Season 1
Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism
19th century playwrights remade the French theater – first with Realism, then Naturalism.
Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism
Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows
19th century racism contributed to a unique and troubling performance culture in America.
Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows
North America Gets a Theater...Riot
How did American theater develop after the Revolutionary War?
North America Gets a Theater...Riot
Hrotsvitha, Hildegard, and the Nun who Resurrected Theater
Meet Hrotsvitha: a cool, 10th century nun/playwright who influenced a new era of theater.
Hrotsvitha, Hildegard, and the Nun who Resurrected Theater
In the 18th century, audiences were ready for some really, really dramatic theater.
The Rise of Melodrama
After Germany was unified, we got Sturm, Drang, Weimar Classicism and Goethe.
Why So Angry, German Theater?
English Sentimental Comedies weren't that funny, but they were definitely sentimental.
England's Sentimental Theater
China, Zaju, and Beijing Opera
Let's discuss wizard theater and the rise of classical Chinese theater and Beijing Opera.
China, Zaju, and Beijing Opera
All Night Demon Dance Party - Kathakali
Learn about the all-night dance shows in India that culminate in killing a Demon.
All Night Demon Dance Party - Kathakali
Under the Shoguns, we get Kabuki and Bunraku. And Samurais get in trouble for watching it.
Japan, Kabuki, and Bunraku
Pre-Columbian Theater, Spanish Empire, and Sor Juana
American theater existed before Europeans arrived, and the Spanish greatly influenced it.
Pre-Columbian Theater, Spanish Empire, and Sor Juana
Molière - Man of Satire and Many Burials
Meet Renaissance France's theater greatest playwright: Molière.
Molière - Man of Satire and Many Burials
Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism
The French Neoclassical revival involved a lot of rules – and some rule-breaking.
Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism
In the 1600s, English theater had to go into hiding, from PURITANS. Enter: WOMEN.
Where Did Theater Go?
English Theater After Shakespeare
Thanks, Shakespeare! Let's talk about Ben Jonson, revenge tragedies, and court masques.
English Theater After Shakespeare
Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare's Heroines
Let's take a look at Shakespeare's comedies, romances, problem plays and heroines.
Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare's Heroines
Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson
Shakespeare's tragedies had some jokes, and they changed the way tragedies were written.
Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson
Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon – Shakespeare's Early Day
How a young Shakespeare stormed into London's theater – and wrote some pretty good plays.
Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon – Shakespeare's Early Day
The English Renaissance and NOT Shakespeare
Let's take a look at London theater and the playwrights who set the stage for Shakespeare.
The English Renaissance and NOT Shakespeare
Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte
Painting, music, architecture, and plays with fart jokes were all thriving from 1300-1500.
Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte
Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen
Noh, and its counterpart Kyogen are some of the most revered theater forms in Japan.
Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen
Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play
After European churches changed their minds on theater, drama became an outdoor activity.
Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play
The Death and Resurrection of Theater as... Liturgical Drama
As Christianity rose in the west, theater declined. But it returned – via Catholic Mass!
The Death and Resurrection of Theater as... Liturgical Drama
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