The origin of theatrical art, its background and features. ancient greek theater

The word "theater" is translated from Greek as a "spectacle" and as a "place for spectacles".

"Spectacle", "spectator", "vision" are related words, the same root.

That is, the theater is:

  • what the viewer is watching: performances, concerts, performances (required on stage so that you can see the performance from anywhere in the auditorium);
  • where the viewer looks: a special place, a building in which a theatrical performance takes place.

Therefore, you can say: "We were in the theater." And you can and "We watched the theater."

The emergence of theater

Theater originated in ancient times. In ancient Greece, it was customary to celebrate significant events: the onset of spring, the harvest. The Greeks especially loved the holiday of the god Dionysus, who personified the forces of nature, falling asleep in winter and reborn again with the first rays of the sun.

(Commentary for adults: This essence of Dionysus is also associated with his second hypostasis of the god of grapes and winemaking. The whole process of processing grapes, fermenting them and turning them into an exciting spiritwine can be considered a metaphor for death and rebirth Dionisa.)

This festival joy and freedom, when prisoners were released on bail, debtors were left alone and no one was arrested, so that everyone could take part in the fun,so it was called "Great Dionysius" and triumphed over the complete victory of spring over winter.

People sang songs, changed clothes, put on masks, made stuffed animals. At first, the holiday was held in city squares, and then special architectural structures began to be built for performances.

The theater building was built on a hillside. At the foot was a round platform - an orchestra, where singers, reciters, actors performed. Behind the orchestra there was a skena - a tent for changing clothes of actors and props.

Some theaters were truly huge and quite comparable in capacity to modern stadiums.

ancient greek theater located in the city of Larisa on the south side of Mount Fururio

Actors in the ancient Greek theater could only be men: they played both male and female. female roles. It was a very respected profession. And very complex. The actors had to perform in special masks (more details here), the audience could not see their facial expressions, so it was necessary to convey all emotions with gestures and voice.

And yet, the actors of the tragedies went on stage in special sandals on a high platform - they were called koturny. These high sandals made the gait slower, stately, proud, as befits a character in a tragedy.

(Interestingly, in ancient Rome, cothurni boots were worn onlyactors portraying gods and emperors to distinguish themselves from actors portraying ordinary people.

And at this link you can read a study that proves a different origin of the cothurni: "When the Greek tragedian received the role of a god, he had to solve a dilemma:<...>how to move around the stage? To lower the gods from their pedestals to the ground of an orchestra, to put them on the ancient stage "on the same level" with a man? Greek of the 6th-5th centuries BC. e. did not consider it possible to do this with the images of the gods. He was too closely bound to them by the bonds of religion. The actor has only one way left: to move along the stage along with the pedestal without leaving it. To do this, the pedestal was cut into two halves and each of them was tied to the leg. This is how the cothurni were invented.")

As we can see, the theater has reached our days, retaining the basic concepts. A visit to the theater is now holiday, A actor and now plays on a special site stage- before spectators trying to show the whole gamut emotions his character.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Acoustic Hall at the Mariinsky Theater (Mariinsky-2 )


Ancient Greek actors and actors of the play "Cipollino" ("Taganka Theatre")

Theater is a great miracle.As one of the heroines Tove Jansson said, "the theater is the most important thing in the world, because it shows what everyone should be and what they dream of being - however, many do not have the courage to do this - and what they are in life."

Modern man sometimes underestimates the theater, making his choice in favor of cinema. However, little can be compared with theatrical art. The Russian theater has come a long way from its formation to receiving the title of one of the best in the world. We invite you to remember the history of its creation together with us.

In Russia, theatrical art began to develop much later than in most European and Asian countries. But at the same time, buffoons, who gave performances, as well as street musicians, who told epics and legends, toured the territory of modern Russia.

Creator first, you can say professional theater, which was called "Comedy Mansion" considered one of the first kings of the dynasty Romanov Alexey Mikhailovich. However, after his death, the churchmen, dissatisfied with the choir, destroyed the theater.

In the same period, wealthy landowners began to create their own theaters in which serfs played. A serious patron of the theater was Peter I. At the same time, the Russian emperor demanded that the performances be in Russian and were "not too serious, not too cheerful, did not have any love affairs and would not be too sad."

After the death of Peter, theatrical art ceased to be supported by the rulers, and only after coming to power Anna Ioannovna it again received state subsidies.

History of creation state theater in Russia, according to most experts, began with the establishment of the gentry cadet corps where the first theater studios and the children of nobles were taught the art of acting. At the same time, the first professional theater in Russia appeared in Yaroslavl on the basis of the troupe of the merchant Fyodor Volkov.

With time Russian theater improved and gained fans from various segments of the population.

Bolshoi Theatre: history of creation

Grand Theatre, located in the very center of Moscow, rightfully bears the title of the temple of arts and is world-famous famous theater operas and ballets. It is noteworthy that the Bolshoi Theater has two "birthdays" - March 1776 and January 1852. But still, the first date is considered the generally accepted date.

Initially, the Bolshoi Theater was built on Petrovsky Square and, accordingly, was called Petrovsky. The founder of the theater is Prince Pyotr Vasilyevich Urusov, who received from Catherine II the highest permission on the content of concerts, theatrical performances and masquerades.

Unfortunately, the Petrovsky Theater burned to the ground even before its opening, which greatly aggravated the position of Urusov. The prince handed over the affairs to the Englishman Michael Medox, which for a long time was his companion. The Petrovsky Theater of Medox stood for twenty-five years, during which it also repeatedly burned and experienced floods.

Then, in 1821, the construction of the fundamental building for the Bolshoi Theater began according to the design of Andrei Mikhailova and Osip beauvais which lasted four years.

Since then, in spite of all wars, fires and other cataclysms, an eight-column theater with the chariot of Apollo rises above the portico, symbolizing the eternal movement of life and art, in the heart of the capital.

The building of the Bolshoi Theater inside is no less magnificent than outside. Five-tiered auditorium, big stage, incredible acoustics, murals on the ceiling, gilded stucco, a huge multi-tiered crystal chandelier and other magnificence of the decoration of the Bolshoi Theater more than once amazed the imagination and inspired playwrights, actors, dancers, singers, composers and musicians.

The stars of the great Russian ballerinas, singers, choreographers, musicians, composers, actors and other representatives lit up on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater creative professions. In addition, great foreign artists treated with special trepidation the proposals to perform at the Bolshoi Theater.

countries and peoples. Questions and answers Yu. V. Kukanova

Where did the first theater appear?

Where did the first theater appear?

The first theater appeared in Ancient Greece. It was a fairly large building. open sky, where the audience seats were located in a semicircle above the stage.

In those days, only two genres of plays were staged in the theater - tragedies and comedies, which were written on historical or mythological plots. Women were not always allowed to attend such performances, and they usually sat separately.

There were no scenery on the stage of the theater, and all the roles were played by men performing in huge masks and on cothurns - high boots that gave majesty to the figures of the actors.

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Theater is rooted in Ancient Greece over two millennia ago. ancient art originated as a spectacular entertainment of the public, festive skits of costumed actors. The performances were originally timed to coincide with the Great Dionysius, a great religious holiday.

Now the theater is undoubtedly something more than a procession of singing men in goatskins through the city. He became high art, a way of high society recreation, a place of cultural enlightenment. The history of the theater is a fascinating process of development that continues to this day. We will tell the reader in our article. You will also find many interesting facts in the presented material. So, let's begin.

Start

Athens in the 5th century BC. e. theatrical performances were an integral part of religious holidays. Processions with the statue of Dionysus were accompanied by cheerful chants and dramatic games. We can say that the history of the Athenian theater began as an amateur performance for a small number of onlookers. Initially, only tragedies were staged, comedies began to be shown later. It is noteworthy that the plays, as a rule, were shown only once. This stimulated the authors to create topical, interesting works. The playwright not only wrote the play, he was a full-fledged participant in the performance, playing the roles of director, composer, choreographer and even actor. Naturally, these were exceptionally talented people.

But to become a choreg (leader of the choir), great talent was not required. All they needed was money and connections with government officials. The choreg's main duty was to pay the bills, provide full financial support and support the theatre. It was in those days a place of competition, the choreg, the poet and the protagonist won it. The winners were crowned with ivy and awarded prizes. The victory was given to them by the decision of the jury.

An interesting fact is that the ancient Romans were real fans of realism. The production was considered ideal in which the actor got used to the role by 100% - if necessary, he had to be ready even to die.

At the time when Pushkin was alive, theaters in Russia were not completely seated. The back rows were occupied by people standing on their feet throughout the performance.

A landmark play in the history of Russian theatrical art is "Undergrowth" by D. I. Fonvizin, which became the first attempt to ridicule officials, nobles, typical characters of the 18th century. Starodum (a positive character) was the first to play just the above-mentioned Dmitrevsky.

In 1803 the imperial theaters were divided. Dramatic and musical troupe, opera and ballet, as parts of the musical. domination french school games on Russian stage lasted until the 19th century. It was then that the Russian theater finally got on its feet and went its own way. The adopted experience became a good base, and the discovery of new talented Russian composers, actors, dancers raised the theater to a high level.

P. N. Arapov was the first to describe the entire history of the Russian theater in one encyclopedia - “Chronicles of the Russian Theater”. Theatrical magazines appear and professional critics. Thus, the development of the theater gave impetus, among other things, to Russian literature.

The most famous theater in Moscow

The history of the Bolshoi Theater begins on March 28, 1776. It was on this day in Moscow that Empress Catherine II signed a “privilege” for Prince Peter Urusov, allowing him to maintain the theater for ten years. It was called at first the Petrovsky Theater (in honor of the street on which the entrance went). In 1805, the building burned down completely, architect Osip Bove created new project. In 1820, construction began, lasting 5 years.

The built theater became larger, which is why it got its name. This beautiful, harmonious, rich building pleased the inhabitants of Moscow until 1853, when the second fire broke out. This time, the reconstruction was entrusted to the architect Albert Kavos. The theater was restored already in 1856. The Imperial Bolshoi Theater became famous not only in Russia, but also in the world: it had excellent acoustics. In 1917, after the Revolution, the name was changed to the State Bolshoi Theatre. The decoration was supplemented with Soviet symbols.

He was seriously injured during the Great Patriotic War by taking on the bomb. The building was reconstructed again. Until 1987, the building underwent only minor cosmetic repairs. Now the Bolshoi Theater is a building with new scene where you can use modern effects. At the same time, it kept the spirit classical architecture, its "signature" acoustics, which gives it the right to be considered one of the the best theaters in the world. This is the history of the Bolshoi Theatre.

And finally, one more, no less interesting fact. Movies set wholly or partly in a theatre: Birdman, The Disaster Artist, La La Land, The Phantom of the Opera, Burlesque of a Tale, Knockout, Bumping Broadway, Black swan", "The Puppeteer", "A Terribly Big Adventure", "Shakespeare in Love", "Murder in a Small Town", "Orfevre Quay".

The history of the theater (drama and other genres of this art) will continue to develop, as interest in it has remained unchanged for more than two thousand years.

It all started in primitive society when a person was completely dependent on the forces of nature incomprehensible to him. The change of seasons, unexpected colds, crop failures, fires, diseases - everything was attributed to supernatural forces that had to be won over. One of the surest ways to achieve success was magic or sorcery. It consisted in the fact that before the start of any work a scene was played out depicting the successful completion of this process. The participants in these performances used complex pantomime, accompanied by singing, music and dancing. And in these ritual actions elements of contemporary theater…Photo-1L

IN Ancient Egypt already at the end of the third millennium BC. every year, theatrical scenes about the patron of farmers and artisans, the god Osiris, were staged at the temples.

In Greece, carnival-type rites in honor of rural gods have long been common. The cult of the god Dionysus played an important role in the development of the Greek theater. These performances consisted of three tragedies and three comedies. Theaters were built in the open air and were of enormous size. The actors were only men, who also played female roles. Comedy characters were supposed to cause laughter, so the masks worn by the actors had flattened noses, protruding lips and bulging eyes. Spectacles were also popular in Greece folk theater called memes. A mime is a small scene of a domestic or satirical nature, in which both market thieves and mythological heroes. Not only men, but also women performed in them, and in these theatrical performances The actors performed without masks.

Theater ancient rome is a spectacle intended primarily for the entertainment of the public. And actors were considered people of the lowest classes, but some actors have achieved universal respect.

Theater of the Renaissance, these performances were cheerful, full of sharp satire and juicy humor. Theatrical spectacles were arranged in the squares, on wooden stages, around which there was always a large crowd of people. Theaters began to be concentrated in large industrial and cultural cities. In the same period, the theater was divided into types. Opera, for example, originated at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, ballet from the middle of the 18th century, operetta from the middle of the 19th century.

A feature of the dramaturgy of this era of the theater was the presence of a high heroic principle, the division of concepts into good and evil, a free transition from the sublime to the base, from the tragic to the comic.

The Renaissance and gave impetus to further development theater and bringing it closer to the one we know now.


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