Beginning of Theatre: Ritual
Your book begins by describing celebrations and rituals that became a theatre. In early Greek society, the performances of plays were – in some understanding – moral lessons and a way to worship the Gods. The theatre has always been linked to religion and the understanding of the human condition.
These video clips are somewhat varied in length and ideas about ritual but have most of the basic information your textbook references in chapter 13.
Video 1: The loss of Rituals (with history in mind): https://youtu.be/q_xJpVlry14
Video 2: Rituals in our lives: https://youtu.be/umdZIyriW-U
Video 3: The power of ritual in a society: https://youtu.be/IrjCLvSQ_cw
Scholars have debated many of the ideas of how the western idea of theatre began. You should also know that theatre was occurring around the world as a theatrical type of event at this time – not just in Greece.
Assignment:
In one page, state two concepts you took away from any of the videos. If you can relate these ideas to something you have seen on stage, please add to the conversation.
