Lecture 1

　　Theater History

　　Pro: The 19 century was the time that thought what we called: Realism developing in European in theater. Um… to understand this though, we first need to look at the early form of drama known as the well-made play, which basically was a pattern for constructing plays, plays that the beginning with some early 19 century’s comedies in France proved very successful commercially. The dramatic devises use here word actually anything new, they have been around for centuries. But the formula for well-made play required certain elements being included, in a particular order, and most importantly, that everything in the plays be logically connected. In fact, some of the player writes would start by writing the end of the play. And the word “backward” toward the beginning, just to make sure each event let logically from what has gone before. Ok, what are the necessary elements of well-made play? Well, the first is logical exposition. Exposition is whatever background information you have to review to the audience. So, they all understand what is going on. Before this time, exposition might come from the actors simply giving speeches. Someone might watch out the stage and see: “lyric quotation”. And until all about the felting family of Romeo and Julie, but for the well-made play, even the exposition had to be logic, believable. So, for example, you might have two servants gossiping as they are cleaning the house. And one says, Oh, what a shame master sound still not married. And the other might mention that a rumor about the mysterious a gentle men who just moved into the town with his beautiful daughter. These comments are parts of the play logical exposition. The next key elements of the well-made play refer to as the inciting incidents. After we have the background information, we need a king moment to get things moving, they really make the audience interested in what is happened to the characters we just heard about it. So, for example, after the two servants review all this background information, we need the young man. Just is he first lies eyes on the beautiful woman, and he immediately falls in love. This is the inciting incidence. It sets off, the plot of the play. Now, the plot of well-made plays is usually driven by secrets. Things, the audiences know, but the characters often don’t know. So, for example, the audience learned through a letter or through someone else’s conversation. Who is the mysterious gentle man is, and why he left the town many years before. But the young man doesn’t know about this. And the woman doesn’t understand the ancient connection between her family and he is. Before the secret are reviewed to the main character, the plot of the play perceived as the series of the sorts of the up and down moments. For example, the woman first appears not to even notice the young man, and it seems to him like the end of the world. But then, he learns that the she actually wants to meet him too. So, life is wonderful. Then, if he tries to talk with her, maybe her father get furious, for no apparent reason. So, they cannot see each other. But, just the young man has almost loved all hopes, he finds out, well you get the idea, the reversal the fortune continue, increasing the audience’s tension and excitement. They can wonder that everything is going to come out or care it not. Next come in, elements known as the: An obligatory scene. It’s scene, a moment in which all the secrets are reviewed. In generally, things turn out well for the hero and others we are care about, a happy ending of some sorts. This became so popular that the playwright almost had to include it in every play which is why is called: the obligatory scene. And that’s followed by the final dramatic element---the denouement or the resolution, when all the lucent have to be tight up in the logical way. Remember, the obligatory scene gives the audience emotional pleasure. But the denouement offers the audience a logical conclusion. That’s the subtle distinction we need to try very hard to keep in mind. So, as I said, the well-made play, this form of playwriting, became the base for realism in drama, and for a lot of very popular 19 century plays. And also, a pattern we find in plots of later many play, and even movies that we see it today.