 'Dracula' Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2013.^Challis, Carla (February 12, 2013). "Say Hello To Dracula's Hot New Signings". Sky Living HD. Retrieved February 13, 2013.^ abGoldberg, Lesley (January 30, 2013). "NBC's 'Dracula' Series Casts 'Game of Thrones,' 'Merlin' Actors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2013.^Webb, Claire. "Katie McGrath: In the book Lucy is very sweet, mine has much more sass". RadioTimes. Retrieved November 16, 2013.^Fletcher, Alex (November 11, 2013). "'Dracula' on NBC, Sky Living: Tamer Hassan joins cast". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 18, 2013.^Ford Sullivan, Brian (January 6, 2013). "NBC at TCA: Greenblatt Outlines Latest Plans for Midseason, Summer and Fall". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 6, 2013.^Gutelle, Sam (October 7, 2013). "NBC's 'Dracula' Gets Animated In Web Companion Prequel". TubeFilter. Retrieved October 8, 2013.^Bibel, Sara (October 28, 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Grimm,' Dracula' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 28, 2013.^Kondolojy, Amanda (November 4, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Shark Tank' Adjusted Up, 'Blue Bloods' Adjusted Down + No Adjustment for 'Grimm' or 'Dracula'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 4, 2013.^Bibel, Sara (November 11, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Dracula' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 11, 2013.^Kondolojy, Amanda (November 18, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Undercover Boss', 'Grimm' & 'Raising Hope' Adjusted Up; 'Last Man Standing', 'The Carrie Diaries' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 18, 2013.^Kondolojy, Amanda (December 4, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustment for 'Nikita', 'Grimm' or 'Dracula'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 4, 2013.^Kondolojy, Amanda (December 9, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Bones' & 'Raising Hope' Adjusted Up; 'The Neighbors' & 'The Carrie Diaries' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 9, 2013.^Bibel, Sara (January 6, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Grimm' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 6, 2014.^Kondolojy, Amanda (January 13, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up; 'Dracula' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 13, 2014.^Bibel, Sara (January 21, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Grimm', 'Dracula', 'Hawaii Five-0' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 21, 2014.^Kondolojy, Amanda (January 27, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'Enlisted' or 'The Carrie Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
 TOC  Previous 

 External links

Official websiteDracula on Internet Movie DatabaseDracula at TV.com
Categories: 2010s British drama television series2013 British television programme debuts2014 British television programme endings2010s American television series2013 American television series debuts2014 American television series endingsAmerican drama television seriesEnglish-language television programmingNBC network showsTelevision series by Universal TelevisionDracula television programsAmerican horror fiction television seriesBritish horror fiction television seriesSky television programmesReincarnation in televisionTelevision shows set in LondonTelevision shows set in HungaryVampires in televisionAmerican supernatural television series

This page was last edited on 16 April 2017, at 19:58.

This text is based on the Wikipedia article Dracula (TV series): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_(TV_series)  which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License available online at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode  List of authors: https://tools.wmflabs.org/xtools/wikihistory/wh.php?page_title=Dracula_(TV_series) 
Back to main article 

Contents

1History of Western drama2Asian drama3Forms of drama4See also5Notes6Sources7External links

Drama

"Dramas" and "dramatics" redirect here. For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation).
See also: Drama (film and television)

Drama is the specific mode of fictionrepresented in performance.[1] The term comes from a Greek word meaning " action" (Classical Greek: δρᾶμα, drama), which is derived from "I do" (Classical Greek: δράω, drao). The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. They are symbols of the ancient GreekMuses, Thalia, and Melpomene. Thalia was the Muse of comedy (the laughing face), while Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy (the weeping face). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since Aristotle's Poetics (c. 335 BCE)—the earliest work of dramatic theory.[2]

In English (as was the analogous case in many other European languages), the word " play" or "game" (translating the Anglo-Saxonplèga or Latinludus) was the standard term used to describe drama until William Shakespeare's time—just as its creator was a "play-maker" rather than a "dramatist" and the building was a "play-house" rather than a " theatre."[3] The use of "drama" in a more narrow sense to designate a specific type of play dates from the modern era. "Drama" in this sense refers to a play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy—for example, Zola'sThérèse Raquin ( 1873) or Chekhov'sIvanov ( 1887). It is this narrower sense that the film and television industries, along with film studies, adopted to describe " drama" as a genre within their respective media. "Radio drama" has been used in both senses—originally transmitted in a live performance, it has also been used to describe the more high-brow and serious end of the dramatic output of radio.[4]

The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception. The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception.[5] The early moderntragedyHamlet ( 1601) by Shakespeare and the classical Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex (c. 429 BCE) by Sophocles are among the masterpieces of the art of drama.[6] A modern example is Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill (1956).[7]

Drama is often combined with music and dance: the drama in opera is generally sung throughout; musicals generally include both spoken dialogue and songs; and some forms of drama have incidental music or musical accompaniment underscoring the dialogue ( melodrama and Japanese Nō, for example).[8]Closet drama describes a form that is intended to be read, rather than performed.[9] In improvisation, the drama does not pre-exist the moment of performance; performers devise a dramatic script spontaneously before an audience.[10]

TOP
 TOC Next  

 History of Western drama

 TOC Next  

 Classical Greek drama

Main article: Theatre of ancient Greece

Western drama originates in classical Greece.[11] The theatrical culture of the city-state of Athens produced three genres of drama: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. Their origins remain obscure, though by the 5th century BCE they were institutionalised in competitions held as part of festivities celebrating the god Dionysus.[12] Historians know the names of many ancient Greek dramatists, not least Thespis, who is credited with the innovation of an actor ("hypokrites") who speaks (rather than sings) and impersonates a character (rather than speaking in his own person), while interacting with the chorus and its leader (" coryphaeus"), who were a traditional part of the performance of non-dramatic poetry ( dithyrambic, lyric and epic).[13]

Only a small fraction of the work of five dramatists, however, has survived to this day: we have a small number of complete texts by the tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and the comic writers Aristophanes and, from the late 4th century, Menander.[14] Aeschylus' historical tragedy The Persians is the oldest surviving drama, although when it won first prize at the City Dionysia competition in 472 BCE, he had been writing plays for more than 25 years.[15] The competition (" agon") for tragedies may have begun as early as 534 BCE; official records ("didaskaliai") begin from 501 BCE when the satyr play was introduced.[16] Tragic dramatists were required to present a tetralogy of plays (though the individual works were not necessarily connected by story or theme), which usually consisted of three tragedies and one satyr play (though exceptions were made, as with Euripides' Alcestis in 438 BCE). Comedy was officially recognized with a prize in the competition from 487 to 486 BCE.

Five comic dramatists competed at the City Dionysia (though during the Peloponnesian War this may have been reduced to three), each offering a single comedy.[17]Ancient Greek comedy is traditionally divided between "old comedy" (5th century BCE), "middle comedy" (4th century BCE) and "new comedy" (late 4th century to 2nd BCE).[18]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Classical Roman drama

Main article: Theatre of ancient Rome

Following the expansion of the Roman Republic (509–27 BCE) into several Greek territories between 270–240 BCE, Rome encountered Greek drama.[19] From the later years of the republic and by means of the Roman Empire (27 BCE-476 CE), theatre spread west across Europe, around the Mediterranean and reached England; Roman theatre was more varied, extensive and sophisticated than that of any culture before it.[20]

While Greek drama continued to be performed throughout the Roman period, the year 240 BCE marks the beginning of regular Roman drama.[21] From the beginning of the empire, however, interest in full-length drama declined in favour of a broader variety of theatrical entertainments.[22] The first important works of Roman literature were the tragedies and comedies that Livius Andronicus wrote from 240 BCE.[23] Five years later, Gnaeus Naevius also began to write drama.[23] No plays from either writer have survived. While both dramatists composed in both genres, Andronicus was most appreciated for his tragedies and Naevius for his comedies; their successors tended to specialise in one or the other, which led to a separation of the subsequent development of each type of drama.[23]

By the beginning of the 2nd century BCE, drama was firmly established in Rome and a guild of writers (collegium poetarum) had been formed.[24] The Roman comedies that have survived are all fabula palliata (comedies based on Greek subjects) and come from two dramatists: Titus Maccius Plautus (Plautus) and Publius Terentius Afer (Terence).[25] In re-working the Greek originals, the Roman comic dramatists abolished the role of the chorus in dividing the drama into episodes and introduced musical accompaniment to its dialogue (between one-third of the dialogue in the comedies of Plautus and two-thirds in those of Terence).[26] The action of all scenes is set in the exterior location of a street and its complications often follow from eavesdropping.[26]

Plautus, the more popular of the two, wrote between 205 and 184 BCE and twenty of his comedies survive, of which his farces are best known; he was admired for the wit of his dialogue and his use of a variety of poetic meters.[27] All of the six comedies that Terence wrote between 166 and 160 BCE have survived; the complexity of his plots, in which he often combined several Greek originals, was sometimes denounced, but his double-plots enabled a sophisticated presentation of contrasting human behaviour.[27] No early Roman tragedy survives, though it was highly regarded in its day; historians know of three early tragedians—Quintus Ennius, Marcus Pacuvius, and Lucius Accius.[26]

From the time of the empire, the work of two tragedians survives—one is an unknown author, while the other is the Stoic philosopherSeneca.[28] Nine of Seneca's tragedies survive, all of which are fabula crepidata (tragedies adapted from Greek originals); his Phaedra, for example, was based on Euripides' Hippolytus.[29] Historians do not know who wrote the only extant example of the fabula praetexta (tragedies based on Roman subjects), Octavia, but in former times it was mistakenly attributed to Seneca due to his appearance as a character in the tragedy.[28]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Medieval

Main article: Medieval theatre

Beginning in the early Middle Ages, churches staged dramatised versions of biblical events, known as liturgical dramas, to enliven annual celebrations.[30] The earliest example is the Easter trope Whom do you Seek? (Quem-Quaeritis) (c. 925).[31] Two groups would sing responsively in Latin, though no impersonation of characters was involved. By the 11th century, it had spread through Europe to Russia, Scandinavia, and Italy; only Muslim-occupied Spain was excluded.

In the 10th century, Hrosvitha wrote six plays in Latin modeled on Terence's comedies, but which treated religious subjects.[32] Her plays are the first known to be composed by a female dramatist and the first identifiable Western drama of the post-Classical era.[32] Later, Hildegard of Bingen wrote a musical drama, Ordo Virtutum (c. 1155).[32]

One of the most famous of the early secular plays is the courtly pastoralRobin and Marion, written in the 13th century in French by Adam de la Halle.[33]The Interlude of the Student and the Girl (c. 1300), one of the earliest known in English, seems to be the closest in tone and form to the contemporaneous French farces, such as The Boy and the Blind Man.[34]

A large number of plays survive from France and Germany in the late Middle Ages, when some type of religious drama was performed in nearly every European country. Many of these plays contained comedy, devils, villains, and clowns.[35] In England, trade guilds began to perform vernacular "mystery plays," which were composed of long cycles of a large number of playlets or "pageants," of which four are extant: York (48 plays), Chester (24), Wakefield (32) and the so-called " N-Town" (42). The Second Shepherds' Play from the Wakefield cycle is a farcical story of a stolen sheep that its protagonist, Mak, tries to pass off as his new-born child asleep in a crib; it ends when the shepherds from whom he has stolen are summoned to the Nativity of Jesus.[36]

Morality plays (a modern term) emerged as a distinct dramatic form around 1400 and flourished in the early Elizabethan era in England. Characters were often used to represent different ethical ideals. Everyman, for example, includes such figures as Good Deeds, Knowledge and Strength, and this characterisation reinforces the conflict between good and evil for the audience. The Castle of Perseverance (c. 1400—1425) depicts an archetypal figure's progress from birth through to death. Horestes (c. 1567), a late "hybrid morality" and one of the earliest examples of an English revenge play, brings together the classical story of Orestes with a Vice from the medieval allegorical tradition, alternating comic, slapstick scenes with serious, tragic ones.[37] Also important in this period were the folk dramas of the Mummers Play, performed during the Christmas season. Court masques were particularly popular during the reign of Henry VIII.[38]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Elizabethan and Jacobean

Main article: English Renaissance theatre

One of the great flowerings of drama in England occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of these plays were written in verse, particularly iambic pentameter. In addition to Shakespeare, such authors as Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Middleton, and Ben Jonson were prominent playwrights during this period. As in the medieval period, historical plays celebrated the lives of past kings, enhancing the image of the Tudor monarchy. Authors of this period drew some of their storylines from Greek mythology and Roman mythology or from the plays of eminent Roman playwrights such as Plautus and Terence.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 English Restoration comedy

Main article: Restoration comedy

Restoration comedy refers to English comedies written and performed in England during the Restoration period from 1660 to 1710. Comedy of manners is used as a synonym of Restoration comedy.[39] After public theatre had been banned by the Puritan regime, the re-opening of the theatres in 1660 with the Restoration of Charles II signalled a renaissance of English drama.[40] Restoration comedy is known for its sexual explicitness, urbane, cosmopolitan wit, up-to-the-minute topical writing, and crowded and bustling plots. Its dramatists stole freely from the contemporary French and Spanish stage, from English Jacobean and Caroline plays, and even from Greek and Romanclassical comedies, combining the various plotlines in adventurous ways. Resulting differences of tone in a single play were appreciated rather than frowned on, as the audience prized "variety" within as well as between plays. Restoration comedy peaked twice. The genre came to spectacular maturity in the mid-1670s with an extravaganza of aristocratic comedies. Twenty lean years followed this short golden age, although the achievement of the first professional female playwright, Aphra Behn, in the 1680s is an important exception. In the mid-1690s, a brief second Restoration comedy renaissance arose, aimed at a wider audience. The comedies of the golden 1670s and 1690s peak times are significantly different from each other.

The unsentimental or "hard" comedies of John Dryden, William Wycherley, and George Etherege reflected the atmosphere at Court and celebrated with frankness an aristocratic macho lifestyle of unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. The Earl of Rochester, real-life Restoration rake, courtier and poet, is flatteringly portrayed in Etherege's The Man of Mode (1676) as a riotous, witty, intellectual, and sexually irresistible aristocrat, a template for posterity's idea of the glamorous Restoration rake (actually never a very common character in Restoration comedy). The single play that does most to support the charge of obscenity levelled then and now at Restoration comedy is probably Wycherley's masterpiece The Country Wife (1675), whose title contains a lewdpun and whose notorious "china scene" is a series of sustained double entendres.[41]

During the second wave of Restoration comedy in the 1690s, the "softer" comedies of William Congreve and John Vanbrugh set out to appeal to more socially diverse audience with a strong middle-class element, as well as to female spectators. The comic focus shifts from young lovers outwitting the older generation to the vicissitudes of marital relations. In Congreve's Love for Love (1695) and The Way of the World (1700), the give-and-take set pieces of couples testing their attraction for one another have mutated into witty prenuptial debates on the eve of marriage, as in the latter's famous "Proviso" scene. Vanbrugh's The Provoked Wife (1697) has a light touch and more humanly recognisable characters, while The Relapse (1696) has been admired for its throwaway wit and the characterisation of Lord Foppington, an extravagant and affected burlesquefop with a dark side.[42] The tolerance for Restoration comedy even in its modified form was running out by the end of the 17th century, as public opinion turned to respectability and seriousness even faster than the playwrights did.[43] At the much-anticipated all-star première in 1700 of The Way of the World, Congreve's first comedy for five years, the audience showed only moderate enthusiasm for that subtle and almost melancholy work. The comedy of sex and wit was about to be replaced by sentimental comedy and the drama of exemplary morality.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Modern and postmodern

The pivotal and innovative contributions of the 19th-century Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen and the 20th-century German theatre practitionerBertolt Brecht dominate modern drama; each inspired a tradition of imitators, which include many of the greatest playwrights of the modern era.[44] The works of both playwrights are, in their different ways, both modernist and realist, incorporating formal experimentation, meta-theatricality, and social critique.[45] In terms of the traditional theoretical discourse of genre, Ibsen's work has been described as the culmination of "liberal tragedy", while Brecht's has been aligned with an historicised comedy.[46]

Other important playwrights of the modern era include Antonin Artaud, August Strindberg, Anton Chekhov, Frank Wedekind, Maurice Maeterlinck, Federico García Lorca, Eugene O'Neill, Luigi Pirandello, George Bernard Shaw, Ernst Toller, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Jean Genet, Eugène Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Dario Fo, Heiner Müller, and Caryl Churchill.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Asian drama

 TOC  Previous Next  

 India

Main article: Theatre in India

The earliest form of Indian drama was the Sanskrit drama.[47] Between the 1st century CE and the 10th was a period of relative peace in the history of India during which hundreds of modern plays were written.[48] With the Islamic conquests that began in the 10th and 11th centuries, theatre was discouraged or forbidden entirely.[49] Later, in an attempt to re-assert indigenous values and ideas, village theatre was encouraged across the subcontinent, developing in a large number of regional languages from the 15th to the 19th centuries.[50] Modern Indian theatre developed during the period of colonial rule under the British Empire, from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th.[51]

 TOC Next  

 Sanskrit theatre

Main article: Sanskrit drama

The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date from the 1st century CE.[52] The wealth of archeological evidence from earlier periods offers no indication of the existence of a tradition of theatre.[53] The ancient Vedas ( hymns from between 1500 and 1000 BCE that are among the earliest examples of literature in the world) contain no hint of it (although a small number are composed in a form of dialogue) and the rituals of the Vedic period do not appear to have developed into theatre.[53] The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama.[54] This treatise on grammar from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India.[54]

The major source of evidence for Sanskrit theatre is A Treatise on Theatre (Nātyaśāstra), a compendium whose date of composition is uncertain (estimates range from 200 BCE to 200 CE) and whose authorship is attributed to Bharata Muni. The Treatise is the most complete work of dramaturgy in the ancient world. It addresses acting, dance, music, dramatic construction, architecture, costuming, make-up, props, the organisation of companies, the audience, competitions, and offers a mythological account of the origin of theatre.[54]

Its drama is regarded as the highest achievement of Sanskrit literature.[55] It utilised stock characters, such as the hero (nayaka), heroine (nayika), or clown (vidusaka). Actors may have specialised in a particular type. It was patronized by the kings as well as village assemblies. Famous early playwrights include Bhasa, Kalidasa (famous for Vikrama and Urvashi, Malavika and Agnimitra, and The Recognition of Shakuntala), Śudraka (famous for The Little Clay Cart), Asvaghosa, Daṇḍin, and Emperor Harsha (famous for Nagananda, Ratnavali, and Priyadarsika). Śakuntalā (in English translation) influenced Goethe'sFaust (1808–1832).[55]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Modern Indian drama

Rabindranath Tagore was a pioneering modern playwright who wrote plays noted for their exploration and questioning of nationalism, identity, spiritualism and material greed.[56] His plays are written in Bengali and include Chitra (Chitrangada, 1892), The King of the Dark Chamber (Raja, 1910), The Post Office (Dakghar, 1913), and Red Oleander (Raktakarabi, 1924).[56] Girish Karnad is a noted playwright, who has written a number of plays that use history and mythology, to critique and problematize ideas and ideals that are of contemporary relevance. Karnad's numerous plays such as Tughlaq, Hayavadana, Taledanda, and Naga-Mandala are significant contributions to Indian drama. Vijay Tendulkar and Mahesh Dattani are amongst the major Indian playwrights of the 20th century. Mohan Rakesh in Hindi and Danish Iqbal in Urdu are considered architects of new age Drama. Mohan Rakesh's Aadhe Adhoore and Danish Iqbal's 'Dara Shikoh' are considered modern classics.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Modern Urdu drama of India and Pakistan

Urdu Drama evolved from the prevailing dramatic traditions of North India shaping Rahas or Raas as practiced by exponents like Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. His dramatic experiments led to the famous Inder Sabha of Amanat and later this tradition took the shape of Parsi Theatre. Agha Hashr Kashmiri is the culmination of this tradition.

In some way or other, Urdu theatre tradition has greatly influenced modern Indian theatre. Among all the languages Urdu (which was called Hindi by early writers), along with Gujrati, Marathi, and Bengali theatres have kept flourishing and demand for its writers and artists has not subsided by the drama aficionados. For Urdu drama, no place is better than Bombay Film industry otherwise known as Hindi film industry. All the early gems of Urdu Theatre (performed by Parsi Companies) were made into films. Urdu Dramatic tradition has been a spectator’s delight since 100 years and counting.

Drama as a theme is made up of several elements. It focuses on life and different aspects of it. The thing to be noticed here is that drama on stage imitates drama in life. It has been said that there has always been a mutual relationship between theatre and real life. Great historical personalities like Shakespeare have influenced Modern Urdu tradition to a large extent when Indian, Iranian, Turkish stories and folk was adapted for stage with heavy doses of Urdu poetry. In modern times writers like Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peer, Krishan Chander, Manto, Upender Nath Ashk, Ghulam Rabbani, Prof. Mujeeb and many others shaped this tradition.

While Prof Hasan, Ghulam Jeelani, J.N,Kaushal, Shameem Hanfi, Jameel Shaidayi, etc. belong to the old generation, contemporary writers like Danish Iqbal, Sayeed Alam, Shahid Anwar, Iqbal Niyazi, and Anwar are a few postmodern playwrights actively contributing in the field of Urdu Drama.

Sayeed Alam is known for his wit and humour and more particularly for Plays like 'Ghalib in New Delhi', 'Big B' and many other gems which are regularly staged for massive turn out of theatre lovers. Maulana Azad is his magnum opus both for its content and style.

Danish Iqbal's play about 'Dara Shikoh' directed by M. S. Sathyu is considered a modern classic for the use of newer theatre techniques and contemporary perspective. His other plays are ' Sahir' on the famous lyricist and revolutionary poet. 'Kuchh Ishq kiya Kuchh Kaam' is another play written by Danish which is basically a Celebration of the Faiz's poetry, featuring events from the early part of his life, particularly the events and incidents of pre-partition days which shaped his life and ideals. 'Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan' – another play inspired from Faiz's letters written from various jails during the Rawalpindi Conspiracy days. He has written 14 other plays including 'Dilli Jo Ek Shehr Thaa' and 'Main Gaya Waqt Nahin hoon'. Shahid's 'Three B' is also a significant play. He has been associated with many groups like 'Natwa' and others. Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Urdu theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generation Sayeed, Shahid, Danish Iqbal and Zaheer do not write bookish plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition. Iqbal Niyazi of Mumbai has written several plays in Urdu, his play "AUR KITNE JALYANWALA BAUGH?" won a National award other awards. Hence this is the only generation after Amanat and Agha Hashr who actually write for stage and not for libraries.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 China

Main article: Theatre of China

Chinese theatre has a long and complex history. Today it is often called Chinese opera although this normally refers specifically to the popular form known as Beijing opera and Kunqu; there have been many other forms of theatre in China, such as zaju.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Japan

Main article: Theatre of Japan

Japanese Nō drama is a serious dramatic form that combines drama, music, and dance into a complete aesthetic performance experience. It developed in the 14th and 15th centuries and has its own musical instruments and performance techniques, which were often handed down from father to son. The performers were generally male (for both male and female roles), although female amateurs also perform Nō dramas. Nō drama was supported by the government, and particularly the military, with many military commanders having their own troupes and sometimes performing themselves. It is still performed in Japan today.[57]

Kyōgen is the comic counterpart to Nō drama. It concentrates more on dialogue and less on music, although Nō instrumentalists sometimes appear also in Kyōgen. Kabuki drama, developed from the 17th century, is another comic form, which includes dance.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Forms of drama

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Opera

Western opera is a dramatic art form that arose during the Renaissance in an attempt to revive the classical Greek drama in which dialogue, dance, and song were combined. Being strongly intertwined with western classical music, the opera has undergone enormous changes in the past four centuries and it is an important form of theatre until this day. Noteworthy is the major influence of the German 19th-century composer Richard Wagner on the opera tradition. In his view, there was no proper balance between music and theatre in the operas of his time, because the music seemed to be more important than the dramatic aspects in these works. To restore the connection with the classical drama, he entirely renewed the operatic form to emphasize the equal importance of music and drama in works that he called "music dramas".

Chinese opera has seen a more conservative development over a somewhat longer period of time.

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Pantomime

Main article: Pantomime

Pantomime (informally panto),[58] is a type of musical comedy stage production, designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is still performed throughout the United Kingdom, generally during the Christmas and New Year season and, to a lesser extent, in other English-speaking countries. Modern pantomime includes songs, gags, slapstick comedy and dancing, employs gender-crossing actors, and combines topical humour with a story loosely based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or folk tale.[59][60] It is a participatory form of theatre, in which the audience is expected to sing along with certain parts of the music and shout out phrases to the performers.

These stories follow in the tradition of fables and folk tales. Usually, there is a lesson learned, and with some help from the audience, the hero/heroine saves the day. This kind of play uses stock characters seen in masque and again commedia dell'arte, these characters include the villain (doctore), the clown/servant (Arlechino/Harlequin/buttons), the lovers etc. These plays usually have an emphasis on moral dilemmas, and good always triumphs over evil, this kind of play is also very entertaining making it a very effective way of reaching many people.

Pantomime has a long theatrical history in Western culture dating back to classical theatre. It developed partly from the 16th century commedia dell'arte tradition of Italy, as well as other European and British stage traditions, such as 17th-century masques and music hall.[59] An important part of the pantomime, until the late 19th century, was the harlequinade.[61] Outside Britain the word "pantomime" is usually used to mean miming, rather than the theatrical form discussed here.[62]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Mime

Mime is a theatrical medium where the action of a story is told through the movement of the body, without the use of speech. Performance of mime occurred in Ancient Greece, and the word is taken from a single masked dancer called Pantomimus, although their performances were not necessarily silent.[63] In Medieval Europe, early forms of mime, such as mummer plays and later dumbshows, evolved. In the early nineteenth century Paris, Jean-Gaspard Deburau solidified the many attributes that we have come to know in modern times, including the silent figure in whiteface.[64]

Jacques Copeau, strongly influenced by Commedia dell'arte and Japanese Noh theatre, used masks in the training of his actors. Étienne Decroux, a pupil of his, was highly influenced by this and started exploring and developing the possibilities of mime and refined corporeal mime into a highly sculptural form, taking it outside of the realms of naturalism. Jacques Lecoq contributed significantly to the development of mime and physical theatre with his training methods.[65]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 Creative drama

Creative drama includes dramatic activities and games used primarily in educational settings with children. Its roots in the United States began in the early 1900s. Winifred Ward is considered to be the founder of creative drama in education, establishing the first academic use of drama in Evanston, Illinois.[66]

 TOC  Previous Next  

 See also

AntitheatricalityApplied DramaAugustan dramaChristian dramaCloset dramaComedy-dramaCostume dramaCrime dramaDomestic dramaDrama schoolDramatic structureDramatic theoryDrama annotationDramaturgyEntertainmentFlash dramaFolk playHeroic dramaHistory of theatreHyperdramaLegal dramaMedical dramaMelodramaMonodramaMystery playOne act playPolitical dramaSoap operaTheatre awardsTwo-handerVerse drama and dramatic verseWell-made playYakshagana
 TOC  Previous Next  

 Notes

^Elam (1980, 98).^Francis Fergusson writes that "a drama, as distinguished from a lyric, is not primarily a composition in the verbal medium; the words result, as one might put it, from the underlying structure of incident and character. As Aristotle remarks, 'the poet, or "maker" should be the maker of plots rather than of verses; since he is a poet because he imiates, and what he imitates are actions'" (1949, 8).^Wickham (1959, 32—41; 1969, 133; 1981, 68—69). The sense of the creator of plays as a "maker" rather than a "writer" is preserved in the word " playwright." The Theatre, one of the first purpose-built playhouses in London, was "a self-conscious latinism to describe one particular playhouse" rather than a term for the buildings in general (1967, 133). The word 'dramatist' "was at that time still unknown in the English language" (1981, 68).^Banham (1998, 894–900).^Pfister (1977, 11).^Fergusson (1949, 2–3).^Burt (2008).^See the entries for "opera", "musical theatre, American", "melodrama" and "Nō" in Banham (1998).^Manfred by Byron, for example, is a good example of a "dramatic poem." See the entry on "Byron (George George)" in Banham (1998).^Some forms of improvisation, notably the Commedia dell'arte, improvise on the basis of 'lazzi' or rough outlines of scenic action (see Gordon (1983) and Duchartre (1929)). All forms of improvisation take their cue from their immediate response to one another, their characters' situations (which are sometimes established in advance), and, often, their interaction with the audience. The classic formulations of improvisation in the theatre originated with Joan Littlewood and Keith Johnstone in the UK and Viola Spolin in the USA; see Johnstone (1981) and Spolin (1963).^Brown (1998, 441), Cartledge (1997, 3–5), Goldhill (1997, 54), and Ley (2007, 206). Taxidou notes that "most scholars now call 'Greek' tragedy 'Athenian' tragedy, which is historically correct" (2004, 104). Brown writes that ancient Greek drama "was essentially the creation of classical Athens: all the dramatists who were later regarded as classics were active at Athens in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE (the time of the Athenian democracy), and all the surviving plays date from this period" (1998, 441). "The dominant culture of Athens in the fifth century", Goldhill writes, "can be said to have invented theatre" (1997, 54).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 13–15) and Banham (1998, 441–447).^Banham (1998, 441–444). For more information on these ancient Greek dramatists, see the articles categorised under "Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights" in Wikipedia.^The theory that Prometheus Bound was not written by Aeschylus would bring this number to six dramatists whose work survives.^Banham (1998, 8) and Brockett and Hildy (2003, 15–16).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 13, 15) and Banham (1998, 442).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 18) and Banham (1998, 444–445).^Banham (1998, 444–445).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 43).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 36, 47).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 43). For more information on the ancient Roman dramatists, see the articles categorised under "Ancient Roman dramatists and playwrights" in Wikipedia.^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 46–47).^ abcBrockett and Hildy (2003, 47).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 47–48).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 48–49).^ abcBrockett and Hildy (2003, 49).^ abBrockett and Hildy (2003, 48).^ abBrockett and Hildy (2003, 50).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 49–50).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 76, 78). Many churches would have only performed one or two liturgical dramas per year and a larger number never performed any at all.^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 76).^ abcBrockett and Hildy (2003, 77).^Wickham (1981, 191; 1987, 141).^Bevington (1962, 9, 11, 38, 45), Dillon (2006, 213), and Wickham (1976, 195; 1981, 189–190). In Early English Stages (1981), Wickham points to the existence of The Interlude of the Student and the Girl as evidence that the old-fashioned view that comedy began in England in the 1550s with Gammer Gurton's Needle and Ralph Roister Doister is mistaken, ignoring as it does a rich tradition of medieval comic drama; see Wickham (1981, 178).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 86)^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 97).^Spivack (1958, 251-303), Bevington (1962, 58-61, 81-82, 87, 183), and Weimann (1978, 155).^Brockett and Hildy (2003, 101-103).^George Henry Nettleton, Arthur British dramatists from Dryden to Sheridan p.149^Hatch, Mary Jo (2009). The Three Faces of Leadership: Manager, Artist, Priest. John Wiley & Sons. p. 47.^The "China scene" from Wycherley's play on YouTube^The Provoked Wife is something of a Restoration problem play in its attention to the subordinate legal position of married women and the complexities of "divorce" and separation, issues that had been highlighted in the mid-1690s by some notorious cases before the House of Lords.^Interconnected causes for this shift in taste were demographic change, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, William's and Mary's dislike of the theatre, and the lawsuits brought against playwrights by the Society for the Reformation of Manners (founded in 1692). When Jeremy Collier attacked Congreve and Vanbrugh in his Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage in 1698, he was confirming a shift in audience taste that had already taken place.^Williams (1993, 25–26) and Moi (2006, 17). Moi writes that "Ibsen is the most important playwright writing after Shakespeare. He is the founder of modern theater. His plays are world classics, staged on every continent, and studied in classrooms everywhere. In any given year, there are hundreds of Ibsen productions in the world." Ibsenites include George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Miller; Brechtians include Dario Fo, Joan Littlewood, W. H. AudenPeter Weiss, Heiner Müller, Peter Hacks, Tony Kushner, Caryl Churchill, John Arden, Howard Brenton, Edward Bond, and David Hare.^Moi (2006, 1, 23–26). Taxidou writes: "It is probably historically more accurate, although methodologically less satisfactory, to read the Naturalist movement in the theatre in conjunction with the more anti-illusionist aesthetics of the theatres of the same period. These interlock and overlap in all sorts of complicated ways, even when they are vehemently denouncing each other (perhaps particularly when) in the favoured mode of the time, the manifesto" (2007, 58).^Williams (1966) and Wright (1989).^Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 12).^Brandon (1997, 70) and Richmond (1998, 516).^Brandon (1997, 72) and Richmond (1998, 516).^Brandon (1997, 72), Richmond (1998, 516), and Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 12).^Richmond (1998, 516) and Richmond, Swann, and Zarrilli (1993, 13).^Brandon (1981, xvii) and Richmond (1998, 516–517).^ abRichmond (1998, 516).^ abcRichmond (1998, 517).^ abBrandon (1981, xvii).^ abBanham (1998, 1051).^"Background to Noh-Kyogen". Archived from the original on 2005-07-15. Retrieved 2013-02-27.^Lawner, p. 16^ abReid-Walsh, Jacqueline. "Pantomime", The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature, Jack Zipes (ed.), Oxford University Press (2006), ISBN9780195146561^Mayer (1969), p. 6^"The History of Pantomime", It's-Behind-You.com, 2002, accessed 10 February 2013^Webster's New World Dictionary, World Publishing Company, 2nd College Edition, 1980, p. 1027^Gutzwiller (2007).^Rémy (1954).^Callery (2001).^Ehrlich (1974, 75–80).
 TOC  Previous Next  

 Sources

Banham, Martin, ed. 1998. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-521-43437-8.Baumer, Rachel Van M., and James R. Brandon, eds. 1981. Sanskrit Theatre in Performance. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1993. ISBN978-81-208-0772-3.Bevington, David M. 1962. From Mankind to Marlowe: Growth of Structure in the Popular Drama of Tudor England. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Bhatta, S. Krishna. 1987. Indian English Drama: A Critical Study. New Delhi: Sterling.Brandon, James R. 1981. Introduction. In Baumer and Brandon (1981, xvii–xx).Brandon, James R., ed. 1997. The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre.' 2nd, rev. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. ISBN978-0-521-58822-5.Brockett, Oscar G. and Franklin J. Hildy. 2003. History of the Theatre. Ninth edition, International edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN0-205-41050-2.Brown, Andrew. 1998. "Ancient Greece." In The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Ed. Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. 441–447. ISBN0-521-43437-8.Burt, Daniel S. 2008.The Drama 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Plays of All Time. Facts on File ser. New York: Facts on File/Infobase. ISBN978-0-8160-6073-3.Callery, Dympha. 2001. Through the Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre. London: Nick Hern. ISBN1-854-59630-6.Carlson, Marvin. 1993. Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey from the Greeks to the Present.