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| with the Industrial Revolution and rising Nationalism, cities were filling up fast with working, middle class families who began to demand theater as a form of entertainment. Theater became very popular amongst this demographic for its ability to help them forget the cares and drudgery of daily life. |
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| innovater of attracting large audiences to entertainments by creating a spectacular i.e. "Greatest show on Earth." |
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| people became very passionate about theater and thus many large riots were sparked outside theater houses such as the largest one which took place outside of Astor Place theater in Manhattan due to rivalry between English actor William Charles Macready and American Edwin Forrest. |
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| influenced by German "storms and stress" movement - Goethe's Faust and Victor Hugo's Hernani are most noted romantic dramas of the period. These plays rejected all neoclassical and artistic rules, justifyed by their claim that genius creates its own rules. They were episodic and epic in scope and created a dramatic mood and atmosphere. The romantic hero was a social outcast who sought justice, knowledge and truth. |
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| literally means "song drama" and places emphasis on surface effects, evoking suspense, fear, nostalgia, and other strong emotions. Examine good vs. evil and equated virtue to victory through suspenseful plots and climactic moments at the end of acts. |
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| characterized by tightly constructed cause and effect development and action revolving around secret known to the audience but not the characters - opening scenes provide necessary background information. Each act builds to a climax and the major scene (obligatory scene), culminates in a showdown confrontation between the opposing characters. |
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| Directing (Developments during 19th Century) |
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| art of directing was refined and perfected during 19th century by creating a unified stage picture and alotting more time to rehearsal and paying more attention to details. |
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| Richard Wagner's concept of totally unified work controlled by one person, the director. |
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| 19th Century Theater Architecture |
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| by the 1860's a shift from traditional box, pit, galleries model of theaters occurred and Booth Theater was built in NYC with modern orchestra area and balconies, individual armchair-type seating, and a stage that was not raked and scenery could be elevated up from below stage or "flown in" from above. |
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| walls set up at angles to create 3D rooms. |
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| with Industrial Revolution, revolving stage & elevator stages appeared along with gas-lit theaters such as Philadelphia's Chestnut Street Theater which was the first to be completely gaslit and introduced the gas table, a type of dimmer board that enabled a stagehand to control all the lighting on stage. |
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