Beginning with its origins in Ancient Greece, theatre was always staged in outdoor performance spaces, relying on natural light to keep the performers visible, and utilizing scenery or dialogue to convey time of day. As these performances began to shift to indoor theatres, artificial light, such as candles or oil lamps, had to be used as a replacement. As lighting technology advanced, these advancements changed the way light could be manipulated, directed, or focused, allowing for new staging methods to be developed and introducing lighting as an indicator of mood. From the gas lamp to the electric light, the innovations in lighting made between the Spanish Golden Age and 1915 shaped the development of modern theatre.
Candles and Torches The
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While all of the research and experimentation took place at the Lyceum Theatre, the first theatre to be fully gas-lit was the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in 1816, a full year before the Lyceum would be fully converted to gas-powered fixtures (Wilson & Goldfarb 323). The biggest advantage gas held over traditional lighting methods was the ability to be manipulated via a “gas table”, a series of valves and circuits which regulated the flow of gas to various fixtures, allowing a single stagehand to remotely control the intensity, color, and brightness of light fixtures throughout the entire theatre. This system represents an early example of the modern day electronic light boards. At one point, during the height of gas lighting's popularity, the Grand Opéra in Paris had over 960 individual gas jets on eighty-eight circuits, fed by over thirty miles of tubing. These gas-powered fixtures did have several drawbacks, however. Each fixture produced an intense heat and a foul odor. Ventilation systems were not readily used, as any viable ventilation source also “vented” the performers' voices away from the audience. The introduction of gas lighting did nothing to change the standard placement of light sources, keeping with the wing-, border-, and footlight arrangement used since candles were the primary light source. These gas-powered footlights forced the actors farther upstage, away from the unbearable heat and smell produced by the fixtures lining the apron. The additional detail shown by the bright gas lights also prompted the use of more realistic-looking scenic elements and
In "Constant Star", lighting told much about the play as soon as it began. Low, yellowish lighting and a bit of fog spread by ceiling fans filled the stage as the play started. This gave the stage the look of an old photograph, so the audience immediatly gathered that the show was taking place in the past. The mood was often set by lighting as well. Red lighting gave the audience a sense of foreboding while yellow indicated happy times. Also, lighting could substitute for props. During scenes involving the train, lights would flash on and off, making the stage look as if it was actually moving. This effectively created the illusion that the cast was on a train. Also, lighting was innovatively used to create a "jail" in one of the scenes by creating vertical bars on the stage around the convicts.
The Restoration in England was an era ripe for the development of new ideas in the arts. The return of the Stuart monarchy under Charles II marked the end of eighteen years of almost dictatorial control by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan parliament. Cromwell had campaigned actively to halt all theatrical activity. In the end, however, his laws were actually responsible for helping move England forward in theatrical history. Actors, under Cromwell's laws, were to be apprehended a rogues if they were caught "in the act" so to speak of performing their trade. Some left their careers and sought employment elsewhere. Most, however, remained undaunted by parliament's threats. Productions continued quietly in tennis courts, inns and private houses. Officials were bribed to keep silent their knowledge of violations. The theater in England had moved indoors as it had already done in France and Italy. Although the reasons for the move were different, the end result was the same. Up until this time plays had always been performed outdoors in the early afternoon. Performances traditionally relied on sunlight, natural scenery, and minimal set pieces that could be easily transported from one location to another. Indoor productions required something much more elaborate. The preliminary concepts of scenic design and lighting design began to form in England in the late 1650's. During the Restoration, as controls were lifted, technical theater began to flourish. Many early examples of modern stage techniques were born between 1660 and 1800, making the Restoration a significant era in the history of scenic design and lighting for the theater. The art of scenic design did not begin in England. As early as 1570 the Italians were giving elaborate opera performances in the ducal courts using perspective scenes and various types of stage machinery. The French mimicked the design ideas of the Italian's and gave them a name, la scene a l'italienne. (Southern 221) Although Cromwell had banned public theater, opera was still considered a lawful art form. In England, just prior to the Restoration, John Webb designed the scenery for William D'avenant's 'opera' production of The Siege of Rhodes.
The Music Man made interesting use of the technical aspects of theatre. Sound was used appropriately, as music from the monitors did not overpower the voices of the actors. Lights, however, did not leave any sort of impression on me. Hardly any lights were utilized to enhance the mood were present. This caused for less emphasization on spectacle than what would be expected of such a dramatic play. Although, intricate costumes and set made up for the dull lighting techniques.
The lighting played a major role in setting the tone for both the theatre performance and the movie. In both the film and play, the lighting was dimmed and the non-important elements, such as background elements, were often hidden in the shadows. In the film the murky lighting also hid Todd in the shadows, in order to increase the suspense and further emphasize his intimidating demeanor. In the play,
The lighting was also very effectively used to show the coming and going of cars on the set. The reflection of lights on the front door of the house were used resemble those of an automobile. Even the final scene had just enough absence of light that the shadows of the characters could be seen sitting around the dinner table and praying by candlelight. At the very end of the performance the candles were extinguished consuming the set in blackness in turn signifying the end of the production.
The director’s concept was again realized in a very creative and simple way. The stage crew did not have time to literally place trees on the stage, or to paint a border that elaborate—the light made the slatted walls look real and really allowed the audience to become a part of the experience.
...ht bulbs on the side of the theater; these bulbs were focused on the cast members. Being that we were in an intimate session, the voices of the cast were able to project through the entire room. It was very easy to follow through to what was happening on stage because, Keith Grant, perfected each detail, and with the help of his amazing cast, executed it with great satisfaction to the audience.
Lights, camera, action! The light switches on, and shines brightly in the center of the stage. Two people walk towards it, these are actors that were told to come out at this exact moment by the director. After days of intense rehearsals. The two young actors burst. “We are tired of working for you” the two participants yell towards the director. The director in a surprising manner walks up to the stage, stares down at the performers and laughs. “You are going nowhere; I have your contract and your pay, now back to your positions!” The performers stand and continue their roles with no opinion in the matter. The camera turns off, the shadows of the actors disappear. The common person stands up and is face to face with the director. The director
Difference between Greek and Modern Theatres Theatre today as in ancient Greek times is a popular form of entertainment. The adage is a slam. Today’s theatres share many similarities with the Greek. predecessors, however they are also very different. There are in fact many differences for example; layout, special effects, seating.
Ancient Greece was a thriving Greek civilization that lasted from the archaic period to the end of the antiquity era. The ancient Greek culture was a technologically advanced civilization who laid the foundation for many of our modern day cultural traditions. One tradition that is still very prominent in our culture is theatre. The ancient Greek’s have been considered the pioneers of theatre, and are known to have introduced the first actor, the tragedy genre, and most impressively theatre architecture. The Greeks built massive amphitheatres to house thousands upon thousands of spectators for a theatrical performance; many of those ancient Greek amphitheatres are still in existence. The theater architectural designs of the ancient Greeks have been adapted and modified throughout the years by numerous other cultures. The Romans in particular are known to have been inspired by ancient Greek theater architecture and transformed it into a new and improved theater that met the needs of the changing and modernizing times of theatre. By examining ancient Greek architecture and acoustic technology, it will be examined how the architectural designs of ancient Greek theatre still has a prominent place in our modern day culture.
"Theaters." Renaissance: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Paul F. Grendler. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 120-122. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Mar. 2014
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
Many cultural enthusiasts, archaeologists, and architects have a common interest in theatre and its origins. People from a few decades back have located the remaining of the oldest theatres in Greece, England, France and some parts of minor Asia. Theatre was a part of people’s lives as it was one of the few sources of entertainment, and it was originated from when people collectively sit in a gathering and listen to a storyteller. There were performances done by different people present at that moment. Later on, this activity kept improving and innovating, and in the result, many theaters for entertaining purposes were built by emperors who ruled the countries or kingdom in those days. The design of these theatres
Theatre as we know it now was born more than two thousand years ago and has gone through many streams until it reached the current modernity. Among these streams is the avant-garde theatre. This theatre achieved a break in the traditional theatre and became the forefront of a new experimental theatre. Therefore it is necessary to ask how this theatre started, what impact it had on society and if this type of theatre is still common in our modern era.
The ‘Modern’ era began, approximately, in the mid-1800s (Worthen), following its predecessor the Romantic period, which was an era that was emotionally charged ad focused on the physical relationships between characters and being one-with-nature, rather than the focus of the modernist period, which was to bring social and political issues or statements into the storyline of a script whilst still keeping the stage, characters and overall performance aesthetically pleasing for the audience of the particular period. Modernism in the theatre is the act of bringing the stage and the forms of modern life, at one time, to a critical relationship. As stated by Worthen, the modernist period or the modern world we live in today began in the mid-1800s