" Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage."
The study of the history of theater and its literary tradition, including playwrights and their works.
Ancient Greek Theater: The origins and development of theater in Ancient Greece, including the founding of festivals and theatrical competitions, the performances of tragedies and comedies, and the impact of Greek theater on modern drama.
Medieval Theater: The emergence of theater in medieval Europe, with a focus on the development of mystery plays, morality plays, and miracle plays, as well as their relationship to religious and cultural traditions.
Renaissance Theater: The evolution of theater during the Renaissance, with an emphasis on the growth of dramatic literature, the emergence of professional theater companies, and the influence of Shakespeare and other major playwrights.
Baroque Theater: The development of theater during the Baroque era, with an emphasis on the use of elaborate set designs, changing stage technology, and the rise of opera as a distinct theatrical tradition.
18th Century Theater: The changes in theater during the 18th century, with a focus on the rise of sentimental comedy, the development of melodrama, and the impact of the Enlightenment on theatrical themes and subject matter.
19th Century Theater: The evolution of theater during the 19th century, including the rise of realism and naturalism, the emergence of theatrical movements such as Romanticism and Symbolism, and the influence of new technologies and social changes on the theatrical experience.
20th Century Theater: The major developments in theater during the 20th century, including the emergence of new theatrical styles and movements, such as Expressionism, Absurdism, and Postmodernism, and the impact of social and political changes on theatrical themes and subject matter.
Contemporary Theater: The current state of theater, with an emphasis on new developments in theatrical forms, styles, and technologies, as well as the influence of globalization and new media on theater and performance.
Major Playwrights: An examination of the works of major playwrights throughout history, including Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Beckett, and others, along with their contributions to dramatic literature and theatrical history.
Theater Theory and Criticism: A study of the major theories and critical approaches to theater, including formalism, structuralism, post-structuralism, semiotics, and reception theory, as well as an introduction to theater criticism and its application to theatrical works.
World Theater Traditions: An exploration of the diverse theatrical traditions from around the world, such as Noh and Kabuki from Japan, Kathakali and Bharatanatyam from India, and Beijing Opera from China, among others, as well as their cultural and historical contexts.
Musical Theater: A study of the origins and development of musical theater, including the evolution of the American musical, the works of major composers and lyricists, and the impact of musicals on popular culture and other art forms.
"Usually actors or actresses."
"The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance."
"Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence, and immediacy of the experience."
"The word 'theatre' is derived from the Ancient Greek θέατρον (théatron, 'a place for viewing')."
"...it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements" from ancient Greek theatre.
"Theatre artist Patrice Pavis defines theatricality, theatrical language, stage writing and the specificity of theatre as synonymous expressions that differentiate theatre from the other performing arts, literature and the arts in general."
"A theatre company is an organisation that produces theatrical performances, as distinct from a theatre troupe (or acting company), which is a group of theatrical performers working together."
"Modern theatre includes performances of plays and musical theatre. The art forms of ballet and opera are also theatre."
"...use many conventions such as acting, costumes, and staging."
"It is the oldest form of drama, though live theatre has now been joined by modern recorded forms."
"Theatricality, theatrical language, stage writing, and the specificity of theatre... differentiate theatre from the other performing arts, literature and the arts in general."
"To present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience."
"To present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience."
"...in a specific place, often a stage."
"The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, and dance."
"Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements."
"Places, normally buildings, where performances regularly take place are also called 'theatres'."
"...live theatre has now been joined by modern recorded forms."
"They were influential in the development of musical theatre."