theater-msg - 3/30/01
Period theater. SCA re-creations.
NOTE: See also the files: theater-bib, puppets-msg, jesters-art, bardic-msg, juggling-msg, story-sources-msg, masks-msg.
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From: perkins at msupa.pa.msu.EDU ("corpusculorum velocium perexiguorum
Date: 24 Jul 91 06:20:01 GMT
Jeremy de Merstone greets the folk of the Rialto, and adds to the
discussion of the lives and roles of players in period times the name
of a reference which may be of interest to the serious researcher:
_The_Theatre_in_the_Middle_Ages_, by William Tydeman, Cambridge University
Press, 1978. Lib of Cong code PN2152.T9; Dewey Dec Sys 792.0902; ISBN #s:
hardcover 0 521 21891 8, paperback 0 521 29304 9.
It's clearly written, extensively discusses many aspects of the topic
(including a chapter called "The Performers", the tie-in to this thread)
and has a good bibliography of other reference material on the subject.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremy de Merstone George J Perkins perkins at msupa.pa.msu.edu
North Woods, MidRealm East Lansing, MI perkins at msupa (Bitnet)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: KGANDEK at mitvmc.mit.EDU (Kathryn Gandek)
Date: 25 Jul 91 21:28:07 GMT
My two favorite medieval theatre books have now both been mentioned as
sources by other people. However, I'll go ahead and add my two cents.
_The_Medieval_Theatre_ by Glynne Wickham (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1987)
is a very good book for providing a comprehensive and logically organized
overview of theatre. He explains where it comes from, how it developed,
includes theatrical activities that might not meet the 20th century definition
of theatre, and defines all of it well. What is particularly excellent about
this book is the way he organizes the information. It is particularly clear
and well thought out--a vey good approach for a reader who has only a little
background. His lack of numerous quotes and specific examples helps this,
although it also is a deficiency if the reader is trying to do serious research
Also, Wickham esposes his theories as almost facts, and there are scholars who
have very viable and very counter theories.
_The_Theatre_in_the_Middle_Ages by William Tydeman (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1978)
Tydeman organizes his informantion in a way that I suspect will be a bit
confusing for someone looking for a general introduction. It is full of many
more quotes, examples and exceptions. It's a good next level up book. One of
his sections is on "The Players", and it's a good example of Tydeman's style.
If you're looking for a general statement on the status of players, you won't
find it. If you would like numerous examples of their different permeutations
through the Middle Ages, then it's a great read.
To add two more names:
_Early_English_Stages_ by Glynne Wickham (3 volumes, 4 books published in
England and the US over a variety of dates)
If you're interested in specific and detailed information about theatre history
in England (although he occassionally overlaps into other countries) this is
great! It's detailed, scholarly, crammed full with information and
prohibitively expensive even if you could find a full set for sale some place.
(If you do, let me know :-) Try a library.
_The_Mediaeval_Stage_ by E.K. Chambers (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1903) (Two
volumes)
This is a classic. Sure a lot of the theories are outdated, but the
information is great. To paraphrase a dance historian I know, it's just one of
those things that you've got to have in your library. Columbia University
Press did a reprint sometime in the last ten years or so, but it's sold out.
This book has got direct quotes (there's so much Latin!) and complete, uncut
looonnngg passages and I found it indispensible when trying to recreate
mummings. One volume is Chambers' prose (with of course quotes from primary
sources) and the second volume is just primary sources reprinted.
For information on players, try the section in Tydeman. Reading all of
Wickham wouldn't hurt :-) And Brockett (which Heather gave the info for) is
always a good overview.
Catrin o'r Rhyd For Kathryn Gandek
Barony of Carolingia Boston area
East Kingdom kgandek%mitvmc.bitnet at mitvma.mit.edu
Newsgroups: rec.music.early,rec.org.sca,rec.arts.dance
From: dfader at leland.Stanford.EDU (Donald James Fader)
Subject: Re: Q: ballo choreographies
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 93 20:55:22 GMT
Concerning the request for information about choreography in balli at
the Medici court c.1600:
As far as I know (and I've done a little research on this question), no
such choreographies exist. The Italians were not so painstaking as the
French were in their notation of dance steps. You can find information
about dance in the Medici courts from various indirect sources, however.
A major piece of archival work on musical and theatrical happenings at
the Medici court is:
Solerti, Angelo. Musica, Ballo e Drammatica alla Corte Medicea dal 1600
al 1637. (1905--sorry I don't have the publisher handy)
This organizes the records of the court by year and gives large-scale quotes
of source material pertaining to music and dance.
A somewhat more recent article about the subject:
Ghisi, Francesco. "Ballet entertainments in the Pitti Palace, Florence, 1608-
25." Musical Quarterly 35(1949): 421
See also Groves "Ballo", "Balletto"
A general idea about choreography can be had from 2 period dance manuals:
Caroso, Fabritio. Nobilita [with accent] di dame (1600). Ed and trans. by
Julia Sutton (NY: Ox U. Press, 1986). (a reprinting of his Il Ballarino
(1581)).
Negri, Cesare. Le Gratie Amore (1602), reprinted as Nuove Inventione di Balli
(1604).
You may be able to find more about this in dance publications--this is what
I gleaned from a fairly quick survey of the field in musicological writings
in the process of working on something else. Hope it is helpful.
Don Fader
From: HAROLD.FELD at hq.doe.GOV
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: *Good* dress up at Pennsic
Date: 24 Mar 1994 10:19:51 -0500
Unto all who read these words, greetings from Yaakov.
With all the comments about Vampires, etc., it should be
recalled that there are good examples of period mummings
that take place at Pennsic.
A few examples over the years:
1) The Fool's Parade held by Meriwald. While there is much
in it that resembles our Twentieth century 'Macy's Day'
parade, I saw a fair number of Period satire/morality play
done. The Jesus, carrying the cross and being scourged by
centurions, struck me as a wonderfully period piece.
2) Catrin O'h Rhyrd For's mumming several years ago at
Pennsic, based on a documented mumming from (I think)
Richard II's coronation. This was very elaborate, with
over 50 participants (exact numbers escape me) and a host of
costumes/props made by the ever-helpful and talented John
McGuire of Carolingia (who will no doubt be commissioned on
Judgment day to help through up the Throne at the last
minute).
3) The mock stag hunt that went through the Pennsic
marketplace last year. I'm not sure who arranged that one.
4) Ditto the Japanese fertility rite. (Although I'm less
sanguine about non-Eurpoean stuff, it was a well documented
recreation.)
Yaakov
From: gray at cs.umass.edu (Lyle Gray)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: *Good* dress up at Pennsic
Date: 24 Mar 94 12:14:30
Organization: Dept of Comp and Info Sci, Univ of Mass (Amherst)
The stag hunt that Yaakov makes reference to was performed by a group from
Bergental, East Kingdom. It recreates the Abbotts' Bromley Horn Dance of
England, which has been performed continuously from the medieval period (the
antlers used in England have been carbon-dated to some time in the 12th c.).
Lyle FitzWilliam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lyle H. Gray Internet (personal): gray at cs.umass.edu
Quodata Corporation Phone: (203) 728-6777, FAX: (203) 247-0249
From: dmeehan at HUEY.CSUN.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Period Theater
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 07:24:28
Organization: Information Resources and Technology
silbrmnd at acf4.nyu.edu (The Dark Mage) writes:
>From: silbrmnd at acf4.nyu.edu (The Dark Mage)
>Subject: Period Theater
>Date: 1 Apr 1994 06:08:34 GMT
>Greetings to all who are gathered on this bridge...
>I have to write a paper for my Civ and Culture of hte Middle Ages class
>on "something that interests me", and I'm thinking of doing it on the
>history of theater in the middle ages... I know it basically started in
>the church around the 11th or 12th c. with the mystery plays, and I know
>that by the end of (SCA) period you had the Commedia dell' Arte, and
>Shakespeare was in the middle there... Could someone out there point me
>towards some helpful (and interesting ;) sources? The course is very
>eurocentric, and will probly only get up to around the 14th c...
Try looking into 'the Chester Fair.' this was a place in 13th cent. England
where dramas were put on. Look up Hildegaard of Bingen. She wrote a
morality play in the 11th cent. called (I think) 'Novo Ordo Virtutum'.
That's all I know. If I remember, I'll go home and find the phone number for
someone in our Guild of St. Genisius - that't the medieval drama group here
in Caid.
Good luck!
Damien of Baden
Altavia/Caid
From: laityna at ucbeh.san.uc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Medieval theatre sources
Date: 5 Apr 94 01:23:45 EST
Organization: Univ of Cincinnati Academic IT Services
A good book about the Commedia del'Arte is called "The Italian Comedy" and is
published by Dover Books. I don't know who the author is, but it is a large,
illustrated orange book. Another interesting Dover book is "A Source Book of
Theatrical History" by Nagler. It is a collection of extant essays about the
theatre from the Greeks on. I don't remember how much medieval stuff is in it,
but it is full of "the real thing".
Tangwystel vyrgh Gwythenek
From: kathy.duffy at buckys.com (Kathy Duffy)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Early plays
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 12:41:00 GMT
Organization: *Bucky's BBS* (609)861-1131
There are some plays by Roswitha or Hrovithia (same person) written in a
German (before it was Germany) convent to amuse the byzantine princess
of Otto (I or II). Several of them could be easily performed. Our
library had a book containing a collection of them in a series of small
green books called the "Medieval Library" [the series name] and
published by Cooper Union Press [I believe but memory by be faulty
there] around 1966. If you need more precise bibliographic date send a
private e-mail and I will check at work.
Lady Deirdre Ui Mhaille
EK, Shire of Barren Sands
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: kgandek at world.std.com (Kathryn GandekTighe)
Subject: Re: Research Question -- Stage scenery
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 17:10:08 GMT
STEWART (ms7539 at conrad.appstate.EDU) wrote:
: Currently, I am researching period techniques for stage
: scenery and presentation...
: Secifically I am looking to documemt what is modernly known
: as the stage 'flat'... A wooden frame covered in canvas that
: is painted...
: For the middle ages I am reading through the works of several
: Italian designers and architects of the 16th century...
: Can anyone point out something that I may have overlooked?
: Research on the first Globe, and the Swan have shown that much of
: the Elizabethan stage was bare... But what about when the
: Globe was rebuilt?
:
: Direction to resources, titles and authors will be greatly
: appreciated... I'd rather not reinvent the wheel...
Some books you might find useful:
The Elizabethan Stage by E.K. Chambers - specifically, you want to look at
Volume III, which includes a hefty section on Staging at Court, Staging in
the Theatres of the Sixteenth Century, and Staging of the Theatres in the
Seventeenth Century. One warning though - while Chambers' works are
classics on the subject of period theater and contain great material
directly quoted from period sources, some of his theories are now out of
date. I love to use them for their direct quotes of material; I always
check more current sources regarding theory.
The set I have was printed in Oxford by Clarendon Press in 1965 and are a
reprint of the originals printed in 1923. Chambers volumns entitled The
Mediaeval Stage (also classics) were reprinted by Columbia more recently,
so they may also have reprinted The Elizabethan Stage. There is not a
section in The Mediaeval Stage specifically on staging, although you
could look through it. Since I've used it primarily when researching
mummings, I can't recall reading anything about backdrops.
Glynne Wickham wrote a very comprehensive series entitled Early English
Stages 1300 to 1660. Much to my regret, I only own Volume III, Plays and
their Makers, so I can't tell you where to look in the series. However,
I've always found an answer to my questions when I drool over them in one
of the local academic libraries. They are very academic, and you'll
probably have to go to a college library to find them. (For Chambers'
books you just need an old library :-) I'd happily pay for the other
books in the Wickahm set if I could ever get my hands on them. They're
real gems.
If you can't find Early English Stages, you could try Wickham's The
Medieval Theatre (my copy is Cambridge University Press 1988). It's more
general, but still could be useful.
If you have access to it, it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look at William
Tydeman's The Theatre in the Middle Ages. It's a general survey book, but
I've found useful bits in it. A quick glance at my copy makes me think
you could find some details in there. My copy was printed by Cambridge
University Press in 1988. There used to be someone selling copies of it
at Pennsic.
Catrin o'r Rhyd For
Kathryn Gandek-Tighe
Carolingia, East Kingdom
kgandek at world.std.com
From: IVANOR at delphi.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Research Question -- Stage scenery
Date: 6 Aug 1995 00:18:25 GMT
Quoting ms7539 from a message in rec.org.sca
>From: ms7539 at conrad.appstate.EDU (STEWART)
>Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
>Subject: Research Question -- Stage scenery
>Date: 3 Aug 1995 15:08:14 -0400
>Currently, I am researching period techniques for stage
>scenery and presentation...
>Secifically I am looking to documemt what is modernly known
>as the stage 'flat'... A wooden frame covered in canvas that
>is painted...
>I already have documentation on the pinake, a stage 'flat'
>which was used in ancient Greek theater... and I have info.
>on the Italian baroque period.
>For the middle ages I am reading through the works of several
>Italian designers and architects of the 16th century...
That's late Renaissance, not medieval.
As much Medieval drama was done on wagons, with a different wagon for each
scene, they didn't need flats... if they wanted scenery, they made permanent
sets. Theatres were revived in the Renaissance.
Hunningher, in _The Origin of the Theater_ refers doubters to Loomis, Roger
S., "Were there Theatres in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries?" with
comm. by Gustave Cohen, _Speculum_, 1945,XX,1; under the same title denied
by Dino Bigongiari in _Romantic Review_, Oct. 1946.
There was an excellent CA a couple of years ago about Medieval drama and its
presentation, complete with illustrations of the stage wagons.
Carolyn Boselli, Host of Custom Forum 35, SCAdians on Delphi
From: liversen at physiology.medsch.ucla.edu (Lori Iversen)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Theatre History--Elizabethan era question
Date: 10 Jan 1996 17:14:43 GMT
Organization: UCLA
slsbc at cc.usu.edu says:
>I would appreciate any and all information regarding the
>history of the theatre in this time period, and not just English theatre. My
>teacher is emphasizing more of the buildings/architecture and effects from this
>time period and things of a similiar nature.
> Hopefully yours,
> ALIX of Cote du Ciel
I recall reading in an L.A. Times article several years ago that the
guys who are excavating the original Old Globe site knew they'd finally
found the right place because mixed in with the foundation were piles
of filbert shells! Evidently, Elizabethan theatergoers scarfed filberts
in much the same way that modern cinemagoers scarf popcorn. I would
have thought that the sound of all that hammering and shell cracking
would distract the players...
And that is the Jeopardy trivia ("I'll take Elizabethan theater for
500, Alex") for today.
-- Alexis,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Round up the usual disclaimers. <liversen at physiology.medsch.ucla.edu>
From: besears560 at aol.com (Besears560)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Theatre History--Elizabethan era question
Date: 11 Jan 1996 23:42:38 -0500
yi-time magazine just did an article on the reconstructed globe theater.
barre fitzrobert of york
dragonsspine
From: kkozmins at mtholyoke.edu (Kim C Kozminski)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Theatre History--Elizabethan era question
Date: 12 Jan 1996 18:57:37 GMT
Organization: Mount Holyoke College
The two favorites of most Theatre departments are Oscar
Brockett's History of the Theatre and AM Nagler's "A source-book in
Theatrical History" You can probably find second-hand copies at any
college book-store were Theatre history is taught, or check you local
library.
Have fun!
Roen
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 11:29:29 -0600
From: "I. Marc Carlson" <LIB_IMC at centum.utulsa.edu>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: RE: Theatre
<Mary Haselbauer <slaine at stlnet.com>>
>Anyway, my question is three fold.
>1. Could someone suggest a book of plays by people other than
>Shakespeare or Marlowe
THere are a number of them out there (usually under titles like Elizabethan
Drama). You might try such authors as Ben Jonson, Thomas Dekker (His "The
Shoemaker's Holiday" is a person favorite), Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher,
John Webster, Philip Massinger, Nicholas Udal, Thomas Norton (another favorite),
George Gascoign, Thomas Preston, George Peele, Robert Greene, John Lyly,
Thomas Kyd, Thomas Heywood, John Marston, George Chapman, and so on.
If you can not find ANYTHING in your local library listing these names,
contact me offlist and I'll see if I can't dig you up something for you to
Interlibrary Loan or purchase.
>2. Please share any experiences with producing plays for SCA.
...
Marc/Diarmaid
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 17:46:32 EST
From: <BastetKat at aol.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Theatre
slaine at stlnet.com writes:
>1. Could someone suggest a book of plays by people other than
>Shakespeare or Marlowe
>
> 2. Please share any experiences with producing plays for SCA.
>
> 3. I would be interested to see any plays written by SCA folk.
Item #1 has already been answered, but I couldn't resist adding these
names: Catharine Trotter, Aphra Behn, Delariviere Manley, and Mary Pix. Yes,
there were female playwrights! (Although they do fall towards the latter half
of the 17th century). But I also have some SCA theatre experience to share.
Our shire formed a group of players that wrote and performed original
works based on period themes. Our style was a little like the Commedia Del
Arte, in that performers were free to "ad lib" based on audience reactions,
and stock characters reappeared in different plays. Themes generally revolved
around mistaken identities, jealous husbands, and scheming daughters, etc. We
performed at Pennsic years ago (anyone remember the Oldenfeld Players, at
Pennsic 19 or so?) Eventually, the individuals involved moved on and the
group dissolved.
Judith
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 15:51:26 -0800
From: domus at juno.com (Kenneth J Mayer)
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Theatre
Can't help much with the first item, but I heartily recommend AVOIDING
*Ralph Roister Doister* by Nicholas Udall ... it's horrible.
>2. Please share any experiences with producing plays for SCA.
http://www.mindspring.com/~hirschv/gsplay/gstags.htm
>3. I would be interested to see any plays written by SCA folk.
Video tapes of the Golden Stag Players productions can be gotten by
contacting me -- check out the website above ... (The GS Players have
been doing plays in the West Kingdom for 7 years now ...)
Hirsch
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 19:55:11 EST
From: <BastetKat at aol.com>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Theatre suggestions
jadeyale at hotmail.com writes:
> I have also been interested in getting together a theater group in my
> Shire. if anyone has any experience or suggestions this would be
> wonderful!
>
> Joia
I think the first thing to do is decide on your script(s). You should
know what parts you need before assembling your troupe. If you all love it and
decide to perform regularly, it's important to keep in mind that everyone may
not get to perform in every play. Hold auditions if you can. Give the ones who
really, Really can't act work as stage hands (fetching props, being props,
etc.), or remind them that you also need an audience. Comedy is easier than
tragedy to do well. It's also more popular. If you have your heart set on
performing a great tragedy, it will be even more important to say "no" to bad
actors. I am mentioning saying "no" several times because it can be hard to do
so without hurting feelings, but bad performers will ruin the show. Certainly
we don't expect Broadway-type skill, but they need to be able to put _some_
feeling into it!
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Make sure everyone knows their lines, and
can project well. It's no fun to the people in the back if they can't hear. If
you are doing Commedia Del Arte, then memorizing lines is more optional, but
then the actors must be able to improvise.
Get the autocrat to advertise the play in the flyer (assuming you are
performing at an event) to build up your audience. Actually, in my experience,
getting people to show up the first time is easy. After that, you may have
to work to keep them coming.
It will take some work, but can be loads of fun for everyone. Keep
trying, and eventually you will succeed!
Judith
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 11:05:03 -0500 (EST)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at tulgey.browser.net>
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Theatre
On Wed, 6 Jan 1999, Kenneth J Mayer wrote:
> Can't help much with the first item, but I heartily recommend AVOIDING
> *Ralph Roister Doister* by Nicholas Udall ... it's horrible.
Yes! Tovah's group struggled manfully (and womanfully) with it, but it was
extremely difficult, not only because it is long, but it is difficult to
memorize and difficult to produce well.
A piece of advice from a former theatre tech geek: if you choose to
produce plays in the SCA, you must be willing to be a bitch/bastard about
memorizing lines, learning blocking, etc. I don't know why SCA directors
struggle so much with this, but they do. You have to remember that
community theatre directors force people to memorize and they keep coming
back anyway...
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa (Shire of Eisental; HERMS Cyclonus), mka Jennifer Heise
jenne at tulgey.browser.net
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 17:11:49 -0800
From: domus at juno.com (Kenneth J Mayer)
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: Theatre
"Jennifer Thompson" <jadeyale at hotmail.com> writes:
>Well, I'm definately not afraid of the work or stepping on toes (just a
>little of course!). I'm a theater geek myself who loves directing. My
>only real concern is the (unfortuanatly) lack of help, actors, and time.
>But I know that just comes with the job. Thanks for the advise from all.
This is the hardest part, but ... keep trying. I recommend starting
small. That's how the GS Players got started -- some smaller plays and we
worked up to the larger productions we're doing now (we have 10+ actors
in a show, which is pretty good -- add a stage manager -- necessary at
that point and the director, and maybe some stage hands (if you're lucky
and/or need 'em) and things get pretty crazed. <G>)
All the work really does pan out -- the GSP have been together for over 7
years and we're still going strong ... and despite all the work, the
fatigue just before the show, etc., the performances have been up, and
the audience reactions have been great ...
Hirsch
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 20:54:45 -0700
From: "James F. Johnson" <seumas at mind.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Medieval Times
Just a brief note concerning erroneous history when it comes to
entertainment. From my own history and anthropology studies, I came
across examples in the Middle Ages and Renaissance where the concept of
change in styles over historical eras did not exist. One late period
example is English theatre during the reign of Elizabeth I (Shakespeare
and contemporaries). There were two types of constume. Street wear
(basically, the mode of the day, if not their own personal clothes) used
for any contemporary plays (Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing,
Doctor Faust,) and 'ancient' dress, which was toga-like robes for plays
like Corialanus, Titus, Pericles, Julius Caesar). Basically, it was
generic "old" clothes. The assumption being _everybody_ wore those
clothes _back then_, and at some undetermined time, they started wearing
trunk hose and doublets. I'd say it is a fair guess to say that most
decent SCA clothiers know more about clothing in the high Middle Ages
than the folks did living only two hundred years later.
The distinctions between 11th Century Moorish Spain, and 14th Century
Bavaria, and 16th Century London are lost on most 20th century folks.
Just not relevant to their lives, just to the historophiles like us. So
they are happy with Medieval Times as it is, and Medieval Times is happy
to provide it.
Seumas
<the end>