What is a neoclassical theater?

neoclassical theater-timely spell as theater-is the movement in the middle of the 17th to the beginning of the 18th century, in which theater art was defined by the ideas and styles of ancient Greek and Roman societies. People of time focused very much on decorum or dignified behavior and realism, and believed that the main reasons for the game were to provide fun and teach the lesson. Large, complex scenery, complicated drama and strict concerns about the classic were earmarked, most of which were also characterized by five acts, few performances and high levels of improvisation. The movement began in France, but quickly spread throughout Europe and further.

General philosophy during the neoclassical era was such that the previous period was too lax and focused too much on emotions and individuals. The people of that time believed that it was necessary to do some restrictions and focus more on what every person can contribute to the whole society. Were looking for inspiration about how to do this in the cultures of ancient riversand the Romans, the original classics, and tried to return to how these groups treated life and art.

five rules

The attitude of neoclassicalists to surplus and the individual has led them to develop a strict set of instructions for what was appropriate in the theater. There were five basic rules: the purity of the form, five acts, verisimilitude or realism, decorum and purpose. They play houses generally rejected scripts or production that did not meet these requirements.

Playwrights and actors in the neoclassical period officially recognized only two types of games: comedy and tragedy. They never mixed them together and the limitation led to the use of the well -known few happy and sad masks that symbolize theater art. In addition, other provisions of the subject and the character that could appear in every genre of the game were regulated. Comedies that were either satire or comedies of behavior, tend to focus on the lower rows of society, while the tragedies portrayed a complex and fatal life of higher classes and royal. Compliance with these genres was crucial for the success of the game and the deviation from these classic borders went against the order of the classic.

The idea that the game should be structured with exactly five acts of ties to three principles or unity, designed by Aristotle. As a philosopher and analyst, he believed that a good, realistic theater required the unity of action, place and time, which means very few subplots, limiting shifts in position or geography, and maintaining the time of the plot for more than 24 hours. Playwrights, who moved to various formats, usually encountered severe criticism. Currently limiting the five acts, only one or a handful of performances were provided, because those who wanted to avoid creating glasses and address the elite or learn in society, resulting in a much smaller audience.

people living in this period also usually expected actors to be as realistic as possible and depictionShe eats her characters exactly as they would behave. In other styles of theater, the actors were known to be too dramatic or acted outside their class or role, but neoclassicism demanded strict adherence to the class, social status, temperament and gender. Fantastic or supernatural elements, along with Soliloquies and churches, were usually not included because they did not represent real experience or behavior.

Decorum called on the scripts to prove justice in the way the characters were portrayed and assessed on stage. It also meant that justice would be delivered if necessary, so Rodylly was no surprise by the end of the neoclassical theater in the sense that characters with sound moral judgment were always rewarded and those who made bad or evil decisions were punished. The production was supposed to meet the purposes of teaching some moral lessons and entertainment.

stage, set and costumes

sets at the neoclassical theater were dramatic, sophisticated andrichly. They were designed to provide a fresh background for each scene and help the audience get lost in a drama. Another goal was to provide a realistic illusion of depth and perception. During this period, the phases were redesigned by dramatic arches to highlight the scenes and more entrance points on the stage. The idea of ​​changing scenery and scenery becomes more pronounced, especially with the invention of pulley systems that allowed parts to move quickly throughout the stage. Lighting and sound effects have increased the mood and message of each scene and strengthened a tdamic experience.

naturally, drab clothing would look somewhat in place in the context of these new sets and stage designs. Although the costumes maintained a sense of realism, they were still very colorful, often used lace and other ornaments to make them more attractive. Sometimes they also used masks in the game that kept the Commedia Dell'arte style.

improvisation

In many cases, playwrightactors improvise to fill in any gaps. This was more common in comedies, but it happened in both forms, because the introduction of the performance was often a spontaneous decision that has not always allowed a lot of time to write or test. In some groups, people specialized in playing a very limited number of characters so that they could better capture people and several actors devoted themselves to the same roles throughout their career.

Introduction of women

For hundreds of years, only men were allowed on stage. The general view was that women should not be involved in public glasses or put in a more prominent position, and some people believed that women were so busy thinking about other things that they could not remember and provide lines properly. As a result, the female roles were taken by prepubescent boys or men who could manipulate their voices. During the neoclassical period, howeverwhich of the first professional paid actresses.

The main playwright

While there were many successful playwrights during the neoclassical movement, three playwrights achieved a significant amount of success and acquaintance. Pierre Cornielle (1606 - 1684) is often called the father of French tragedy and writes scripts for more than four decades. Jean -Baptiste poquelin -well -known someholière (1622 - 1673) - is known for its comedies. Jean Racine (1639 - 1699) was the tragedy beloved for his simplistic approach to action and the language rhythms and effects he had achieved. All three of these men were able to take over elements from classical Greek and Roman literature and turn them into games that adhered to neoclassical standards of decorum, time and space.