Theatre History Overview - Part 43 - The Mekong Delta

The Mekong delta is an area in Asia that includes the countries Myanmar, Laos, Thailand (although a more thorough overview of Thai theatre has been given), Cambodia, Vietnam, and parts of China. For this blog post, however, China was not included because China has a rich theatre history of its own. Also, an overview of Chinese theatre has already been given.

Around 600 A.D., a type of shadow puppet theatre known as Nang yai appeared in Thailand. Nang means "skin" or "hide" and Nang yai means "large shadow puppet." It is thought that this form of puppet theatre either came through Java and the Malay Peninsula via India or from Jayavarmay II when he imported it into Java and then to Cambodia and Thailand.

In the 11th or 12th century, puppetry started to be performed in Vietnam and Laos. This was known as water puppetry because it was performed in ponds. The ponds would be surrounded by trees and other greenery in order to provide shade to the puppeteers.

In the 1400s, puppet plays using marionettes started being performed in Burma, which is now Myanmar. The emperor would use these puppet plays as a way to reprimand people who had disobeyed the rules. He would ask the puppeeters to put on a play that was a parable in order to correct the behavior of the person. The person being reprimanded would know that he or she was being reprimanded, but to other observers, it just looked like a puppet play. In the 1800s, this form of art was the most popular and was also considered the most highly developed of theatre arts in Burma.

It is not certain when theatre started in Cambodia, but dance was a major part of it. The theatre performances were known as Lakhon. It is not known when drama was discontinued in Cambodia, but it is known that it was reinstated in the 1950s. In 1951, the Vietnam National Cai Luong Theatre was established. In 1970s, Cambodian theatre once again disappeared. It is not certain when it reappeared.

In 2003, a theatre building opened in Laos and on September 11, 2016, Broadway came to Mynamar. The show was Mira about a couple who give birth to a daughter that turns into a mermaid. Both national and international theatre currently happens in the Mekong Delta countries. Nang yai seems to be a dying art, but there is a petition to bring it back.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 42 - Kuwaiti Theatre

Theatre in Kuwait probably started with pirates. When they had time to pass, they would perform scenes. However, other than this, there is not much that can be found about early theatre in Kuwait.

In 1924, the fist school play was performed at the Ahmadiya School. This was for the opening cermony of the school. Then in 1938, the comedy The American Daktur (Doctor) was performed. A serious play, Omar's Islam, was performed in the same year.

At this time women were not allowed to act, so men had to play female roles. In the 1960s, females started to appear on stage. However, not much seemed to be recorded about the theatre during these times.

It is known that Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre Kuwait was founded in 2000 by Sulayman Al-Bassam. While theatre in Kuwait still exists today, it is not all that strong. The people in Kuwait tend to see live theatre only as a showcase for acting and not as a discipline to a show. Cinema takes precedence over live theatre.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 41 - Albania, Kosovo, and Serbia

Albania, Kosovo, and Serbia all used to be under the same rule. There is not much historical data about theatre in this area. However, it is thought that there was some t ype of musical performance around 3,500 years ago because of the discovery of a neolithic ocarina known as the Runik Ocarina.

It is known that funeral dances were done in Dardania between the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C. Something known as the "Actor's Head" was found in Ulpiana. I tdateds back to the 2nd century B.C. and is evidence for theatrical activity. By the middle ages, theatrical scenes were performed for religious needs.

By the early 1500s, Karagöz, or Turkish shadow puppet theatre was being performed. This came to the region, especially Albania, from the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Albania has some significant monuments such as an old Roman amphitheatre and ancient paintings of musical instruments, singers, and dancers.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, theatrical performances were happening on the porches and verandas of houses. People would put on shows that included songs and dances. On February 15, 1835, Knjaževsko-srpski teatar opened in central Serbia. Then on December 4, 1841, Đumrukana opened in Belgrade, Serbia. Serbian and foreign plays were performed at this theatre. However, it closed in 1842.

In 1920, Shoqnija Zonja Ndihmëtare was opened in Prizen, Kosovo. By the time WWII came, theatre was known in every city of Kosovo.

In 1945, both Kosovo and Albania saw theatres open. Albania's had previously been a movie theatre and it was converted into a theatre for actors and opened on May 24. Kosovo's theatre started in September with an ensemble of selected amateur actors from different cities throughout the country.

Many more theatres were founded through the late 1900s and theatre is still active in these areas today.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 40 - Argentinian Theatre

The first theatre to open in Argentina was the Teatro de Operas y Comedias (Opera and Comedy Theatre) in Buenos Aries in 1757. Pedro Aguiar, a shoemaker of Spanish origin provided the funds for the theatre. A máquina real (literally “royal machine”) was installed by Domingo Saccomano, an Italian flautist and puppeteer. It was used for producing operas with string puppets and large overhead rod marionettes (French: tringle). Between 1757 and 1759, some acrobats came through Argentina through different countries and helped out the theatre in Buenos Aries.

In 1793, Viceroy Vértiz, the Viceroy of Lights, promoted the establishment of The La Ranchería Theater, the first House of Comedy. In 1789, Siripo by Manuel José de Lavardén premiered there. Siripo is regarded as the first play by an Argentinian playwright. Then, in 1792, The La Ranchería Theater burned down.

In 1806, José Cortés gave a shadow puppet theatre performance at the first inauguration of Teatro Coliseo. After that, he started renting a hall for his marionette shows. In 1808, he opened the Teatro del Sol (Sun Theatre). During the first half of the 1820s, puppet theatre was active in Buenos Aries, although it moved to many different places. Then in 1827, the first amusement park opened in Argentina. It had a space for a circus that would allow 1500 spectators. When Victoria Theatre opened in 1838, the amusement park closed.

While the amusement park was closed, a circus still appeared in Argentina in 1884. During the circus, there was a performance of a guachesco drama called Juan Moreira. However, the play was not complete. José Podestá completed it and the theatrical play premiered on April 10, 1886. The play ran for the people of Argentina until Calandria by Martiniano Leguizamón premiered in 1896.

By the early 20th century, theatre activity in Argentina was intense. There were thirteen theatres in Buenos Aries and ten of them were occupied by foreign companies. Stage plays by Argentian natives flourished as did puppet theatre and dance. There was no indication of theatre slowing downin Argentina in the second half of the 20th century. Today, Buenos Aries is considered one of the great world capitals of theatre.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 39 - Croatian Theatre

Theatrical life in Croatia started in the 11th century. However, there don't seem to be historic records of theatre until the 1800s. It is known that a troupe known as Leteće diletantsko pozorište (Flying dilettane theatre) performed in Croatia from 1840 to 1841. This troupe used the Croatian language.

By 1844, there were several theatre troupes performing in the Croatian language in the country. Part of Croatian theatre is puppet theatre. This started in 1916 and in 1920, the Teatar marioneta (Marionette Theatre) was founded by the writer Velimir Deželić, the composer Božidar Širola, the painter and scenographer Ljubo Babić, and the poet Dragutin Domjanić. The first performance at t his theatre was Petrica Kerempuh i spametni osel (Petrica Kerempuh and the Clever Donkey).

In 1933, the Sokolsko kazalište lutaka (Sokol Puppet Theatre) was founded. It relied on the marionette techinique exclusively. In 1945, the needs for a professional theatre school was realized and a state school for actors was opened in Croatia. Five years later the Academy of Dramatic Art was opened in Croatia. It has departments for acting and directing.

In 1968, the Pupteatra Internacia Festivalo [PIF] (International Festival of Puppetry Theatres) was founded. In 1982, the Academy of Dramatic Arts became part of the University in Zagreb and in 2004, Umjetnička akademija u Osijeku (Osijek Academy of Arts) has offered classes in both acting and puppetry. Croatian theatre and Croatian Puppet Theatre still have a strong active presence today.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 38 - Uzbek Theatre

Uzbek theatre doesn't have a long history. From what is known, the first theatre was Tashkent state Russian Theatre for Young Spectators (which seems to be the current Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan) that opened on april 30, 1928. In 1229, more theatre became popular. This year saw a second Uzbek theatre troupe develop, the development of the Bolshoi Theatre in Tashkent, and the development of Uzbek Musical Theatre.

The first opera staged in Uzbekistan was Buran by Ashrafi. This happened in 1939. In March 1948, then nname of the Uzbek Musial Theatre was changed to The Alisher Navoi State Opera and Grand Academic Theatre. In 1991, the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan opened a studio-school of dramatic arts. The students there are given the privleges to work with local and foreign actors.

In 1997, the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan joined the International Association of Children's and Youth Theatres. In 2010 and 2011, the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan organized the the international theatre festival Theatre.UZ. Theatre practitions from twenty different countries came to Uzbekistan to familiarize themselves with the theatre of Tashkent and to present their theatrical projects. Theatre in Uzbekistan is still strong today.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 37 - Romanian Theatre

Theatre in Romania itself doesn't seem to have that long of a history. This is probably because most of it goes back to Greek theatre. On August 19, 1876, Avram Goldfaden establish the first professional Jewish theatre in the world at Yassy (or Iasi), Romania. The first theatre performance was done with Goldfaden's own theatre troupe and the Romania poet, Mihai Eminescu, wrote the first review of the play. Goldfaden put on more successful plays and then moved his theatre to Bucharest and followed with having his theatre troupe tour.

In 1917, Jacob Sternberg started practicing the revue style. Then in 1923, a theatre troupe from Vilna (Vilnius), Lithuania toured in Bucharest and had a direct influence on the Jewish theatre there. Word War II brought difficult times for the theatre in Romania. Jewish artists were banned from performing in their own language and even appearing on stage. Even thought this happened, the Jewish theatre in Bucharest was founded in 1940 and stayed open through World War II.

From 1991 to 1996, the State Jewish theatre in Bucharest organized the International Festival of Yiddish Language. The Jewish State Theatre in Bucharest is stil strong today despite having to overcome obstacles like the one occurring in 2014 where snow made the roof collapse.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 36 - Canadian Theatre

Canadian theatre started with the rituals peformed during ceremonies for the Aboringal people. The first year that European theatre came to Canada isn't certain, but it is thought that Sir Humphrye Gilbert and a copany of mummers came to Canada in 1583.

On November 14, 1606, Le Théâtre de Neptune en la Nouvelle-France was produced by Marc Lescarbot. All theatre in Canada was amateur until after the founding of the colonies. It was then that professional actors began to arrive. In 1693-1694, Bishop Saint-Vallier bribed Governor Frontenac to not perform Moliere's Tartuffe.

In general, Moliere was not performed until the British Conquest of Canada in 1760. By the 1830s, Canada had some playwrights of its own. Most of what they wrote was influenced by the European style that had been brought to Canada ealier.

By the early 1900s, Canada had theatre education. In the 1950s and 1960s, regional theatres started appearing across the country. In 1978-1979, Billy Bishop Goes to War went on a national tour across Canada. By the 1980s, Canadian theatre was being produced locally and abroad. Canadian theatre is still strong today. There is even Aboriginal Theatre that has traditions that date back to the original Aboriginal rituals.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 35 - Australian Theatre

Australian theatre started with the traditional ceremonial dances of the Aborigines. European theatre traditions came to Australia in 1788. In 1789, a group of convicts presented the play The Recruiting Officer by George Farquahar to celebrate the birthday of King George of England. However, in 1794, it was determined that the behavior of audiences were so unruly that theatre had a corrupt influence upon the convicts.

In 1796, Robert Sidaway tried to open another theatre in Sydney, Australia. He opened it on Bell Row, which is now known as Bligh Street. Patrons wanting to view a show would pay a s hlling or the equivalent in some type of accepted food offering. The problem was that when the patrons were gone from their homes, criminal swould rob them.

In 1833, the Theatre Royal was opened in Sydney. Then in 1837, the Theatre Royal in Hobart opened. In 1838, Joseph Wyatt opened the Royal V ictoria Theatre on Pitt Street in Sydney. The theatre audiences of the 1840s were wild, rowdy, and ill-behaved.

In the 1850ss, Australia saw an increase in the performances of Opera and Shakespeare. During this time, touring companies brought more theatre to Australia because men who had gone there for the gold rush were looking for entertainment. It was also during this time as well as the 1860s that touring minstrels appeared in Australia.

By the 1880s, the minstrels were becoming less popular. Instead, people were interested in variety and vaudeville. By the 1900s, Australia had developed a national flavor for its theatre. It was mixed with what was considered "legitimate theatre," traditions coming from minstrelry, and popular theatre. This paved the way for theatre to continue growing in Australia.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, government sponsored theatres popped up across the country. Actors and playwrights also emerged. Today, theatre in Australia is extremely diverse and there are performing arts centers as well as places that specialize in theatre education.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 34 - Peruvian Theatre

Theatre history in Peru goes back to Incan culture. Inca religious celebrations used drama and theatrics. However, there aren't any well-known records of this. It is known that in the 14th century, Christians used theatre to teach the Incans about the Christian religion through the same methods they used in their religious services.

It is thought that 1568 is the year of the first real play that was performed in Peru. This was at the San Pedro plaza in Lima. Puppet theatre grew as a popular form of entertainment between the 16th and early 17th centuries so that by 1625, Lima had two puppet theatres. By 1735, Incan theatrical stories were being translated into Spanish. One of these stories is Ollantay. However, theatre suffered when half the population of Lima was wiped out in 1746 due to an earthquake.

In 1879, Peru's independence from Spain was formally recognized. From that time to 1954, theatre was one of Peru's strongholds. It is estimated that 12- different playwrights wrote over 400 different plays that were performed in Lima over those years.

The 1970s were a time that new playwrights emerged in Peru. This allowed for many quality plays to be performed in the 1980s. By the end of the 20th century, Peru's government offered small subsidies for theatre groups and there were also over 100 plays performed during the theatre season. Peru's theatre is still strong today. There are a variety of performances ranging from traditional to modern to experimental along with dance and music.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 33 - Kazakhstani Theatre

Theatre history in Kazakhstan does not go far back because it was once part of the Soviet Union, so most of it's theatre history would go back to Russian Theatre. However, Kazakhstani theatre did start to find it's own place in 1926 under M.O. Auezov, S. Kozhamkulov, Y. Omizakov, and others that were know as "natural talent, titans of art." In January, the theatre staged its first play, Enlik-Qebek by M. Auezov and Altyn Sakina by by K. Kemerngeruly. In October of this year, Zh. Shanin helped to form the Kazakhstani theatre.

In the 1930s, more creative power joined the theatre. Enlik-Qebek was staged again in May 1933. In 1937, the Kazakhstani theatre was deemed to be academic. By the 1940s and 1950s, some of the best examples of national and world drama were on the Kazakhstani stage. By 1961, the Kazakhstani stage saw performances "The Taming of the Shrew", "Othello", "Richard III" by Shakespeare, "The Marriage" by Gogol, "El perro del hortelano"(Dog in the Manger) by Lope de Vega, "Little Tragedies" by Pushkin, "Woman’s fate" by M. Kaoru, "Don Juan or love to geometry" M. Frisch, "The House of Bernarde Alba" G. Lorca," Stepdaughter" by Pirandello, "The Cabal of Hypocrites" by Mikhail Bulgakov, "Uncle Vanya" by Chekhov and other plays.

The Kazakhstani theatre never truly saw a decline from when it was first founded. Over the years, it won many theatrical prizes from the USSR while under its rule. It continued to win prizes once independence was gained in October 1990. Shows are still performed today.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 32 - Estonian Theatre

Estonian theatre dates back to Estonian folklore when games and rituals were played to celebrate and commemorate. However, the foundation of a national theatre was not viable because of multiple foreign conquests since the 13th century.The first time that it was known that a play was performed was in the 16th century. Records show that there were plays performed on fast days and based upon Biblical subjects.

During the 17th century, theatre and the church diverged. Latin text was replaced with German text. In the 18th century, Russia brought August von Kotzebue (1761-1819) to Tallinn to work as an oficial. He was the first person to bring the Estonian language to the stage. In the 1870s a native Estonian theatre was founded. The Estonian poet Lydia Koidula (1843-1986) wrote and staged her plays. In the second half of the 19th century, theatre became extremely popular among Estonians.

During the early part of the 20th century, more theatres and and operas became professional. It is believed that Estonian Drama Theatre was founded in 1920. It was in this year that Dramastudio was born. During the 1940s, the war and Nazi occupation caused most theatre houses to lay in ruins. However, in 1949, Dramastudio Theatre started to function under the guidance of Estonia producer Paul Sepp. People who were in this group were educated with the knowledge and skills necessary for theatre.

After the death of Stalin in 1953, conditions for the theatre got even better. The 1960s saw new directors including Bertolt Brecht and Jerzy Grotowski. Then during the 1970s, the new trends in theatre became exhaustive, but there wasn't a huge loss of theatre because in 1985, theatre attendance equaled that of the Estonian population.

However, once Estonia's independence was declared in 1991, audiences started disappearing. In order to fight this phenomenon, Estonia had more original plays staged and developed government funds for the theatre. The theatre started providing work for around 2,000 people. Theatre in Estonia is still popular today.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 31 - Hungarian Theatre

It can be difficult to find information on Hungarian theatre history, but there is a little bit. While it is in Transylvania which is in Romania, in 1792, the Theatre of Cluj was founded and Transylvania was in Hungary at that time. In 1784, Joseph II decreed that the Church of Carmelites in Hungary be turned into a theatre. The theatre was opened on October 16, 1787 and it was named Castle Theatre. The first play there was Der Mönich von Berge Carmel which means The Karmel Mountain Monk.

The venue usually hosted performances given in the German language. On October 25, 1790, the first performance in the Hungarian language was given. This was by László Kelemen and his company. They produced the play Igazházi by Alois Friedrich Brühl and Kristóf Simai. Another performance in Hungarian was not given until 43 years later.

In 1833, the German tenant of the theatre went bankrupt. A playing permit was given to the drama department of Dal és Színjátszó Társaság, which means Dal Theatrical Society, otherwise referred to as the Music and Theatre Playing Company. Dal és Színjátszó Társaság was from Kassa (Kosice). Kassa agreed to keep up the building so it would be exempt from bridge and road fees. On June 7, 1833, Dal és Színjátszó Társaság held it's first performance at the theatre, directed by András Fáy and Gábor Döbrentey.

The theatre was commissioned for renovation by the city of Buda in the year 1854. Then, on February 7, 1970, the city of Buda then decided that only Hungarian theatre companies could perform at Castle Theatre.

In 1884, Castle Theatre was renovated again. By 1886, more guest performances were held there. However, during Word War I, the building was used as military storage being that theatre equipment had become obsolete. In 1918, Castle Theatre was renovated again. Smaller companies played at Castle Theatre between 1919-1924.

In 1924, Castle Theatre was closed after the gallery collapsed. All theatrical design elements were removed in 1943 becaue of fire hazards and then in 1945, a mine explosion caused the building's roof to collapse.

Castle Theatre started to be rebuilt in 1947. In 1952, the Hungarian Theatre Museum was founded. The total renovation of Castle Theatre was not done until 1978. Castle Theatre re-opened on February 13, 1978. Népszínház used Castle Theatre from 1978 to 1982. It is not certain what happened from 1982 to 2001, but in 2001, Castle Theatre started hosting the National Dance Theatre and is now more commonly known as the National Dance Theatre.

Theatre in Hungary is still strong today with both Hungarian performances and tours in different languages that come to Hungary. A collection of theatre history still happens for the museum as well.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 30 - Azerbaijani Theatre

Theatre in Azerbaijan can be traced back to games and religious rites where wrestlers adn weightlifters known as pehlevans would play zorkhana games and Caucasian folk poets and singers would play an Azerbaijani long-necked lute known as the saz. However, it was only at the end of the 19th century that professional theatre became part of Azerbaijani culture. This started when Mizrah Fatali Akund-Zadeh, a colonel and educator by inclination, wrote six comedy plays between the years 1850-1855. He was inspired Moliere.

A bit after this, there would be some visiting performers from Russia that would perform in the Russian language, but their performances had nothing to do with the Azerbaijani culture. Around 1875, a performance of The Adventures of the Vizier of the Khan of Lenkaran by Mirzah Fatali Akhund-Zadeh was staged by an amateur group of Azerbaijan performers. This happened on Novrus Bayran, the celebration of the Azerbaijani new year.

In 1883, the first European-style theatre appeared in Azerbaijan. It was in Baku and was called the Taghiyev Theatre. However, this theatre was based off of the theatre in Russia and those were copied from European theatres. That meant that Taghiyev Theatre as a copy of a copy. Muslim men found the theatre requirements disgusting as they had to shave their beards, wear makeup, and even wear women's clothing as women were not allowed to act. Despite these obstacles, tehatre grew.

From 1920 to 1990, Azerbaijani theatre was full of self-expression. It was considered a pure actors' theatre. There were places for fiery speeches, melodramatic feelings, and tragic conflicts. It also had performances of classic plays that had been translated into the Azerbaijani language. Plays by playwrights such as Shakespeare and Hugo were performed.

In the 1980s, directors such as Huseynaga Atakishiyev, Vagif Ibrahimoglu and Azerpasha Nemat were trying to change the concept of a national Azerbaijani theatre. Plays such as The Career of Arturo Ui (1981), The School in Danabash Village (1983), Greetings from Heydarbaba (1990), and the Son (1990) all had an impact on Azerbaijani theatre culture because of the different aesthetics and dranaturgies used.

Azerbaijan still has a strong theatre culture to this day. The theatre seasons tends to be like most in the United States where theatres go dark for the summer and then a new season starts when the fall begins.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 29 - Icelandic Theatre

The history of the Icelandic theatre goes back to the late 1700s. The first well-known Icelandic play is Narfi, written by the well-knonw Icelandic playwright Sigurður Pétursson (1759-1827). It was based on Jean de France, one of Ludvig Holberg comedies. This comedy focuses on what happens to a young Dane when too much of Paris rubs off on him. In a way, this reflected how Iceland tried to keep its culture through theatrical performances while under Danish rule.

There was a flourishing of Icelandic drama in the 1860s and 1870s. Iceland's first stage designer was Sigurður Guðmundsson (1833-1874). He encouraged poets to national drama based on Icelandic folklore. He used what was known as "tableaux vivants," which were static scene pictures, but they were also living as they used actors to create the pictures seen on stage. He would use this in order to recreate pictures of old Norse sagas.

Jochumsson (1835-1920) became Iceland's most beloved poet. In 1862, he wrote The Outlaws. In 1871, Indriði Einarsson (1851-1939) wrote New Year's Eve, inspired by Ludvig Heiberg´s Elverhöj and Shakespeare´s Midsummer Night´s Dream. The Reykjavik City Theatre was founded in 1897. In the 1900s, Icelandic theatre flourish again. The playwrights Jóhann Sigurjónsson (1880-1919) and Guðmundur Kamban (1888-1945) wrote their plays in both Icelandic and Danish. Then on April 20, 1950, The Reykjavik Theatre Company was formally opened.

In the 1960s, fringe theatre started to make its mark in Iceland. In the later half of the 1900s, theatre, children's theatre, opera, and ballet grew in popularity in Iceland. Many theatre performances and theatrical events still exist in Iceland. On March 9, 2003, the Theatre Museum of Iceland was established in Iceland in order to preserve the theatre history of the country.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 28 - Jamaican Theatre

During the British rule of Jamaica, the first theatre was founded in Spanish Town in 1682. During the 1700s, two more theatres opened in Spanish Town and one opened in Kingston. Some people fled the United States and Europe, relocating to Jamaica, in order to avoid the Revolutionary war. Some of these people became involved with the four theatres in Jamaica. At the time, the most common performances were plays by Shakespeare and his colleagues.

In 1912, Charles James Ward founded the Ward Theatre in Jamaica. In the 1920s, Broadway plays started visiting the theatre. The Broadway actors considered it an honor to perform there. The Ward theatre lasted well into the late 20th century. However, the theatre fell into decline and closed.

While there might have been some influence from indigenous Jamaica theatre, it took many years for a true Jamaican theatre to develop. In 1941 (while Jamaica was still under British rule), the Little Theatre Movement (LTM) was founded Greta Fowler. It had the mission of fostering and developing theatre in Jamaica. LTM did not have a permanent home until and would perform pantomime plays in various locations in Kingston until it got a permanent home on Tom Redcam Drive.

Theatre in Jamaica today has some mainstream theatre. Most Jamaican theatre focuses on scripted plays that focus on Jamaican day to day living. Basil Dawkins and Paul O. Deale are popular playwrights that produce plays that deal with political and social commentary.

However, there are efforts to bring back the original Jamaican theatre form involving pantomime, music, drama, and comedy. Being that Jamaicans usually write in patois (local dialects), and some tourists cannot understand it, so Jamaican plays often do not appeal to others. Yet, Jamaican theatre is still running and growing.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 27 - Egyptian Theatre

Even though African Theater has been covered, the country of Egypt has a theatre history all of its own. Egyptian theatre goes back to ancient rituals. These ancient religious festivals incorporated expressive body movements, music, and a primitive form of impersonization. There was passion plays that dealt with the death and resurrection of the god, Osiris. It is thought that this play was performed annually at Abydo from about 2500B.C. to 550B.C. No part of the text for this play remains, but it is thought to be one of the most elaborate spectacles that wa ever staged because of the references that mention it.

The 17th century saw modern Egyptian theatre start to take shape. Small companies that performed shadow plays, puppetry, and/or impersonation would perform in public spaces across Egypt. Many of these performances dealth with the anger of the lower class against the tyrannical rulers. They would use symbolism that allowed them to avoid clashing with the rulers.

Contemporary theatre in Egypt really took of during the second half of the 19th century. The Ottoman ruler Isma'il Pasha wanted to transform Cairo intot he Paris of the East. He invited European companies to perform their works in Egypt. He establied the Cairo Opera House in 1869 and Tiato Al-Azbakeya, th country's first national theatre, in 1885.

There was a revolution in 1952 that put Gamal Abdel Nasser in charge of Egypt. Under his rule, Egypt went under a national renaissance. Playwrights shifted away from classical texts and focused on writing plays that dealt with Egyptian culture. In the 1970s, the open-door economic policie of Anwar Sadat, culture became seen as a luxury. This caused theatremakers to lose touch with the public. Theatre education remained outdated and many staqges across Egypt were left to rot. Many theatres today are still left in a decreipt state.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 26 - Scottish Theatre

Scottish theatre goes back to the medieval period. Like many places, they had liturgicla dramas and mystery plays. Many festivals were accompanied by performances of at least one of these plays. One example is ludi de ly haliblude which was staged at Aberdeen in 1440 and 1445.

During the reformation in the 16th century, the church did not like theatre that was not for a religious or moral purpose. Even plays that were not Catholic or were anti-Catholic in any way were not accepted. Around 1540, James Wedderburn has written anti-Catholic tragedies including Beheading of Johne the Baptiste and Dyonisius the Tyraone. because of this, he was forced to flee into exile. The same year saw David Lyndays write The Thrie Estaitis which is the only play to survive from before the reformation in Scotland.

In 1599, James VI arranged for a playhouse to be erected and to have a company of English actors perform. Very little evidence of theatre in 1600s Scotland edists. However, there is doucmentation of Marcian or the Discovery by William Clerke in 1663. There are also records of plays by Thomas Sydsurf frome the second half of the 1600s.

In the 1700s, the church of Scotland was still mostly against theatre. Most Scottish playwrights would work in London. When there were performances in Scotland, most were by visiting actors. These actors would still face hostility from the church. In an attempt to censor and control what was being written about the British government through theatre, the Licensing Act of 1737 was passed. This made acting in Scotland illegal and theatre closed down.

In the late 18th century, Scotland saw a revival of theatre. This started with closet dramas, which were plays that were not intended to be performed on the stage, but to be read out loud in small groups of by a solitary reader. A few of the writers of closet dramas were James Hogg, John Galt, and Joanna Baillie.

By the 19th century, theatre was considered to be at its height. In the early 19th century, there were many theatrical adaptations of historic material. A few Scottish plays from the 19th century are adaptations of Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels, The Heart of Midlothian, The Bride of Lammermoor, and Rob Roy.

In the 20th century, J.M. Barrie was probably the most prominent Scottish playwright of the 20th century. Before Peter Pan was novelized in 1906, he had written it as a play in 1904. The Theatre Act of 1968 was passed and it abolished the Lisencing Act of 1737.

The 1970s started a golden age for Scottish theatre. Theatre in Scotland still goes strong today. There are even well known theatre festivals, with the two most well known ones being the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 25 - Irish Theatre

Much of Irish theatre was at first influenced by British theatre. Irish playwrights would go to Britain to sell their work or to have it performed. Then the first Irish public theatre was built in Dublin in 1637 by John Ogilby. It was closed in 1649 during the Irish Campaign when Oliver Cromwell came to power in Britain.

In the late 1800s, Irish theatre relied mainly on spectacle. After the 1890s, there were writers in Irish theatre that focused on creating works with high standards. Part of the reason for this was that there were people involved in a Celtic revival and growing Irish nationalism.

In 1892, Oscar Wilde wrote Salome. In this year, he also wrote Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman. The next year he wrote A Woman of No Importance. His plays The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband were written in 1895.

Indigenous Irish Theatre was started by Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory and W.B. Yeats with the Irish Dramatic Movement. In 1904, the Abbey Theatre was opened in Dublin. This theatre was established by Lady Gregory and was created so that artists could perform a specifically form of Irish theatre. From that point, Irish theatre began focusing on Irish legends and contemporary Irish life.

On July 17, 1951, there was a fire that destroyed the Abbey Theatre. In 1966, it was rebuilt by Michael Scott. It still stands today and houses many important pieces of Irish theatre history such as scripts, posters, and costume designs.

(Sorry that this is late, May 22 is my birthday, so after doing some school work, I was out enjoying my day the best that I could!)

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Theatre History Overview - Part 24 - African Theatre

While Africa didn't consider itself to have theatre, there was no doubt that early African traditions of dance, story telling, and songs that were rituals in the different religious practices across the continent of Africa. In the 13th century, Africa saw the first Arab shadow play. It was by Ibn Daniyal and was called Ajib wa Gharib. It was a humorous sketch on the conmen and entertainers of his day.

However, not many people have a lot of African theatre history recorded. A major reason for this is that African history was mainly oral and not written. By the late 1950s, the Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka was writing plays and by 2001, he had at least twelve plays to his name. In the 1960s, the Cameroonian Guillome Oyono Mbia was writing plays and his plays were compared to Moliere's plays.

African theatre still exists today. While this is extremely short, there are more resource on African theatre that can be found in books. There is also Britanica's article on African Theatre which is divided by country. Then there is Cambridge's online book, A History of Theatre in Africa, edited by Martin Banham.

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