Exploring Interests

As I flipped through the pages of our theatre textbook, the illustrations and descriptions of Medieval drama sparked my interest. And so I decided to begin my research on Medieval drama. This era of theatre originated in Europe from the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance.

Medival drama consisted of three genres of plays: mystery plays, miracle plays, and morality plays. Mystery plays were performed every summer through a joint community effort. This meant that each trade guild was responsible for the reenactment of one specific portion of the Bible in which the purpose was to share gospel stories. Because of the era of Medieval theatre, only men were permitted to act in these plays. Miracle plays differed from mystery plays in that they focused on the spirituality outside of the Bible. These plays emphasized Truth instead of facts which oftentimes meant that the stories tended to be unrealistic. The last genre consisted of morality plays which were allegorical and instructed man on how to lead his life. Morality plays could be extremely entertaining; however, death was a rampant topic because it was viewed as being the ultimate societal equilizer for this was part of post-plague Europe.

Medieval drama sets consisted of the locus/place which was the open field or amphitheatre where the general action occurred. Scaffolds also known as plateas, mansions, houses functioned as ways for actors to demonstrate scene changes. Rather than having actors remain stationary and having the scenes change around them, the actors moved through these scaffolds to show scene changes. At the start of Medieval drama, these make-shift sets were created out of wooden wagons. With the construction of permanent theatres, actors no longer needed to rely on church facilities for their performance stages and so medieval drama transformed from amateur traveling art to professional theatre.

Other students researched on a variety of other topics, but two other topics that sparked my interest were those of Commedia dell'arte and Greek theatre. Contrasting with the idea of solely male actors in medieval drama was that of Commedia dell'arte in which actors consisted of both males and females. On the other hand, Greek theatre originated in the 5th century B.C. which actually marked the birth of all theatre. This meant that theatre derived from Greek theatre rather than that of the popular belief of Shakespearean theatre. Because the Greeks had only outdoor stages, all performances were done during the day with masks rather than make-up.

It All Starts In the Beginning

As this is the first time that I have enrolled in a theatre course, theatre and performance is a fairly new genre to me. Though I have yet to perform a monologue or scene before an audience, I have had a different sort of experience in performing. As a violinist, I have performed on stage but rather than conveying my emotions through words, it was through music. Although I have never been involved as an actor in any sort of theatre production I have seen the effort that it takes to put on a successful show as I have helped with painting sets as well as preparing actors in hair and makeup. Because I have attended various productions I have a vague idea of the intricacies involved in all the different sets such as those that revolve or those that display different levels.

Some of the shows that I’ve attended include our school’s fall and spring productions of Hello Dolly!, Because Their Hearts Were Pure, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof and Scapin and outside productions of Mamma Mia and Anything Goes. What I really enjoy about these shows is the versatility of theatre and how it can portray various themes and emotions rather than being confined to a standard set of rules. This is evident as musicals like Mamma Mia and Fiddler on the Roof display themes of the family dynamic as the first focuses on the bonds between mother and daughter and the latter on maintaining the family unit despite encroaching outside influences. Contrasting these musicals is the humorous Scapin where Scapin deceives the characters for his own benefit and entertainment which demonstrates the flexibility of theatre. Another aspect of these shows that I enjoy is the uniqueness of the various costumes involved in the production and how the costumes tie into the plot and how they clearly portray each character. This is evident with how the free-flowing clothes represent Donna’s carefree character in Mamma Mia and how the minimalism of Belle’s costume in Beauty and the Beast reveals her appreciation for the simpler aspects of life and her lack of attraction for the vain Gaston.

Since I have never had any sort of theatre or performance training, I decided to broaden my perspective on the aspects of theatre so that I can enjoy a show/production with an enhanced knowledge and become an active audience member. I have come to realize that acting is only one part of theatre and that it involves many other components such as backstage work, hair and makeup, lighting, research, and more. As a result, I realized that joining IB theatre would be the best choice because I will be able to learn among lesser experienced students as myself as well as those whom theatre is second-nature. This way, I can learn the ropes of theatre at a decent and understanding pace with others who may be experiencing similar difficulties while interacting with students who have had years of theatre training and can be of great help and advice. Because of this reason, I realize that in order for me to decide whether theatre and performance is a potential passion or interest, IB theatre is a means for me to spark a hidden interest.