Theatrical Scenery Takes Off

Theatrical Scenery Takes Off

The perspective theatre of Italy is the origin of our contemporary theatre production. Between 1500 and 1650 all the pieces are developed, tested and put together. The auditorium, the stage, the settings, the curtain and proscenium, the musicians' pit and the basic systems of moving scenery and of lighting an indoor performance. All these come to us out of the merchant princes' desire for spectacle and the academies' study and experimentation and are done by architects, because they are the ones in charge of court entertainment. We will look at various advances as they occur. The first big step is the work of a guy named Serlio.

1545 - The second part of Sebastiano Serlio* (1475-1554)'s Architettura* is published. Serlio has been sending his books to Francis I* and this leads to an invitation to work at Fontainebleau*, which helps spread all this Italian set design to France. Over the next 75 years this book will be translated and published in French, Dutch, Latin, German, Spanish and English. This is a real gem (still available today) because it is the first published Renaissance work on theatre practice and the illustrations are widely copied and reprinted in other works on architecture. He shows perspective illustrations of comic, tragic and satyric scenes the way

he figures Vitruvius* described them. Actually he put together ideas from a lot of other artists who were working on this perspective business. He is influenced especially by Baldassare Peruzzi* (1481-1537) because he studies with him at Rome, and Peruzzi is a big time designer of these perspective sets. Serlio's illustrations will also be reprinted in future editions of Vitruvius*. The satyric scene will become the standard for the pastoral scenery. Keep in mind that all this "architecture" business is still very temporary and is designed to be set up in

a big hall in a palace or out in the Duke's (or prince, or whatever) park. This dictates some particular things:

Everything (especially the point of view of the perspective) is designed around the Royal Seat. That, of course, is where the guy who pays the bills sits to see the show. It is opposite the center of the stage on a raised platform. The rest of the audience seating makes up a semi-circle facing the stage and rises in tiers. There is a flat open space for the orchestra and a raised stage. But, in order to get the perspective scene, the back part of the stage is raked upward (from which we get the references for actors to cross up stage), leaving only a pretty narrow front part where the players can move on the level. Vitruvius* had put

a colonnade behind the audience to improve the acoustics. The Italians turn this idea into balconies. Later these balconies (which become audience boxes and balconies) will dominate the theatre audience.

Serlio* describes how to light the stage with lamps and candles. He also introduces colored light where a reflective basin goes behind the light and glass globes of colored water goes in front, tinting the light in a variety of colors. Later the English will really take to this colored Serlio* describes how to light the stage with lamps and candles. He also introduces colored light where a reflective basin goes behind the light and glass globes of colored water goes in front, tinting the light in a variety of colors. Later the English will really take to this colored

1545 The Roman Catholic church calls the Council of Trent*. They have to several pressing problems to address. There is a great need to restore 1563 order and authority to the ministry. They have been trying to reform things since 1480 when the Spanish had founded their Inquisition* (to root out heresy) and in Italy in 1534 when the Pope (Paul III*) began new policies to combat the Reformation. They meet to try to deal with all this Protestant uproar and humanist tendency, and, especially with the mushrooming output of all these printing presses. They reserve to the Church of Rome the sole right to interpret the Bible. They want to reassert control over all expressions of church doctrine. In order to accomplish their aims they reinstitute the Inquisition* and produce a list of works the church wants to suppress (Index Expurgatoris*).

Wouldn't you know, the minute we get a printing press we also get censorship. 1546 - In Germany Hans Sachs* (1494-1576) is also writing a tragedy, Lisabetta* . He is an

interesting, active and prolific theatre person and we will hear a good deal more about his various accomplishments as time goes by. [He will even show up as the hero of a Wagnerian* opera in 1868, Die Meistersinger von Nurenberg*.] He has been writing since about 1518, mostly for moral betterment since he is one of the first writers to become a follower of Martin Luther*. As an author he is best known for his Carnival Plays (fastnachtsspeil) where his homespun humor and folksy daily life depictions shine. He trains his actors and directs his own shows, emerging as the first well known actor-author-manager in Germany.

1546 Ivan IV* is crowned Czar of Russia in Moscow. Otherwise, not much is going on there. 1546 - In Italy Pietro Aretino* (1492-1556) writes his only tragedy, Orazio*. He has been

doing mediocre comedies which may have contributed to some of the plays of Ben Jonson and Moliere. This tragedy is reputed to be the best of its time.

1547 Remember that Lutheran* league? Well, Charles* (V, the Holy Roman Emperor*) defeats them and they rebuild their military strength by making an alliance with France's Henry II*. The Protestant civil unrest will spread to France.

Spain now has a Council of the Indies to rule all that territory in the Americas. In England Henry VIII* dies and his only son, Edward VI* comes to the throne (with a Lord

Protector to run things, since he is only ten.) That peculiar French doctor, Nostradamus* (1503-1566), is writing his first predictions. The French declare that the French language (rather than Latin) is now the official language

of the French authorities. 1547 - At Valenciennes* they are doing the Mystere de la Passion* which takes twenty-five

days. They have to put together a cooperative society to produce it. The members raise the money and share the profits it brings in. * These platform stages, especially at Valenciennes*, have their mansions arranged so that God is at the north or the extreme left. All other mansions are in the order of their use ending with Hell at the south or the extreme right.

SECRETS* - These special effects are helped out by all that stuff Serlio* wrote and the Italians had been developing for court productions which is now reprinted in Vitruvius* book on architecture. The scenic effects are getting more spectacular every day and the conducteurs

de secret* are in charge. Some of them get so big that, as at Mons*, they have to have two, along with master mechanics and seventeen assistants just to run the Hell mansion. It has a Hell's mouth* that opens and closes.

There are terrific mechanical effects, what with clouds carrying angels down and bringing saints up, rain falling, tongues of flame lighting up Hell and trap doors in use all over. Other effects, called transformations, (or secrets) make people appear and disappear, Lot's wife turns into a pillar of salt, Moses' staff sprouts leaves and branches, water turns into wine and loaves and fishes magically appear.

1547 By this time the production of religious plays in Italy is pretty much down to zero. The Inquisition* put a real damper on religious theatre things.

1548 Mary* Queen of Scots (now aged 6) gets engaged to the French Dauphin (that means he's next in line for the throne) and goes to France.

In Mexico the silver mines are being mined by the Spanish. There is lots more money there. 1548 They get the message in France, too, and the production of religious plays is prohibited

in Paris. This makes it really difficult for that group with the Paris monopoly on producing plays (remember the Confrerie de la Passion* that started work in 1402?). They've just built and opened a new theatre, the Hotel de Bourgogne*, the first theatre building constructed since the Romans. It's not very fancy and we will be talking more about it when we get to the French. The brotherhood is not about to give up this valuable property, so they just rent it out to secular professional groups, a vital step to later French theatre. In Spain religious plays continue to be produced since the Inquisition* has control over theology and the how, when, where and what of religious play production.

1549 At this time Court Jesters* begin to appear in Europe. These are usually dwarfs and cripples.

Ivan IV* calls the first ever national assembly in Russia. 1550 By this time there are at least 100,000 Europeans in the Americas where European

diseases decimate the locals. The local population of Mexico drops from c. 25 million to c.

2.5 million while in Peru it plummets from c. 9 million down to 1.3 million. In the art field, Titian* is painting and Benvenuto Cellini* is busy sculpting. Spain is at the peak of her political and economic power and will stay that way until the end

of the century. 1550 - Also at this time everybody is reading Italian plays in France and England. The

Commedia dell'Arte* is really popular with the general public in Italy and will soon begin touring all over Europe. The influence of both the plays and performances will show up as theatre develops around Europe.

In Italy it is the beginning of early Baroque*; we'll talk more about this later. In England we see a five-act English comedy, Ralph Roister Doister* by Nicholas Udall* (c.

1505-56.) *********************