It’s an understatement on how long the history of theater is when you look into it. From the stage to the big screen, performative art has come a long way. Not only within entertainment as a whole but the historical cultural significance as well. With this aspect of entertainment having such a long history, it was truly interesting to look In most minds, theatre is often underestimated in its historical duration. It’s an understatement on how long the history of theater truly is. From humble stages to the big screen, performative art has come a long way. Not only within entertainment but also the historical cultural significance as well. With this aspect of entertainment having such a storied past, it makes researching the subject matter more fascinating. Let’s pull back the curtains and give the history of theater the limelight.

The Stone Stage

The earliest recordings of performative arts take us as far back as ancient Minoan and Rome. Using portable stages at the market square, performers would enact stories or plays written at the time. Years later Roman-built open-air theaters became commonplace, which were stage/seating areas built along hillsides. According to sources from Encyclopedia Britannica, these were built on colonies of north central Africa and northern Europe. Using similar architecture, this led to the first indoor theater being built in Athens.

Unfortunately, most of life from the 6th century through the 7th aren’t well documented due to culture collapses. Now digging into the 1800’s, these theaters and wooden stages had become commonplace and were developed. Beginning in Europe and developed locations, these social events were the highlight of many evenings. With plays rising in popularity, most theaters used visual effects for an immersive performance. And although technology has advanced, many theaters have adapted and still are a lovely experience in the modern day.

Motion Picture

According to an article from History.com, movie technology started in the 1830s with the phenakistoscope. A device which incorporated a spinning disc with slots, on which a series of drawings is projected, was created by Joseph Plateau. By 1890, Thomas Edison and William Dickson developed a device called the Kinetograph, the first motion-picture camera. In 1895 a camera-projector called the Cinematographe was created by two French brothers Louis and Auguste Lumiere. Eventually In 1896, the first movie theater was built in New Orleans and from there, things only developed.

Closing Thoughts

Though the methods of which we tell stories have changed, theater has proven to keep up with the times. From stage performances to film screens, theater has been a part of entertainment culture. Even as home media is the convenient and common way to consume entertainment today, nothing beats the theater experience. As our curtains close on this article, hopefully you have the chance to catch a show near you!

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Works Cited

First commercial movie screened | December 28, 1895 | HISTORY, 24 November 2009, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-commercial-movie-screened. Accessed 24 October 2024.

“History of Theatre.” StageRight, 9 June 2023, https://performance.stageright.com/blog/history-of-theatre/. Accessed 23 October 2024.

https://theableshow.com/the-early-history-of-theater

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-commercial-movie-screened