Theatre History Overview - Part 3 -Medieval Theatre

Medieval theatre took place between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the 5th century A.D. and then after 900 A.D. to around 1453 A.D. which is considered the end of the Middle Ages. It mainly started because the population was largely illiterate and those who were literate needed a way of explaining Christianity to the masses. Certain dramatizations of Biblical events would take place on certain days of the year.

Some people got the mindset that anything that did not deal strictly with Christianity belonged to the devil. Because of this, many things such as the Olympic Games were banned. The church followers did not think theatre belonged to God, so they closed all theatre with the idea that it belonged to the devil. They considered acting sinful because they thouoght it was a mockery of God's creation.

By the middle of the 11th century A.D., Russia, Scandinavia, and Italy all had liturgical dramas being presented. In the 1400s, mystery and morality plays emerged. It is thought that Everyman was the first morality play. At the end of the Medieval Ages, theatre changed because protestants and The Council o fTrent attack the theatre. Many protestants at that time thought the theatre was "too Catholic" and The Council of Trent tried to keep extrabiblical material off the stage by banning religious plays.

Learned men also started taking an interest in Greek and Roman plays. Then royalty started supporting professional theatre troupes and permanent theatres started to be built.

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