History of

Theater
Primitive (600 BC)

Very little is known about primitive theatre other than it was most likely
used to re-enact hunts.
Greek/Roman (600 BC - 600 AD)

Tragedy, comedy, and satyr play all emerged from the Greek city of
Athens. The drama masks are an iconic convention of classic Greek
theatre.
Significant playwrights include: Plautus, Seneca, Lucius Accius
Medieval (925 AD - 1537 AD)

Medieval theatre began by churches trying to explain new religions to the

illiterate population. The four main types of plays in this time period were
mummers plays, mystery plays, morality plays, and miracle plays.
Significant playwrights include: Hrosvitha, Suckling, Adam de la Halle
Renaissance (1537 AD - 1660 AD)

The first permanent theatre, the Red Lion, opened in 1567, and soon,
many others followed for example, The Theatre. The drama genre
became a huge phenomenon in England.
Significant playwrights include: William Shakespeare, Christopher
Marlowe, Ben Jonson
Restoration (1660 AD - 1750 AD)

Restoration theatre speaks of English comedies produced during that

time period. The decline of comedy was due to two theatre companies
converging, bringing a decline to the amount of comedies being written.
Significant playwrites include: George Etherege, William Wycherly,
William Congreve
Romanticism (1750 AD – 1850 AD)

Napoleon led Europe away from Rationalism, into Romanticism. In the

later years of Romanticism theatre, the industrial revolution evolved the
theatres because of things such as gas lighting.
Significant playwrights include: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Gotthold
Ephraim Lessing, Friedrich Schiller
Realism (1850 AD - 1875 AD)

Realism came around for three main reasons. One, August Comte
developed a theory known as Positivism. Two, Charles Darwin published
the book called The Origin of Species. Three, Karl Marx created a
political philosophy against urbanization.
Significant playwrights include: Emile Augier, Henrik Ibsen, George
Bernard Shaw
Modern (1875 AD - 1915 AD)

Modernism is often credited to the fallout World War 1.

Significant playwrights include: Edward Albee, Caryl Churchill, Lillian
Hellman
Musical

Musical theatre is a form of modern theatre that incorporates songs and

dance into theatre. Many plays were aimed to urge racial harmony such
as West Side Story. Musicals are very similar to operas except for a few
factors.