Theatre History Overview - Part 51 - Neoclassical Theatre

Neoclassical theatre probably began sometime in the mid-17th century. It focuses on realism and dignified behavior based on the classical unities, also called the Aristotelian unities. They come from Aristotle's Poetics. These are the unity of action, the unity of time, and the unity of place.

Aristotle's thoughts were that a play should have one action that it follows, should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours, and should exist ina single physical space and not represent more than one place.

Neoclassical started in France, but it quickly spread through Europe. Usually only comedies and tragedies were recognized as plays during the neoclassical period. However, the two types of plays never mixed together. Comedies tended to focus on the lower ranks of society and tragedies on the higher ranks.

Actors of this time were expected to be realistic and portray their characters how the characters would be expected to act in real life. The sets were rich and elaborate. They were supposed to help the audience lose themselves in the drama. The neoclassicism movement ended in the 18th century while the age of enlightenment was beginning.

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