-with realism, the development of box sets and fourth wall conventions
Richard Wagner
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| Wagner |
- complete illusionism (theatre as mythmaking)
- first to completely darken the House (1860's)
- "democratic" seating arrangement at Bayreuth
- every seat is equally good
- all production elements must be integrated into an organic whole or a "master art work"
- "gesamtkunstwerk" (unified production~ sign of modern theatre)
- emphasis on historical accuracy
- no applause or curtain call (they ruin the illusion!)
- built his own radical theatre based on sightlines of the audience (Bayreuth)
- Orchestra Pit:
- curved shell for sound amplification back to the stage
- no visibility between audience and anything/anybody in the pit
- Teutonic Myths
- Wagner loved Old German myths & making operas out of them
A taste of the Met's recent production of Wagner's The Ring Cycle:
check more out at www.pbs.com
Georg II, Duke of the Saxe-Meiningen
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| Georg II |
- had a ducal theatre (court theatre)
- director AND artistic director
- don't bring actors in until everything else is already completed & ready
- possibly one of the first to consider "of Note"
Dumas & "Camille" Controversy:
- main character: prostitute with heart of gold
- sympathetic portrayal of sinful person
- First Camille: Sarah Bernhardt (1881)
- most famous actress in Europe (think: Mega Meryl Streep)
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| Sarah Bernhardt |
REALISM (another paradigmatic shift)
- show life as it is: "problem" plays
- objective reality: life as actually experienced
- no moral judgment; not idealistic
- ending is rarely happy
- characters are psychologically believable
- neither good nor bad (they're just people)
- scenery is often very authentic= "photorealism"
- scenery exploits technology for realism
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