Words to know
tradition
A way of doing things that is passed down over time within a community.
chorus
In ancient Greek theatre, a group of performers who spoke, sang or chanted together and commented on the action.
stock character
A character type that audiences recognize right away, used again and again in a tradition, like the clever servant in commedia dell'arte.
improvise
To make up words and actions on the spot.
trickster
A clever, playful character found in stories from many cultures, who breaks rules and often teaches a lesson.
playwright
A person who writes plays.
community theatre
Theatre made by and for people in a local community, often by volunteers.
Remember from Grades 3 to 5
In Grade 3 you met forms like mime, puppetry and readers' theatre, and traditions such as Noh and commedia dell'arte. In Grade 4 you compared process drama and theatre productions, from ancient Greek theatre to the Stratford Festival. In Grade 5 you explored wayang kulit, griot storytelling and winter storytelling, and met the people behind a play.
In Grade 6 you will look for themes that appear in drama from many times and places, and think about what drama and theatre contribute to a community.
Same story, different stage
A clever character tricks someone much more powerful. The audience laughs and cheers. Where are we?
It could be a street in Italy in the 1500s, a theatre in Toronto today, or a story told in many other places. Some themes, like the clever underdog, pride before a fall, love and loss, or caring for community, show up in drama again and again across the world, because people everywhere care about them. But each tradition shows them in its own way.
Four traditions, many themes
Ancient Greek theatre (Greece, about 2,500 years ago). Plays were performed at festivals in honour of the god Dionysus, in huge outdoor theatres built into hillsides. Actors wore masks, and a chorus spoke or sang together to comment on the action. Tragedies often showed powerful people whose pride led to their downfall, and explored fate, justice and hard choices. Comedies made fun of powerful people and politicians of the time.
Commedia dell'arte (Italy, from the 1500s). Travelling companies performed in town squares. Instead of a full script, actors improvised from a short plot outline. They played stock characters in leather half masks: clever, hungry servants like Arlecchino (Harlequin), a greedy old merchant named Pantalone, and young lovers (who did not wear masks). A favourite theme: young love and clever servants outwitting their masters.
Noh (Japan, from the 1300s, still performed today). Noh uses slow, carefully controlled movement, carved wooden masks, chanting and a small group of musicians. Many Noh plays feature ghosts or spirits who return to tell their story, exploring themes of memory, loss and peace.
Indigenous theatre in Canada today. First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists create theatre that tells their own stories in their own ways. Tomson Highway is a Cree playwright from northern Manitoba. His play The Rez Sisters is about seven women from a First Nations community on Manitoulin Island who dream of winning a giant bingo game. The trickster Nanabush also appears in the play. Themes include community, dreams and identity, with lots of humour.
Hands-on activityMasks, choruses and a community map
You need: paper plates or cardboard, scissors (a grown-up helps), crayons or markers, string or a craft stick, and paper and a pencil.
Part 1: Greek chorus. With family members, choose a short line about the Cedar Hill garden, such as "The garden grows, the town decides, but who will speak for the bees?" Say it together, all at the same time and rhythm, like a chorus. Try it whispered, then strong. How does speaking as a group change the impact?
Part 2: Stock character half masks. With a grown-up's help cutting, make a half mask (covering the eyes and nose, mouth free) for a stock character you invent, like "the know-it-all" or "the worrier." Improvise a 1-minute scene from a plot outline: The worrier hides the class pumpkin; the know-it-all tries to find it.
Part 3: Community theatre map. Draw a map or list of places where drama happens in your community (school, library, community centre, a theatre, festivals). Beside each, write one contribution it makes.