Theatre In Late 19th Century

Theatre in the late nineteenth century was taking large steps to what we know today. The length of shows became longer. Copyrights were created. Repertory Companies became more popular. Theatre made advancements in all different areas.

The companies were made up of designers, directors, and actors. They would come together for one year. Every person would be in charge of a different role. Because of these Repertory Companies tours were beginning to increase in great amounts. Actors were paid for one year or they were paid through the amount of time that the show ran. By this time audiences became more equivalent and democratic. In the late nineteenth century a system was created where a playwright would be paid for every work he wrote. This system was called the Royalty System. Now the worldwide copyright accord was invented to keep track of plays and their writers. It wasn't until this time that playwrighting became an advantageous occupation. Job opportunities were opened for more people on and off the stage.

During this time, in England, William Shakespeare's playwright works were performed. William Shakespeare's plays contain many parts of a romantic dramaÐ'--an extensive brush of action, short scenes, and a devotion to love and adventure. More advancement was being made with lighting. In the first third of the nineteenth century gas lamps began to replace candles and oil lamps. Because gas lamps were becoming so efficient gas tables were created. Gas tables were a group of valves used by the gasman to control the amount of light. This allowed dimming of the house lights, which forced to audiences attention to the stage. Lime light was also created during this time period. Limelight was the nineteenth century spotlight, which made a radiant pool of light that followed the actors. Heating calcium carbonate/lime to incandescence with an oxyo-hydrogen torch created this light. In the 1880's electrical light began to restore the gas lamp (www.stage-lighting-museum.com).

The most popular form of theatre at this time was melodrama. Melodrama contains an immaculate hero who was usually wrongly accused, and an evil black-hearted villain. Background music emphasized emotional speeches and the action sequences, just like in a film. The greatest excitement was the chase. The villain was often a banker or a lawyer. By the last act everything was cleared up. Melodrama attracted the largest popular audience in American theatre history.

Theatre was very successful in this time period. It was the nineteenth century's main source of entertainment. Many complicated advances were made. Theatre came up with different types of drama. The different plays they came up with developed a certain type of clothing. The different types of drama made a rapid increase in plays. Playwrights advanced their thinking patterns. They came up with new methods of writing. Plays were getting better and better.

One of the most popular plays of this time was Uncle Tom's Cabin, based on Harriet Beacher Stowe's novel and was dramatized best by George L. Aiken. Its themes of slavery, religion, and love connected with the audience. Other plays at this time were The Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas PÐ"Ёre and Charles Fechter, The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. The Count of the Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas PÐ"Ёre was not considered a theatrical success. It needed a cast of one hundred, it was written in twenty acts, and it took two days to perform. Charles Fechter, a nineteenth century actor/manager, created a more feasible variation. It contained a cast of twenty-four, nine scenes, five acts, and a prologue. This version was developed thirty-five years later. It was starring James O'Neill, and was first presented on the colossal stage of New York's Booth Theatre in February 1883.Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe's best play was Faust. It was the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil. Edmund Rostand is best remembered for Cyrano De Bergerac. It is the story of a seventeenth century French nobleman, with a rather large nose, and his love for his cousin Roxanne. It is probably the best example of a nineteenth century romantic drama (http://www.northern.edu).

Romantic drama is the theatre of the "long ago and far away." The audiences wanted to escape the dull, petty frustrations of their lives. In a romantic drama there is a romantic hero. A romantic hero makes no negotiations, appeases no one. To him every matter is clear, and if he goes down in defeat, he goes down fighting and knowing that his cause is just. Knight-lovers and knight-champions are also in romantic dramas. A knight-champion was devoted to his lord, committed to his life to the protection of the weak, rescued the innocent maiden, and fought the endless battle against the powers of evil. A knight-lover placed women on a pedestal, and worshipped them from afar. After a concise glance of her beauty, he was transformed forever. He would write poems to her beauty, and sing of his undying affection, but he could not touch her. It was better to desire for the ideal, than to damage it by turning it into reality. There are six elements of a well-made play. The first is general explanation and careful preparation, foreshadowing, early in the play. A tightly knit cause-and-effect arrangement of plot incidents is second. Third each scene builds to a strong climax. Then a secret known to the audience, but not to the play's characters is fourth. Fifth a stimulating scene between the plays two major characters near the climax. Finally a careful resolution of the action so there are no loose ends (http://users.ox.ac.uk).

There are many aspects to a play, which makes it great. Every play is unique in its own way. Playwrights work hard to entertain people. Not one playwright has the same material or ideas as another. They