Stay ConnectedA podcast tracing the development of theatre from ancient Greece to the present day through the places and people who made theatre happen. More than just dates and lists of plays we’ll learn about the social. political and historical context that fostered the creation of dramatic art.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable – https://chartable.com/privacy
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Copyright: © Copyright 2021 Philip Rowe
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 Corral de la Cruz.
The Facade wall on Calle del Principe
The doors in the facade and how they changed
The entrance and balcony for the ladies
The entrance hall
The view from the patio
The lateral stands and benches
The windows and balconies on the adjacent houses
The VIP rooms above the entrance
The Stage
The tiring room and backstage access
Beneath the stage
The roof awning
The capacity at the corral del Principe and how it has been calculated.
Rivalry between the Corral del Principe and the Corral de la Cruz
The dispute over the balcony fees and the pulling down of the Principe
The Principe and the Cruz today
Support the podcast at:
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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 cloak and dagger plays.
Duty and honour
The philosophical aspects of the play
The question of reality and perception
The flaws and dissatisfactions in the play
Calderon’s later career as a court poet and creator of auto sacramental and full length religious plays
The priesthood and death
Support the podcast at:
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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 of intrigue
The role of the leading female character, the 'Dama'
Sheep Well. The plot Summary. The communist reading of the play. Countryside Vs the city. The satisfaction of honour.
The lasting influence of Lope de Vega
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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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 halls go to: http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk
For further information about Waverley Abbey go to: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/waverley-abbey/
For further information about Farnham Castle go to: https://www.farnhamcastle.com
For further information about Farnham and it's history go to: https://farnhamsociety.org.uk
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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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 on the inevitable comparison with Shakespeare.
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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A special bonus episode to celebrate the Birthday of William Shakespeare which looks at the way he used and created the English Language.
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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Episode 74:
The development of Spanish theatre buildings, including the original, the Corral de la Olivera in Valencia.
Alberto Ganassa and the influence of his Comedia Dell Arte troupe.
The first theatre in Madrid the Corral de Pachea
The main points of the layout and characteristics of the Spanish playhouse.
The way plays changed to suit the playhouse, including the breaking of Aristotle’s rules.
The financial structures that were used to generate charitable income from the theatre and the impact that had.
The role of the theatre manager and changes as more permanent theatres were built in Spanish cities.
The use of music and dance to augment the theatrical entertainments.
How the acting troupes worked in the framework of the playhouse and its manager.
Women performing on stage and the reaction by the Church and State.
The impact of costumes on stage and the attempts to curtail excessive costume changes and expenses.
The actor’s life in Spain, which may have been a little more secure than elsewhere in Europe.
The establishment of the Actors Guild in 1631.
The continuation of court theatre.
Changes to the position of the dramatist during the period.
Support the podcast at:
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Episode 73
Continuing the story of the development of theatre through the early Spanish renaissance via the life and works of the playwrights. With apologies for the slightly raspy 'post-covid' throat at the time of recording. I hope it does not spoil your enjoyment of the episode.
Gil Vicente, the only Portuguese playwright of the period, but one who worked across the Spanish peninsular and produced influential works.
Lope de Rueda took theatre to the masses and produced the first truly commercial theatre of the period.
Alonso de la Vega, an acting pulp of Rueda who advanced the mixing of secular and religious themes.
The role of the 'Auto Sacramental' in the development of tragedy from religious plays and the continuing influence of religious drama.
How tragedy in Spain developed through copying of classical models and Italian versions of Roman tragedy.
How tragedy developed with the introduction of local legends and myths into Spanish thetare
Cristobal de Virues and the development of the three act tragedy.
Juan de la Cueva advancing political and social messages through his tragendies and his contribution to the expansion of language on the Spanish stage.
Miguel de Cervantes and his place as the last of the playwrights before the advent of the Comedy in the Spanish Golden Age. His 'Don Quixote' invented the modern novel and changed the literary world. His impact on theatre was not quite so significant.
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com
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Episode 72
The Situation in Spain prior to the Renaissance period with a summary of developments in the Roman and Medieval periods in Spain.
The merging of religious and secular theatre at the end of the medieval period.
The ‘autos’ and how it developed out of liturgical drama and the only surviving example ‘The Play of the Three Kings’.
From the 12th Century ‘Pamphylus in Love’.
The Spanish version of the cycle play.
The poetic dialogue and its influence on theatre.
The religious plays of Juan Ruiz
The use of rustic language for comedy in 15th century plays.
The beginning of the Spanish renaissance with the plays of Gomez Manrique.
Inigo de Mendoza spanning the medieval and the renaissance.
Fernando de Rojas and the influential play ‘Celestina’.
Juan del Encina and his three-stage career, which ended by producing some of the earliest plays of the renaissance in Spain.
The religious and pastoral plays of Lucas Fernandez.
Bartolome de Torres Naharro who mixed Plautus with his real-life experiences as a soldier and churchman in his comic and satiric plays.
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropentheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
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Episode 71
The continuation of the story of Renaissance theatre in France.
The rise of the two theatres in Paris as travelling players were at last allowed to perform in the city.
Antoine de Montchrestien and his version of Greek tragedy.
The three farceurs Henri Legrand, Robert Guerin, and Hugues Gueru who made the Theatre du Bourgogne the venue in Paris for comedy.
The development of the Theatre du Bourgogne under the management of Valeran le Conte and the establishment of ‘Comediens Du Roi’.
The emergence of Alexandre Hardy and his prolific life as a playwright.
A life in the theatre for the actors of the time
Theophile Viaud and Jean Mairet - champions of the Aristotelian stage
Jean du Rotrou the last French renaissance playwright
Support the podcast at:
www.thehistoryofeuropentheatre.com
www.ko-fi.com/thoetp
www.patreon.com/thoetp
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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