Henry Irving Influence On Theatre
Theatre in the late nineteenth century was taking large steps to what we know today. The length of shows became longer. Copyrights were created. Repertory Companies became more popular. Theatre made advancements in all different areas.
The companies were made up of designers, directors, and actors. They would come together for one year. Every person would be in charge of a different role. Because of these Repertory Companies tours were beginning to increase in great amounts. Actors were paid for one year or they were paid through the amount of time that the show ran. By this time audiences became more equivalent and democratic. In the late nineteenth century a system was created where a playwright would be paid for every work he wrote. This …show more content…
system was called the Royalty System. Now the worldwide copyright accord was invented to keep track of plays and their writers. It wasn't until this time that playwrighting became an advantageous occupation. Job opportunities were opened for more people on and off the stage.
During this time, in England, William Shakespeare's playwright works were performed. William Shakespeare's plays contain many parts of a romantic dramaan extensive brush of action, short scenes, and a devotion to love and adventure. More advancement was being made with lighting. In the first third of the nineteenth century gas lamps began to replace candles and oil lamps. Because gas lamps were becoming so efficient gas tables were created. Gas tables were a group of valves used by the gasman to control the amount of light. This allowed dimming of the house lights, which forced to audiences attention to the stage. Lime light was also created during this time period. Limelight was the nineteenth century spotlight, which made a radiant pool of light that followed the actors. Heating calcium carbonate/lime to incandescence with an oxyo-hydrogen torch created this light. In the 1880's electrical light began to restore the gas lamp (www.stage-lighting-museum.com).
The most popular form of theatre at this time was melodrama. Melodrama contains an immaculate hero who was usually wrongly accused, and an evil black-hearted villain. Background music emphasized emotional speeches and the action sequences, just like in a film. The greatest excitement was the chase. The villain was often a banker or a lawyer. By the last act everything was cleared up. Melodrama attracted the largest popular audience in American theatre history.
Theatre was very successful in this time period. It was the nineteenth century's main source of entertainment. Many complicated advances were made. Theatre came up with different types of drama. The different plays they came up with developed a certain type of clothing. The different types of drama made a rapid increase in plays. Playwrights advanced their thinking patterns. They came up with new methods of writing. Plays were getting better and better.
One of the most popular plays of this time was Uncle Tom's Cabin, based on Harriet Beacher Stowe's novel and was dramatized best by George L. Aiken. Its themes of slavery, religion, and love connected with the audience. Other plays at this time were The Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Père and Charles Fechter, The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. The Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Père was not considered a theatrical success. It needed a cast of one hundred, it was written in twenty acts, and it took two days to perform. Charles Fechter, a nineteenth century actor/manager, created a more feasible variation. It contained a cast of twenty-four, nine scenes, five acts, and a prologue. This version was developed thirty-five years later. It was starring James O'Neill, and was first presented on the colossal stage of New York's Booth Theatre in February 1883.Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe's best play was Faust. It was the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil. Edmund Rostand is best remembered for Cyrano De Bergerac. It is the story of a seventeenth century French nobleman, with a rather large nose, and his love for his cousin Roxanne. It is probably the best example of a nineteenth century romantic drama (http://www.northern.edu).
Romantic drama is the theatre of the "long ago and far away." The audiences wanted to escape the dull, petty frustrations of their lives. In a romantic drama there is a romantic hero. A romantic hero makes no negotiations, appeases no one. To him every matter is clear, and if he goes down in defeat, he goes down fighting and knowing that his cause is just. Knight-lovers and knight-champions are also in romantic dramas. A knight-champion was devoted to his lord, committed to his life to the protection of the weak, rescued the innocent maiden, and fought the endless battle against the powers of evil. A knight-lover placed women on a pedestal, and worshipped them from afar. After a concise glance of her beauty, he was transformed forever. He would write poems to her beauty, and sing of his undying affection, but he could not touch her. It was better to desire for the ideal, than to damage it by turning it into reality. There are six elements of a well-made play. The first is general explanation and careful preparation, foreshadowing, early in the play. A tightly knit cause-and-effect arrangement of plot incidents is second. Third each scene builds to a strong climax. Then a secret known to the audience, but not to the play's characters is fourth. Fifth a stimulating scene between the plays two major characters near the climax. Finally a careful resolution of the action so there are no loose ends (http://users.ox.ac.uk). There are many aspects to a play, which makes it great. Every play is unique in its own way. Playwrights work hard to entertain people. Not one playwright has the same material or ideas as another. They all have different methods of thinking. The people they use in the play are also different. There are many people involved in developing a play. There are writers, directors, actors, managers, and many more. Each one is equal in their role. Without every one of these people a play would not be possible. There are many important people of the nineteenth century. James O'Neill was a recognized Shakespearean actor. He played the title role of Edmond Dantes in The Count of the Monte Cristo. He played this role at least six thousand times over a thirty-year period. Edwin Porter recorded his performance on film in 1913. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is Germany's greatest literary figure. He is to German literature what Shakespeare is to English drama, and Moliere is to French comedy. He was the manager of the state theatre at Weimar. He made it mandatory for his actors to attend rehearsals. He allowed his audience to give only two reactions. If they liked the show they could applaud. If they did not like the show they could stay silent. The French playwrights who created a well-made play were Eugene Scribe and Victorien Sardou. Scribe has been certified with three hundred scripts, mostly comedies. Sardou is the author of Tosca, a romantic tragedy written for Sarah Bernhardt, the leading French actress of her day. Giacomo Puccini personalized it into an opera. Sarah Bernhardt debuted on stage in 1862. After a successful fourteen-year career in France she arrived in London where she quickly established herself as the leading actress of the day. Her first, of nine, American tours were four years later in 1880. At age fifty-five she played the name role in Shakespeare's Hamlet in Paris, London and New York. She then took her talent before the camera making eleven films. She acted until her death in 1923. During her sixty-two year career, she played about 70 roles, all in French, in more then 125 productions. She is probably the first worldwide star (http://www.northern.edu). Richard Wagner was one of Germany's most significant nineteenth century opera composers and theatrical producers.
He supposed that drama should be "dipped in the magic fountain of music" to combine the greatness of Shakespeare with that of Beethoven. Wagner was very apprehensive with the importance of a director. He thought that all elements of a production should come under the control of one man, the all-powerful director who would create the theatrical elements into a Gesamtkunstwerk, or a master artwork (http://users.utu.fi/hansalmi/wagner.html). Sir Henry Irving was known as England's greatest actor. In 1878, after developing a partnership with actress Ellen Terry, he became actor-manager of London's Lyceum Theatre where they successfully rejuvenated Goethe's Faust and Shakespeare's Hamlet. In 1895 he became the first actor in British history to be knighted. George the second controlled a small court theatre. He believed in a long rehearsal period. His sets and costumes were historically precise. He used a realistic style of production, but the plays he showed were romantic. Directors, like George the second, believed that a new, different, set should be designed for each production. There are many people through out the late nineteenth century who had other effects on theatre. Without these people theatre today could possibly be very different. Certain dramas wouldn't be around. If some dramas weren't around then certain plays wouldn't be around. Each aspect and person has an effect on the
other.
bibliography: www.northern.edu www.stage-lighting-museum.com
http://users.ox.ac.uk
http://users.utu.fi/hansalmi/wagner.html
The companies were made up of designers, directors, and actors. They would come together for one year. Every person would be in charge of a different role. Because of these Repertory Companies tours were beginning to increase in great amounts. Actors were paid for one year or they were paid through the amount of time that the show ran. By this time audiences became more equivalent and democratic. In the late nineteenth century a system was created where a playwright would be paid for every work he wrote. This …show more content…
system was called the Royalty System. Now the worldwide copyright accord was invented to keep track of plays and their writers. It wasn't until this time that playwrighting became an advantageous occupation. Job opportunities were opened for more people on and off the stage.
During this time, in England, William Shakespeare's playwright works were performed. William Shakespeare's plays contain many parts of a romantic dramaan extensive brush of action, short scenes, and a devotion to love and adventure. More advancement was being made with lighting. In the first third of the nineteenth century gas lamps began to replace candles and oil lamps. Because gas lamps were becoming so efficient gas tables were created. Gas tables were a group of valves used by the gasman to control the amount of light. This allowed dimming of the house lights, which forced to audiences attention to the stage. Lime light was also created during this time period. Limelight was the nineteenth century spotlight, which made a radiant pool of light that followed the actors. Heating calcium carbonate/lime to incandescence with an oxyo-hydrogen torch created this light. In the 1880's electrical light began to restore the gas lamp (www.stage-lighting-museum.com).
The most popular form of theatre at this time was melodrama. Melodrama contains an immaculate hero who was usually wrongly accused, and an evil black-hearted villain. Background music emphasized emotional speeches and the action sequences, just like in a film. The greatest excitement was the chase. The villain was often a banker or a lawyer. By the last act everything was cleared up. Melodrama attracted the largest popular audience in American theatre history.
Theatre was very successful in this time period. It was the nineteenth century's main source of entertainment. Many complicated advances were made. Theatre came up with different types of drama. The different plays they came up with developed a certain type of clothing. The different types of drama made a rapid increase in plays. Playwrights advanced their thinking patterns. They came up with new methods of writing. Plays were getting better and better.
One of the most popular plays of this time was Uncle Tom's Cabin, based on Harriet Beacher Stowe's novel and was dramatized best by George L. Aiken. Its themes of slavery, religion, and love connected with the audience. Other plays at this time were The Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Père and Charles Fechter, The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. The Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Père was not considered a theatrical success. It needed a cast of one hundred, it was written in twenty acts, and it took two days to perform. Charles Fechter, a nineteenth century actor/manager, created a more feasible variation. It contained a cast of twenty-four, nine scenes, five acts, and a prologue. This version was developed thirty-five years later. It was starring James O'Neill, and was first presented on the colossal stage of New York's Booth Theatre in February 1883.Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe's best play was Faust. It was the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil. Edmund Rostand is best remembered for Cyrano De Bergerac. It is the story of a seventeenth century French nobleman, with a rather large nose, and his love for his cousin Roxanne. It is probably the best example of a nineteenth century romantic drama (http://www.northern.edu).
Romantic drama is the theatre of the "long ago and far away." The audiences wanted to escape the dull, petty frustrations of their lives. In a romantic drama there is a romantic hero. A romantic hero makes no negotiations, appeases no one. To him every matter is clear, and if he goes down in defeat, he goes down fighting and knowing that his cause is just. Knight-lovers and knight-champions are also in romantic dramas. A knight-champion was devoted to his lord, committed to his life to the protection of the weak, rescued the innocent maiden, and fought the endless battle against the powers of evil. A knight-lover placed women on a pedestal, and worshipped them from afar. After a concise glance of her beauty, he was transformed forever. He would write poems to her beauty, and sing of his undying affection, but he could not touch her. It was better to desire for the ideal, than to damage it by turning it into reality. There are six elements of a well-made play. The first is general explanation and careful preparation, foreshadowing, early in the play. A tightly knit cause-and-effect arrangement of plot incidents is second. Third each scene builds to a strong climax. Then a secret known to the audience, but not to the play's characters is fourth. Fifth a stimulating scene between the plays two major characters near the climax. Finally a careful resolution of the action so there are no loose ends (http://users.ox.ac.uk). There are many aspects to a play, which makes it great. Every play is unique in its own way. Playwrights work hard to entertain people. Not one playwright has the same material or ideas as another. They all have different methods of thinking. The people they use in the play are also different. There are many people involved in developing a play. There are writers, directors, actors, managers, and many more. Each one is equal in their role. Without every one of these people a play would not be possible. There are many important people of the nineteenth century. James O'Neill was a recognized Shakespearean actor. He played the title role of Edmond Dantes in The Count of the Monte Cristo. He played this role at least six thousand times over a thirty-year period. Edwin Porter recorded his performance on film in 1913. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is Germany's greatest literary figure. He is to German literature what Shakespeare is to English drama, and Moliere is to French comedy. He was the manager of the state theatre at Weimar. He made it mandatory for his actors to attend rehearsals. He allowed his audience to give only two reactions. If they liked the show they could applaud. If they did not like the show they could stay silent. The French playwrights who created a well-made play were Eugene Scribe and Victorien Sardou. Scribe has been certified with three hundred scripts, mostly comedies. Sardou is the author of Tosca, a romantic tragedy written for Sarah Bernhardt, the leading French actress of her day. Giacomo Puccini personalized it into an opera. Sarah Bernhardt debuted on stage in 1862. After a successful fourteen-year career in France she arrived in London where she quickly established herself as the leading actress of the day. Her first, of nine, American tours were four years later in 1880. At age fifty-five she played the name role in Shakespeare's Hamlet in Paris, London and New York. She then took her talent before the camera making eleven films. She acted until her death in 1923. During her sixty-two year career, she played about 70 roles, all in French, in more then 125 productions. She is probably the first worldwide star (http://www.northern.edu). Richard Wagner was one of Germany's most significant nineteenth century opera composers and theatrical producers.
He supposed that drama should be "dipped in the magic fountain of music" to combine the greatness of Shakespeare with that of Beethoven. Wagner was very apprehensive with the importance of a director. He thought that all elements of a production should come under the control of one man, the all-powerful director who would create the theatrical elements into a Gesamtkunstwerk, or a master artwork (http://users.utu.fi/hansalmi/wagner.html). Sir Henry Irving was known as England's greatest actor. In 1878, after developing a partnership with actress Ellen Terry, he became actor-manager of London's Lyceum Theatre where they successfully rejuvenated Goethe's Faust and Shakespeare's Hamlet. In 1895 he became the first actor in British history to be knighted. George the second controlled a small court theatre. He believed in a long rehearsal period. His sets and costumes were historically precise. He used a realistic style of production, but the plays he showed were romantic. Directors, like George the second, believed that a new, different, set should be designed for each production. There are many people through out the late nineteenth century who had other effects on theatre. Without these people theatre today could possibly be very different. Certain dramas wouldn't be around. If some dramas weren't around then certain plays wouldn't be around. Each aspect and person has an effect on the
other.
bibliography: www.northern.edu www.stage-lighting-museum.com
http://users.ox.ac.uk
http://users.utu.fi/hansalmi/wagner.html