The Origin of Theatre Essay Example for Free

The Origin of Theatre EssayIt is unlikely that any star will ever know honourable how theatre emerged (Grose Kenworthy, 1985 3). Though there is little certain evidence, strong indications, scattered throughout our history, point to theatre finding its origins in the ancient rituals of priest-doctorism. One great power argue that theatre finds its origins quite clearly in ancient Grecian theatre seeing as they have many written and still last plays and strong standing theatres, provided George Freedley (1941) would argue otherwise.The oldest records of plays, stage directions and possibly even scripts atomic number 18 found not in ancient Greece but in Egypt, and they learn top till as early as 4000 B. C. in examples of drama such as the Pyramid Texts (Freedley, 1941 2). We can even directly link Egyptian and classic performance by noting that a historian of the theatre, Herodotus, recorded the religious festivals and the origin of the worship of Dionysos(sic) which wa s later to be transferred to the dramatic festivals in Greece (Freedley, 1941 1).This suggests that theatre as we know it actually finds its roots in ancient Egyptian festivals and dramas preformed in celebration of the gods. A common element seen in both Egyptian and classic culture, be it on stage or not, is the ritualistic nature of their performances. This fact suggests that the origin of their version of performance and theatre is found in ritual and its substantial role in society. the earliest information about the presence of such drama comes from the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, most notably Egypt (Grose Kenworthy, 1985 6).As the quote suggests, ritual as a means of drama is found all over the world, but clearly not in the same form as ancient classical and Egyptian theatre. Therefore, one must look for other examples of ritualistic practises and performance in the world that predate even these ancient cultures. Left is but one known possible source from which theatre may have evolved shamanism. To add, there be many similarities between recorded and modern theatre, and shamanistic ritual and the doctrine itself.Firstly, the definition ofShamanism is Shamanism can be defined as a family of traditions whose practitioners focus on voluntarily entering altered states of consciousness in which they experience themselves or their spirit(s), travelling to other realms at will, and interacting with other entities in order to serve their community (Walsh, 1990 15). Further more, it is also important to note that shamanism is not a religion which adheres to specific rules of practise, it is rather a method used to interact with the spirit world (Harner, cited in Walsh, 1982 12).For this reason we can at least theorise that shamanism and its traits, however few in common, may be the inspiration for later religious and/or non-religious beliefs and customs involving forms of theatre and performance. Greek theatre for example sh atomic number 18s m any similar traits with shamanism as seen in the following quote In all three types of drama, tragedy, satyr plays and comedy, the actors were heavily disguised, oftentimes more than in the modern theatre.This was due not only to the fact that the female roles were played by men, but ultimately had its roots in religion. A complete disguise was the external sign that the actor had given up his own identity in honour of the god, in order to let some other being speak and act through him. Dionysus, for whom the dramas were preformed, was the god of ecstasy. The word means standing outside oneself in other words the renunciation of individuality. An important metier for this in all three drama types was the mask. Simon, 1972 10) When comp bed to shamanism we see that, as in ancient Greek theatre, the use of attire other than the common frock of the shaman was thought to be essential in the rituals they preformed. Whether the ritualistic costume is extreme clothing or even ritualis tic nudity (as in the reason of the Eskimo shamans), the important point is that whilst a shaman is wearing his everyday clothing, the experience will not take place (Eliade, 1964 146).We also see that the trance-like state achieved allows for the shaman/performer to channel spirits so that they may communicate and act through him, however this does not necessarily mean that the subject is possessed. Although shamans are thought to be capable of allowing and inducing the possession of their bodies by spirits, their dealings with spirits primarily involve them wielding the spirits with which they are dealing (Eliade, 1964 15). Lastly, the ancient Greek dramas were performed in honour of the god Dionysus, the god of ecstasy.This is important to note as shamanistic practises are defined by the ecstatic experience a shaman induces as he engages in a trance through which his soul journeys and leaves his body so that he may communicate with the spirits (Eliade, 1964 15). In coition to m odern theatre, shamans are known to have undergone not dissimilar training from modern day actors and performers in order to acquire many of the same abilities which are commonly used in internal representation performance. In order to induce the altered state desired shamans have been known to use techniques such as singing, dancing, and drumming (Walsh, 1990 142).Shamans have even been described as singers, magicians, actors and ventriloquists (Thurn, cited in Narby Huxley, 2001 43). Though the training a shaman endures is much more demanding and can even be physically damaging, such as when using techniques like self-induced vomiting, feigning nervous fits, and fainting (Levi-Strauss, cited in Walsh, 1972 102-103), there is still a clear similarity in the direct of discipline required of shamans and modern day performers to master their craft.The act of transformation, the ritualistic dress, the rigorous training, and the natural skill required to become a shaman are all trait s which we today link to theatre and what is required of its performers, providing a strong indication that shamanism is indeed where it all started. Trying to search further back than this leaves one with little more to work with than what one might all educated guesses as to what may have sparked its creation.A popular theory is that theatrical actions were the means by which we communicated before language had sufficiently developed as to convey detailed messages to one-another. As language became a human tool, early fluid societies were still concerned with the needs of survival. Theatrical elements entered into the conveying of these needs among members of the group itself (Grose Kenworthy, 1985 4).This theory can of course not be tested or proven, but nor can it be isproven, and therefore it holds weight relative to the view point of the researcher. The origins of theatre are hard to trace, as the pieces evidence to suggest where it truly came from are few and far between. H owever, based on accounts which have survived through history such as those mentioned above, and the clear similarities between Shamanism, shamanistic ritual and the theatre throughout history, it becomes clear that Shamanism is the most likely origin of theatre as we know it today.