Theatrical Genres and Styles

a genre that emphasizes humor and often has a happy or lighthearted conclusion

The play is a comedy that explores the absurdity of everyday life.

plays, often written by new writers, challenging the conventional ways of thinking and having a new and unusual form

a festive entertainment with elaborate costumes, music, and dance, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries

The royal court delighted in attending masques, where they were entertained by elaborate performances that combined music, dance, and poetry.

a kind of drama in which the performers personify an abstract concept as an allegory presenting a didactic point, popular in the 15th and 16th centuries

a style that challenges traditional theatrical conventions by exploring new forms of expression and presentation

a form of Italian theater that originated in the 16th century and is characterized by its use of stock characters, improvised dialogue, and physical comedy

a kind of play popular in the Middle Ages that was based on the holy scripture or the events in the lives of Christian saints

a late 20th century style of theater that is self-reflexive, often fragmented, blurs the lines between reality and fiction, and emphasizes the role of the audience in creating meaning

a style that challenges traditional dramatic conventions and instead focuses on the sensory and emotional experience of the audience

a confrontational style of British theater known for its shocking subject matter, explicit language, and graphic content

a style of French theater that originated in the late 19th century and is known for its use of graphic horror, violence, and gore, often combined with humor and satire

a play recreating the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, performed by children at Christmas

a form of theater in which everything is created spontaneously by the performers, without a script or pre-planned storyline

a style of theater that emphasizes the use of the body, movement, and nonverbal communication as the primary means of storytelling and expression

a style of physical theater that satirizes social and political issues through exaggerated, grotesque performances and audience interaction

The bouffon performers delighted the audience with their grotesque and exaggerated antics, satirizing society's absurdities.

involving competition or competitiveness

a traditional form of Japanese puppet theater that features intricately crafted puppets, live musicians, and narrators who tell stories of love, tragedy, and historical events

a type of theater that takes place in public spaces, often featuring political or social themes and aimed at engaging audiences who may not typically attend traditional theater

a type of theater that seeks to immerse the audience in the world of the play, often featuring site-specific performances and interactive elements

an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a natural disaster or a serious accident

The earthquake was a terrible tragedy for the country.

a type of theater that invites audience participation and engagement, blurring the boundaries between performers and spectators

a type of theater that seeks to provoke social and political change, often featuring theatrical devices that distance the audience from the action

a dramatic piece that has both tragic and comic elements

a type of performance that tells a story through a mix of acting, singing, and dancing

the belief that life is inherently meaningless, yet individuals can create their own meaning

Absurdism, as articulated by philosophers like Albert Camus, holds that the search for meaning in a chaotic and indifferent universe is inherently futile.

a 20th-century style of art and literature in which unrelated events or images are combined in an unusual way to represent the experiences of the mind

Salvador Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory" is one of the most famous works of surrealism, featuring melting clocks draped over a dreamlike landscape.

a style and movement of art, music, and literature in the early 20th century that expresses extreme feelings and emotions instead of showing events or objects in a realistic manner

a literary and artistic movement initiated in the late 19th century, marked by the accurate depiction of detail

a dramatic genre characterized by exaggerated emotions, intense conflicts, etc., often trying to create strong emotional reactions in the audience

The movie descended into melodrama in the final act, with characters delivering over-the-top speeches and indulging in exaggerated emotional outbursts.

a form of theater that emerged in England during the Restoration period, featuring comedies of manners and bawdy humor

a type of theater that emerged in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, characterized by plays that combined tragedy, comedy, and history, and featuring prominent playwrights such as William Shakespeare

a form of theater that developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, often performed in churches or on traveling carts, and featuring morality plays and miracle plays

a type of theater in which performers invite members of the audience to share personal stories, which are then re-enacted on stage

a type of theater that is created for and performed in a specific location, often outside of traditional theater spaces

a type of theater in which performers work collaboratively to create a new piece of theatre, often without a pre-existing script

a type of theater that uses the actual words spoken by people interviewed on a particular subject as the basis for a script, often dealing with contemporary social and political issues

a comedic performance that uses exaggerated body movements and physical actions for humor, often involving slapstick and visual gags

type of theater that focuses on political themes and issues, often aimed at advocating social change or critiquing the status quo

a theatrical tradition that emerged in ancient Greece featuring plays that explored themes of tragedy and comedy, often performed in amphitheaters

a play that is performed in a theater, on TV, or radio

He listens to a popular radio drama during his morning commute.