The History Of European Theatre

A special episode in conversation with actor and Shakespeare expert Colin David Reese who's one man play 'Shakespeare Unbound' tells of the production of the first folio edition of Shakespeare's plays and it's creator John Heminges. You can own a copy of Shakespeare Unbound to stream, which is available at www.shakespeareunbound.com Registration for the streaming event - an extract from the play a...

Episode 91: By the 1530s the State was concerned with the regulation & censorship of plays. Here are the key moments of legislation under Henry, Edward & Mary. The background of what made legislation necessary. The end of the Corpus Christi Cycle Play. The beginnings of actions against players The Act For The Advancement of True Religion Pammachius performed at Cambridge and the after...

Episode 90:  The development of the profession of acting, of ‘stage-playing’ through the Tudor period. How the professional stage player developed out of the medieval entertainer. How travelling players became household players and then settled in the London playhouses. The beginnings of an acting profession. The Earl of Leicester’s Men. The English Sumptuary laws. The boy troupes. The object...

Episode 89: As England emerged from the Medieval period theatre became established in London in purpose built theatres and in buildings adapted for the purpose. In this episode we look at those earliest theatres and their builders: The Red Lion, a probably short lived theatre built by John Brayne Four Inns that operated as theatres The Bel Savage, The Bull, The Bell, and the Cross Keys The Theatre...

Episode 88: An introduction to season 5 of the podcast. The theatrical links between England and Continental Europe in the 16 th  Century.  Some differences and similarities. Why English theatre stands apart from that of continental Europe. Sir Philip Sidney’s ‘Defence of Poetry’, his dislike of the stage and ideas on the power of poetic language. The development of English as a lan...

The second part of my seasonal chat with guest Aaron Odom director Trident Theatre Company and Euripides Eumenides Podcast. We pick up the story of the history of the British Christmas Pantomime, going further back to the influence of Comedies Dell'arte and the bringing the story forward to it's zenith in the later Victorian period up to some of today's challenges for the modern Panto. For more de...

A seasonal episode with guest Aaron Odom director Trident Theatre Company and Euripides Eumenides Podcast where the main subject of the day is the phenomenon of the British Christmas Pantomime, but in a wide-ranging chat about theatre in general we also covered Aaron’s background and some of his current projects with Trident Theatre Company. Part two of our conversation is following soon.  Fo...

A bonus episode on the origins, development and recent history of The Oberammergau Passion Play. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation with author Yvonne Korshak about her novel 'Pericles and Aspasia' The novel unfolds against the background of the arts and history of the Golden Age seen through the eyes of two individuals who lent their luster to make it “golden,” Pericles, the great orator and visionary of democracy and its most influential woman, Aspasia. Their story takes them from the Agora—Athens’ marketplace...

Thoughts on a recent trip to the Greek capital, Athens a city resonating with ancient history Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bonus episodes as a coda to the European Renaissance Theatre season following the story of what happened to the remains of Calderon de la Bacca after his death. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Hosted on Acast. See aca...

Episode 87: A fictionalised account of a day in the life of one of Madrid's Renaissance period theatres, the Corral Del Principe, using some of the facts and assumptions discussed in the season about the European Renaissance Theatre. Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party services for analy...

Episode 86: A summary to conclude the season on European Renaissance Theatre focussing on four aspects of the theatre that I have covered in the last twenty-two episodes: The Italian Rebirth The Parisian Theatre Theatre in Spain The Commedia Dell'arte Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com www.ko-fi.com/thoetp www.patreon.com/thoetp This podcast uses the following third-party...

Episode 85: We return to Italy, to the birthplace of the Renaissance, for one last visit in this theatrical age. The Bernini family and their history as sculptors and architects. The early life and career of the second-generation Bernini, Gian Lorenzo, and his place as a major sculptor and architect in Rome. His work as a scenic designer in the theatre and the impact of his special effects. Bernin...

Episode 84: Given the destruction of the thirty years war moving backwards and forwards across the Germanic and Flemish states of Europe between 1618 and 1648 it is a wonder that any art could flourish at all but in the Netherlands, there was something of an opposite effect. A word on the lack of examples from the Netherlands in this period and a reminder of the lasting influence of ‘Everyman’. Th...

Episode 83: The Commedia Dell’arte tropes that operated in Italy and France were like many actors before them - travelling players operating if not exactly outside of society, then in their own niche within it.   The framework that Commedia Dell’arte troupes operated in and how little had changed for the travelling player since Roman and Medieval times. The origins of the Gelosi Troupe v...

Episode 82: The characters of Commedia Dell’arte may have been used in every play over and over again until they became completely familiar, but the plays themselves were more varied that you might imagine. The first preserved Commedia Dell’arte scenario from 1568. How the play was created and the characters and players. A first-hand account of the play. A brief analysis of this history of the pla...

Episode 81: The development of common character types through the travelling troupes. The hierarchy of character, the troupe, and how that reflected society in general. The five main characters: Pantalone Il Dottore Il Capitano Pulchinello Harlequin Minor characters: Brighella Pedrolino Columbine and other female characters  The young lovers Support the podcast at: www.thehistoryofeuropeanthe...

Episode 80: The influence of Italian literary theatre can be seen in later works, but if there is one form that infiltrated the general consciousness of theatrical comedy on the continent it is the Commedia Dell’arte. A definition of what we mean by Commedia Dell’arte as it emerged in the Italian renaissance, and the difficulties with this. Professionalism, comedy, masks and the degree of improvis...

Episode 79: As things moved on in the early renaissance art - painting and sculpture - led the way and theatre soon followed.  Artists tried to inject more realism into their work, showing their subjects as they really were, or as close as they could get.  The colours of clothes, skin tones, fruit, countryside scenery and, well, whatever the artist’s subject was, became more su...

Episode 78: Records about the second corral in Madrid tell us a lot about the theatre.  In this episode we go through the details of what the different parts of the theatre on the Calle del Principe were like. A short reminder of the history of the Corral in Spain as featured in episode 74. The location building of the Corral del Principe as a rival to the original Madrid playhouse, the...

Episode 77: The life of Pedro Calderon de la Barca who took Lope de Vega’s crown as the greatest living Spanish playwright after Lope’s death in 1635 His childhood, youthful brushes with the law, military service and early playwriting. His best regarded play ‘Life Is a Dream’ from 1632. A synopsis of the plot of ‘Life Is A Dream’ An analysis of the main themes of the play and it’s relationship to...

Episode 76: A discussion of a sample of the plays by Lope de Vega The Gardener's Dog: A Comedy The meaning of the title, a plot summary, the major themes. Punishment Without Vengeance: A Tragedy. A plot summary, it's debt to Seneca, the ironic triangle of anti-heroes, the question of incest, and the violence of the honour culture. The historical context of the play. Realism in the plays. The plays...

A special bonus episode to celebrate the second anniversary of the podcast. We step out of the timeline of the renaissance theatre as I tell the story of the venue that was the home to my first theatrical experiences - The Castle Theatre, Farnham For much of the information in this episode I am indebted to Matthew Lloyd for the use of material. For information about many UK theatres and music hall...

Episode 75: The Life of Lope de Vega, greatest dramatist of the Spanish Renaissance Theatre. He had a very full life which was not just confined to writing plays, but his output was prolific on a scale that has not been matched before or since. This is his story. Then a short overview of what was special about his plays, his attitude to Aristotle and his prescriptions on the use of poetry. A word...