Women in Theater Essay

Submitted By CorinaRatsavong1
Words: 988
Pages: 4
Open Document
Theatre Today
Chapter 11: Broadway and Beyond

When you finish Ch 11, you should be able to n Recognize the influences of the post-modern theatre of the 60’s and 70’s n Know what the theatre is a forum for n Define dadaism n Recognize Joseph Charkin’s contributions to theatre n Recognize the changing status of women in the theatre n Name important people and influences in modern theatre n Identify the different types of theatres in existence n Know the top ten cities for theatre in the nation

Why is the lasting value of today’s theatre hard to evaluate? n Constant state of change n Plays and actors famous today not recognized a decade from now

Post-Modern Theatre of the 60’s n Resembled the dithyramb of Dionysus n Three assassinations in the United States n Threat of Nuclear war n Proliferation of drugs n Free love n Vietnam War n Nudity n Profanity n Political corruption n Censorship became unenforceable!

By the late 70’s. . . n Sex and profanity becomes tiresome n AIDS crisis eradicated the “free love” mantra of the 60’s n “Make love, not war” to “Safe sex”

The theatre was and continues to be. . . n A natural forum to rethink and study the major questions of life: n Who am I? n What is my purpose? n What is right? What is wrong? n Am I my brother’s keeper?

Theatre of Revival n Plays of yester year being produced on stage today in new productions n Les Miserables n Phantom of the Opera n Jekyll and Hyde
Dadaism????
n Type of postmodern theatre was short-lived after WWI. n Cabaret style theatre with a mixture of dancing, singing, poetry reading, and anti-war protests

Joseph Charkin’s OPEN THEATRE n Theatre should reflect the society around us n Created plays thru improvisation in a workshop atmosphere. n Complained theatre was filled with all white, all males, stereotypical women as brainless playthings, saints, or help mates; African Americans as servants; Asians as exotics

How has women’s role in theatre changed throughout the years? n First appeared on stage in 1660. n Primarily actresses or costumers until the late 50’s and early 60’s n Now have five women who have won Pulitizer Prizes for playwriting n Two women have won Tonys for directing n Over 100 feminist theatre groups doing plays about women’s issues

Important people and terms in modern theatre: n Lorraine Hansberry n Black playwright-A Raisin in the Sun n 70’s saw a lavish era of black muscials: n Dreamgirls n Wiz n Purlie n Bubbling Brown Sugar

First Latino theatre created in Ca in 1965.

East-West theatre: David Henry Hwang (80’s) explored stereotypes of Asian culture

Performance art: Largely improvised works in non-theatrical settings such as art galleries and street corners

Gay and Lesbian influence
· As late as 1958 illegal to openly have a homosexual character in a play
· 60’s saw gays as a serious dramatic issue
· Several plays on the tragic consequences of AIDS;
· The Normal Heart
· As IS

Non traditional casting n Blacks playing roles previously reserved for whites n Women playing men’s roles n To the left: James Earl Jones in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof

Two Widely Read Theatre Journals n The Drama Review n Performing Arts Journal

How has the theatre always been “dangerous”? n Always subject to censorship n Subject matter reflects the tensions of life n Some of that subject matter may be unappealing to some viewers n First amendment and whether government funding should be provided to art projects is always under fire

The most influential director of this century n Peter Brook, author of The Empty Space n Dubbed as the “Aristotle” of the modern theatre

Types of theatres n Broadway: Great White Way; has over 30 theatres in a 12 block area near Times Square n Where potential box office successes go n Off
Show More

Related Documents: Women in Theater Essay

Essay about Live theater vs. Plays

The experience of watching a live play is rare and special. Even though movies managed to evolve from live theater at the start of it all, it has changed juristically throughout the centuries. Many things have changed among the years such as the cost of the movies and back then, there were no special effects, and finally there are women actors rather than the guys playing every role. One of the major things I think about before going to the movies is the final cost because it is always slowly…

Words 326 - Pages 2

Summary: A Microhistory Analysis Of Viola Irene Desmond

This microhistory analysis will definer the impact of Viola Irene Desmond’s arrest at a theater in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, and the impact that she had on the Canadian Civil Rights Movement in the mid-1940s. During the arrest, Desmond rejecting the unwritten law that prevented people of African descent from sitting in the lower levels of the theater. Desmond was arrested after refusing to sit in the balcony, which resulted in a “rigged” trial that condemned her for violating these racial customs…

Words 1338 - Pages 6

Greek Theater Essay

of the biggest things they influenced was modern theater. The ancient Greeks were the first masters in the art of drama. Drama tells a story through the imitation of action, it started off as a ritual associated with the worship of Dionysus, god of wine, vegetation, and seasonal regeneration and became and elaborate art (Fiero, page 90). Theatrical performances were held in the city of Athens twice a year. As theater grew more cities built theaters and held performances there. Greek dramas addressed…

Words 1590 - Pages 7

Elizabethan Gender Roles

role was taking care of their family. Women especially then, had no voice in the theater; this could fall victim to a number of causes such as religion or practicality. As time progressed so did the presence of females on England’s stage. There were many factors as to why women did not act on the Globe Theatre. Many people today are under the misconception that it was illegal for women to act;…

Words 1410 - Pages 6

Spanish Golden Age Theater: China And Spain

Theater is one of the most prominent parts of many cultures all around the globe. It is an important form of expression and presentation of the culture and beliefs. Two of the countries in which theater is very influential are China and Spain. These countries have very rich histories and theater is one main way to portray this. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw a great increase in the production of live theatre as well as the in importance of the arts within Spanish society. Theatre was…

Words 686 - Pages 3

Student: W. E. B. Du bois and Harlem Renaissance Essay

The Harlem Renaissance Julie C. Casper Gail Gregory Introduction to Art- Music and Literature August 30, 2009 “The Harlem Renaissance – proclaimed in a collection of prophetic black tracts and manifestos, and distinguished by the iconic bodies and voices of Paul Robeson, Marcus Garvey, Josephine Baker and others – was a cultural and psychological watershed, an era in which black people were perceived as having finally liberated themselves from a past fraught with self-doubt…

Words 1379 - Pages 6

Essay on Humanities 2

about them not just their physical appearance. For example A Thousand and One Night is a tale of over 400 tales put together by a women name Scheherezade who at the time was in line to be the Sultans new wife. Prior to Scheherezade being the Sultans new wife he had many other wife’s who he would use only as sexual playthings and nothing else. Sultan would execute the women after his wedding night because he would get what he wanted from them, which was sex. Scheherezade did not want to be executed therefor…

Words 517 - Pages 3

Summary Of Paul's Case By Willa Cather

boring. The real excitement, through Paul’s point of view, was found in the theater. Throughout the short story “Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather, it was clear that Paul wanted to escape. Paul wanted to live in a more exciting world, opposite of his world on Cordelia Street. Living on Cordelia street was as boring as life could get, every day it was the same routine; the neighbor kids played in the streets on the weekends, the women sat in rocking chairs outside and gossiped, and the men always sat on a…

Words 437 - Pages 2

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets Essay

have high hopes for her, thus, making them feel sympathetic towards her character. Readers begin to be even more hopeful when she meets Pete. He takes her to an extravagant theater where she becomes acquainted with a luxurious lifestyle. A beautiful girl is fitting to be in a grand theater, surrounded by sophisticated men and women, with the man that she likes. Even though Maggie’s family disapproves, audiences do hope that her defiance was the right thing to do and that she will have a better life…

Words 628 - Pages 3

The Evolution Of Constitutional Amendments

For example in the earlier years women did not have the right to vote. As time progressed more and more people thought that women should be able to vote. The Federal Government can’t just pass a law saying “women can vote now” because the Constitution has already created voting eligibility. Changes had to be made to the Constitution in order for this to happen. After the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920, all women in the U.S. were allowed to vote Other examples are in 1787…

Words 557 - Pages 3