My History with Theatre History

Theatre history is one of my weaker points when it comes to the dramatic arts. I do find it interesting, but I personally would rather watch plays than read about them. This is not to say that I find the history of theatre boring or unimportant; I actually think it is a crucial and essential part of theatre. Theatre has been around as an outlet for people to confide in for centuries. To better understand what makes a good actor or a good play or director or whatever, the knowledge of what past plays work (and why) helps a great deal.

Forgive my digression. To restate, I do not know much about theatre history other than that from my English classes. I did participate in Academic Decathlon, so I will be able to recognize some plays and playwrights during the Renaissance era. Shakespeare interests me greatly, of course. I find his tragedies to be interesting, but I am in love with his other works. His epics. Henry V is the perfect example. I have always wanted to use the famous monoluge of "Once more unto the breach dear friends" in an audition, but the opportunity has never arissen.

All in all, I hope to gain an overall knowledge of the trends and patterns of theatre. I want to be able to understand why certain plays were written so I can also get into the heads of the characters more thoroughly.