- THEATER THROUGH THE AGES THE RENAISSANCE ANSWER KEY PROFESSIONAL
- THEATER THROUGH THE AGES THE RENAISSANCE ANSWER KEY FREE
Let's be thankful for them.“They are apt to loathe, dislike, disdaine, to be weary of every object, each thing almost is odious to them, they pine away, void of counsel, apt to weep and tremble, timorous, fearful, sad, and out of all hopes of better fortunes.” Still, there were a lot of women who loved theatre so much that they felt the need to defy cultural expectations and join in anyway. It's unfortunate that theatre has historically been unfair to women. But there was not an easy path that led to this point. There's no question that women are a major part of theatre today, participating in all kinds of ways. And as theatre expanded in a variety of different directions, women's importance in the theatre was also expanded. More and more types of theatre emerged as time went on.
THEATER THROUGH THE AGES THE RENAISSANCE ANSWER KEY FREE
but this was an important step for women because it allowed women to rebelliously break free of many restrictive social expectations. Playing crazy characters and reversing gender norms definitely did not create a respectable repuation for these women. Women were often featured in masculine roles. These flashy, sexy, hilarious shows were parodies of classic stories. One notable example was Victorian-era Burlesque theatre, during the 19th century in both England and America. "Women helped change the dynamic of theater in the second half of the 19th century and were directly responsible for the rise in its popularity." ( Source) While men still had a larger presence in the theatre world, females did some pretty interesting things. There were female playrights, females acting on stage, plays that gave female characters a prominent role, and also, many females in the theatre audience.
This happened in early American theatre as well. Until then, it was unheard of for women to make a living writing plays! As for female actors, they sometimes played male characters, even though the opposite had happened in the past: "One might expect the admission of women on stage to be related to a demand for greater realism, but the actual result was not only that men and women got to play roles appropriate to their gender, but that the impersonation of the opposite sex could now go both ways." ( Source)Īs the years passed, women in theatre were gaining ground slowly but surely, despite the trends and traditions that told women no.
THEATER THROUGH THE AGES THE RENAISSANCE ANSWER KEY PROFESSIONAL
One big step forward for women in theatre was Aphra Behn, who dared to go against cultural norms by becoming the first professional female playwright. Then, still in the 17th century, the English Restoration period occurred. These high-pitched men were an alternate choice to women, but that didn't completely stop women from being opera singers. This is why castrati would sometimes sing parts that required a higher voice. Their belief was that it was impure and improper for women to be on the stage.
This did not please the strict Christian church, though. In the 17th century in Europe, something great happened: Opera! The great thing about this type of musical theatre was that female singers were included in it.
This contradicted the view of women that most people in her society had, which was that they were weak in character. One interesting exception was the German writer Hrothsvitha, who "is considered by some to be the first person since antiquity to compose drama in the Latin West" ( Source) She wrote several plays, and her plays tended to present women as people with strong, noble personalities. There was still a perception in society that theatre was something that was better suited for men and not women. Medieval theatre was certainly an exciting thing, but how much were women involved? The answer. Theatre was an important tradition in Medieval times too. But over time, Roman plays did start to have a few female actors.Īntigone, a female character in Greek mythology and plays. Women were not allowed to be on the stage because it was considered "dangerous." Men played male characters as well as female characters! "The Greeks believed that allowing women to perform publicly would be too dangerous and that having men portray them neutralized the danger." ( Source) So what about the Romans? Well, the Romans had a similar view of women, which made it impossible for them to make it onto the stage. The problem was that Greek culture put women in a position of being inferior to men, so womens' role in society was very restricted in many ways. The Greeks started their theatre practice with tragic plays, which started around 532 BC. The Western tradition of theatre has its origins all the way back in ancient Greece and Rome. March is Women's History Month! This is the perfect month to put a spotlight on the history of women in the theatre, because it is a very interesting history. This Women's History Month, learn about the history of women in theatre.