Victorian melodrama
“A style of play which relies heavily on sensationalism and sentimentality. Tend to feature action more than motivation, stock characters, and a strict view of morality in which good triumphs over evil.”
Became a theatre form in the 1800s
Licensing act 1737
Duopoly of theatres for spoken drama performances
Theatres were starting to be built all over london and the reputation was growing
Rene Charles Guilbert De Pixerecourt: Known for use of music and spectacular effects in productions
First english melodrama was by thomas holcroft, A tale of Mystery 1802
Main conventions:
Stock characters (damsel in distress, villain, hero, comedic characters, henchman, etc.)
Music
Codified gestures (the gestures were a language, the audience grew to understand the gestures)
Tableaux (freeze frame, multiple people, to show their gesture)
Linear plots (addresses morality, nothing abstract about it, chronological order)
Spectacular effects
Queen Victoria's reign began from 1837 to 1901 until her death, the victorian age was characterized by rapid change and developments. It was a time of expansion of wealth, power, and culture.
During Victoria's reign theatre continued to attract large audiences, although the social classes were clear, reflecting the sharp divisions that existed between the rich and poor, a number of entertainment appealed to each social class.
The form of melodrama developed in France and Germany and consisted of short scenes accompanied with music. The intense emotion played by the actors were underpinned by the music and performed extravagantly in a theatric style.
It became popular in England in the early 19th century, developed from sentimental dramas of 18th century. The plot featured sensational incidents, before ending with virtue triumphant over vice
Queen Victoria's reign began from 1837 to 1901 until her death, the victorian age was characterized by rapid change and developments. It was a time of expansion of wealth, power, and culture.
During Victoria's reign theatre continued to attract large audiences, although the social classes were clear, reflecting the sharp divisions that existed between the rich and poor, a number of entertainment appealed to each social class.
The form of melodrama developed in France and Germany and consisted of short scenes accompanied with music. The intense emotion played by the actors were underpinned by the music and performed extravagantly in a theatric style.
It became popular in England in the early 19th century, developed from sentimental dramas of 18th century. The plot featured sensational incidents, before ending with virtue triumphant over vice
We tried embracing these characters in a short silent play:
Comments
Post a Comment