Introduction to the Theatre

THE 101 / University of Idaho

Chapter 16 / Neoclassic Drama

Historical Background:

     Neoclassicism covers the period from the end of the English Renaissance in 1642 to the culmination of the French Revolution and the beheading of Louis the XVI in 1793.   During this time, the royal families of Europe were consolidating their power and   politics.   Included in this consolidation were the functions of fashion and art, which were highly motivated by the nobility and the court.   In particular, Philip the IV of Spain extends his powers to Central and South America, Charles II of England returns from French exile and is restored to the English throne in 1660, and Louis XIV of France becomes the absolute ruler of France and revokes the Edict of Nantes, which provided for religious choice.   France is also re-established as most powerful nation in world.   However, this status is short lived when in 1769 the British at Quebec defeat the French and Britain takes over the role as the leading world power.

     The life of a French royal and the accompanying court life were both highly structured and opulent.   All aspects of court life were regulated, prescribed, and monitored.   Louis the XIII, with the advice from Cardinal Richelieu, consolidates his power by reclaiming land previously given to the titled gentry.   This starts a civil war.   When Louis the XIII dies his successor Louis the XIV is too young to rule and Cardinal Mazarin rules in his behalf from 1643-1653.   This form of governance for a monarch is called ‘ruling in a minority’.   Both of these Cardinals are not only political figures of great stature, but they also responsible for the development of theatre in France.

    Cardinal Richelieu was charged by Louis XIII to build theaters based on Italian stage design principles and Cardinal Mazarin then imported the character and sensibilities of Italian opera with its vast scenery.   The French court was a busy place, with the exile of Charles II and his family; there were two courts in France.   Furthermore, while in exile Charles II enjoyed the French court life and its entertainment.   Upon his return to England, Charles brought theatre back to his home country.   Once again the opulent lifestyle, monetary excesses, and totalitarian rule of the Royal Period leads to two events that change the world - the American and French Revolutions.

The Theater:

     Theatre during the early Royal Period in France took place in hotels and Jeuv du Paumes - or tennis courts that had been converted to stages.

   French theaters were designed so that audience members could actually sit on stage with the performers.   The Royal Period is recognized by, and known for, its opulent fashions and tastes.   Many a courtier and gallant would be quite willing to show of their new waistcoat and the latest fashion.   The actor just helped focus everybody’s attention.   Since theatre was court driven, theatre was also performed at the royal palace, and along with comedy and tragedy, masques and revels were performed.   These new and improved masques used the traditional allegorical themes and the combination of dance, drama, and music with both actors and courtiers combined with even more fantastical sets and costumes.   The revels were also improved to include interludes or ‘quick’ plays along Roman themes, which had moral endings.   Eventually fully realized Italian stage houses were built and theatre was performed there.   The most important of these theaters is the Commedie Francaise - France’s first (and still existing) national theater.

   The theater is still subsidized by the state and the acting company has both benefits and pension plans.   In the tradition of French theatre, the actors also belong to a shareholding democracy in which they not only have an equal vote but an equal investment in their work.

Playwrights & Theatrical Conventions:

     The three main neoclassical playwrights were Jean Batiste Moliere (1622-1673) Tartuffe and The Missanthrope, Jean Racine (1639-1699) Andromache and Phaedra, and Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) The Cid.   Of the three, only Moliere wrote comedies.

     Moreover, it is important to note the French academies influence over drama during this period.   As scholars and student examined the classics, they believed that they had found a new classical formula for producing theatre.   These rules were called the “Neoclassical Rules of Drama”.   The five rules for producing acceptable drama were:

·        Verisimilitude

·        Purity of the Dramatic Form

·        Five Act Form

·        Decorum

·        Purpose of Drama

   Verisimilitude is the appearance of truth or that the play must be believable.   It must be plausible.   To aid in this believability the following three rules of reality, morality, and generality were applied.   Reality is composed of the unity of time, place, and action.   To be realistic, the play must take place in a twenty-four hour period, must stay in the same location, and the action must be logical and credible.   Morality aids verisimilitude by providing the ethical and philosophical framework within which the play is presented.   Meaning, the play must uphold the moral convictions of the French Academies, the nobility, and the church.   Generality, on the other hand, supports verisimilitude by creating characters that are identifiable as good and proper French citizens.  They were neither Commedia stereotypes nor the Medieval ‘everyman’.   Working with verisimilitude as a guide also means working within the purity of a dramatic form.

    Plays were either tragedies or comedies.   There were no combined forms.   In addition, all acceptable plays were to follow the five-act structure.   Additionally, decorum provides the audience with a sense of propriety and fair play.   Characters are not unduly punished without a fair trial and all characters are represented fairly as having both good and bad traits.   It was also not considered fair to slander or defame people on stage.   Finally, neoclassical drama needed to have a purpose.   According to the Roman philosopher Horace, the purpose of drama was to teach and to please.   To the French, acceptable drama was not only entertaining but provided the audience with a moral.

     Needless to say, these rules are quite restrictive and limiting, and in fact, they echo the strong handed control of the French Academies, Cardinal Mazarin, and the French monarchs, Louis XIV - XVI.   It is interesting to note that France’s premiere playwright Moliere continually challenged the rules of neoclassical drama risking both imprisonment and bankruptcy.   However, his creativity and legacy survive today and have destined him to be the quintessential playwright of the Royal Period.

Staging & Spectacle:

     The stage of the Royal Period was a further developed form of the proscenium - incorporating deeper orchestra seating, additional side boxes, and an increase in elaborate scenic machines.   This style of Proscenium Theater reaches its zenith during the English Restoration under Charles II, but more importantly, the basic nature and complexion of the acting companies changes.

    While all of the company members are shareholders, like their Shakespearean counterparts, their ranks now include women with equal pay, rights, and votes.   Actors are still trained through the apprenticeship system and provide their own costumes.   However, this period uses supernumeraries - actors with little or no lines, and theatrical specialists like designers.   Plays to be performed are selected after a reading and then voted on by the entire company.   In the matters of business and finance, plays were purchased outright, before the first performance or over time with an agreed to percentage.   The actors were paid with an equitable split of the gate profit every night.

     It is apparent that during the Royal Period, as in all other eras, theater reflects the prevailing political, social, philosophical and religious values of the time.  But interestingly, it not only reflects these influences through the content of the plays, but also in the physical structures of the theaters and in the organizational systems of the companies themselves.