The Development of Drama in the United States: From the Puritans to the Rise of Melodrama , Ejercicios de Filología Inglesa

¡Descarga The Development of Drama in the United States: From the Puritans to the Rise of Melodrama y más Ejercicios en PDF de Filología Inglesa solo en Docsity! DRAMA IN USA Drama is a social art, subject to public scrutiny onstage. Drama in the United States had a late appearance until O’Neill’s drama developed, even though there was fiction, essay and poetry. This fact is due to many factors like the physical aspects of the nation. In 1620 the Puritans arrived and established moral norms, similar to those applied by Cromwell, who in 1642 denominated himself as “Lord Protectorate”. From this time to 1660, the Interregnum Theatre was outlawed, considered immoral. In the 19th century, USA was moving constantly (it was the age of the territorial expansion). There was a moveable frontier, a nomadic society, constantly expanding, it was a nation of immigrants and an age of immigration and migration, of industrialization. Theatre compares this nomadic, moving around country. New theatres were going up in new colonized and settled lands, like Showboats, “floating theatres”, in the Mississippi and other rivers during the 1840s. Its repertoire was from Shakespeare to farce and melodrama. Its most popular period was from the civil war to the Great Depression (to the cinema’s appearance). During this century took place the beginning of the “star system”, with stars like Edmund Kean (1789-1883), a British Shakespearian actor (“dying is easy… comedy is hard”), Edwin Forrest (1806-1872), or the Booth family, composed by Junius Brutus Booth (1796-1852), an English immigrant and stage actor, his son, Junius Brutus Jr., Edwin Booth (1833-1893), his most famous son and accomplished Shakespearian actor. Greatest Hamlet in the 19th century (considered). Founded Booth’s Theatre in NYC. Lastly, John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865), lesser actor, but famous for assassinating Abraham Lincoln. Booths and Forrest were specialists in Elizabethan tragedy. Also staged original works by American authors. Apart from them, there was James O’Neill (father) (1847-1920) who played The Count of Monte Cristo around the country 6000 times, approximately. Respect to the theatre types and genres, we find comedies like Fashion (1845) written by Anna Cora Mowatt, an actress and playwright admitted by Longfellow and Poe. Her work is a satire of social customs. There were lesser genres like Vaudeville, Burlesque, Minstrel shows and Musicals. Vaudeville is a style that took place between 1880s and 1930s. It is a theatre genre of variety entertainment. Separated, unrelated acts grouped together as a common bill or program. Music, dance, acrobats… It was the heart of American Show Business. Thanks to Vaudeville and the Marx brothers we know the existence of the “gag”. Burlesque origins in 19th century music hall and American Show Business. Formed by satire, performance art, adult entertainment, low comedy, striptease… Minstrel shows (ver VIDEO: Mammy – Al Jonson (the Jazz singer- 1st film with sound)) Comic skits, variety acts, music… White actors in black face. Lampooned African Americans as ignorant, lazy, buffoonish. It was in style since the 1830s to 1890s. The Musical was divided into Musical comedies and the Melodrama (YAS EEELLAAA DRAMAAATICA). The melodrama consisted on exaggerated emotions, stereotypical characters and interpersonal conflicts. It was often accompanied by music for emotions. Characters were stocked (encasillados): hero/heroine, villain, country bumpkin, the immigrant, the drunken Irishman and the Black “Uncle Tom” (out of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) it had an episodic form: the villain poses a threat. The hero/heroine escapes and happy ending LALALALA. HERO/HEROINE + VILLAIN + DAMSEL IN DISTRESS