History of Theater

History

The history of theater charts the development of theatre over the past 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment and theatrical or performative elements in other activities. The history of theatre is primarily concerned with the origin and subsequent development of the theatre as an autonomous activity. Since classical Athens in the 6th century BC, vibrant traditions of theatre have flourished in cultures across the world.

Theatre of Epidaurus - Overview

The theatre of Epidaurus represents the finest and best-preserved example of a classical Greek theatre. Even by today's standards, this monument stands out as a unique artistic achievement through its admirable integration into the landscape and above all the perfection of its proportions and incomparable acoustics. It was built in 330-20 BC and enlarged in the mid-2nd century AD. The overall 55 rows of seats rest on a natural slope and face the stage area set against a backdrop of lush landscape. The theatre is marvelled for its exceptional acoustics. Any sound on the open-air stage, whether a stentorian voice or a whisper, a deep breath or the sound of a match struck is perfectly audible to all spectators, even in the topmost row of seats, that is, nearly 60 m away. The answer to what makes the sound transmit so well comes from recent scientific studies: The arrangement of the stepped seating rows acts as an acoustic filter that deadens low-frequency background sounds, such as the murmurs of the audience, while amplifying the high-frequency sounds from the stage. Once again in use today, the ancient monument floods with theatre devotees during the annual summer Festival of Epidaurus. To avoid the sold-out disappointment, book early!

William Shakespeare

(26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616)[a] was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as both the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other Lplaywrigt.

List of plays by Shakespeare

This is an alphabetically ordered list of plays by William Shakespeare. Dates following titles indicate the dates the plays were written unless otherwise noted. Asterisks indicate plays likely written by Shakespeare and other playwrights, though evidence has been disputed. Edward III and Cardenio (Double Falsehood) have also been attributed wholly or partly to Shakespeare, but that attribution is not generally accepted.

- Hamlet (c. 1599–1601)- Henry IV, Part 1 (c. 1596–97)
- Henry IV, Part 2 (1597–98)
- Henry V (c. 1599)
- Henry VI, Part 1 (1589–92)
- Henry VI, Part 2 (1590–92)
- Henry VI, Part 3 (1590–93)
- Henry VIII* (first produced 1613)
- Julius Caesar (first produced 1599–1600)
- King John (c. 1594–96)- King Lear (1605–06)
- Love’s Labour’s Lost (between 1588 and 1597)
- Macbeth (1606–07)
- Measure for Measure (c. 1603–04)
- The Merchant of Venice (c. 1596–97)
- The Merry Wives of Windsor
   (between 1597 and 1601)- A Midsummer Night’s Dream (c. 1595–96)
- Much Ado About Nothing (probably 1598–99)

- Othello (1603–04)
- Pericles (c. 1606–08)
- Richard II (1595–96)
- Richard III (c. 1592–94)
- Romeo and Juliet (c. 1594–96)

BROADWAY:

Broadway theatre, commonly known as Broadway, refers to the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres each with 500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is widely considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world.

The Theater District is a popular tourist attraction in New York City. According to The Broadway League, for the 2017–2018 season (which ended May 27, 2018), total attendance was 13,792,614 and Broadway shows had US$1,697,458,795 in grosses, with attendance up 3.9%, grosses up 17.1%, and playing weeks up 2.8%.

The majority of Broadway shows are musicals. Historian Martin Shefter argues "'Broadway musicals,' culminating in the productions of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, became enormously influential forms of American popular culture" and helped make New York City the cultural capital of the nation.

Top 15 Best Musicals

1 Wicked

2 Hamilton

3 Les Misérables

4 Phantom of the Opera

5 West Side Story

6 Rent

7 The Sound of Music

8 Newsies

9 Into The Woods

10 Lion King

11 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

12 Chicago

13 The Book of Mormon

14 Grease

15 Matilda