What you need to know before you go any further.

We dive into the Ancient beginnings of theatre, from the shamans to Aeschylus.

500 years of darkness can kill off almost anything. But not man's thirst for theatre. Although the church banned theatre when they stopped Roman Theatre, it took only 500 years for theatre to arise again from the very institution that had mean to destroy it. Read on...

The common man makes a comeback! Michelangelo, Christopher Marlowe, Da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio, El Greco, Bruegel, SHAKESPEARE. Can you imagine living during this period? We're going to take a look at a few pieces of it relating to theatre but don't be afraid to use your IMAGINATION, as that greatest artist of all time said. Who was that? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, that's who. Look up THE IDIOT BOX on YouTube. It's the greatest treatise on imagination you will ever experience.

Moving from the Sanskrit Theatre of India through the Beijing Opera, and ending with the three main forms of theatre in Japan - Kabuki, Bunraku, and Noh - this is a fascinating and enthralling look at a type of theatre that is at once loved, revered, and part of the fabric of the society from which it comes. You will be amazed and your eyes and ears are in for a feast of the senses. Behold! The Theatre of Asia.

We move from the Theatre of Asia straight into the Theatre of Realism and then into the Theatre of Anti-Realism. The Theatre of Realism was born out of a collective desire to move away from the mainly French comedy of manners in the Royal Theatre, to something that was altogether more about the common man. The Theatre of Realism at first was called Naturalism but changed to Realism when sets were constructed to reflect real life with real furniture onstage and the acting, thanks to the Moscow Arts Theatre, Konstantin Stanislavsky, and Anton Chekov, became less stylized and more representative of everyday life heightened to become drama. From that ultra-Realism came the inevitable backlash from which came the Theatre of Anti-Realism. This type of theatre was created to represent the inner workings of man, the chaos and insecurities in all of us. Somewhat akin to Japanese Theatre in that there is very little if any recognizable plot, the Theatre of Anti-Realism can be fun, irritating, and utterly compelling.

This unit is dedicated to the study of one play - THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. i have in included a copy of the script for you to read and an assignment to follow. Please read the entire script. If you want to watch a production of the play you can take out a temporary membershipi n MARQUEETV and watch it there.