The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-03-10

AescnyluS, Euflpldes and Sopn0cles
not only as literature, but as produc'
tions, for the stage and the conditions
under which they were performed
Finally it occurred to some of them tC
ask, "why cannot this treat form Of
art be revived ?" "Why cannot we dc
what the old Greeks did ?" The sug.
gestion at once excited unbounded en-.
thusiasm and ways and means were
eagerly discussed until the opera, a
drama in song, came into existence.
This intellectual movement which
begun in Italy, communicated its i'm
pulse to the whole European world
AS soon as the church had gotten far
enough from the corrupt Roman the.
atrical spectacles, which it condemned
in the first few centuries of its exist
ence to be in no danger from the re.
membrance of their demoralizing in
fuence, it began to feel the need OF
attracting and influencing its people
by some means other than its ordinary
liturgy and its preaching. s. So the
clergy introduced into the service 9
semi-dramatic treatment Of gospel
readings known as mystery and mir
acle plays.
The churches were arranged into
stations, where the different actors
would appear. On Easter morning
there would be dialogue between Sts.
Peter and John and the three Marys
when the apostles would ask what had
been seen at the sepulcher. Each of
the three Marys would answer in turn.
The characters were all impersonated
L., o~J ob0s,. hous 4
Later Christmas was seen to offer
an excellent opportunity for dramatic
action, with the shepherds. the Virgin,
Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings: and
the Wise Men of the East. The East
er and Christmas episodes came into
existence each by itself, but finally
they were combined into a sequence.
They grew so cumbersome and so
many stations were required in the
church that they were finally removed
to the outside and the acting Of the
play was carried on in the open space
between and in front of several sta
tions. A sequence Of episodes, taken
from Holy Writ was known as q mys-
terry. A sequence Of episodes from
the life of a woodworking saint
tues were known as moral plays,
,Allegorical representations of Vir-
tues was known as moral plays:
We see that here were the elements
of a vital drama, ready to the mana OF
a true dramatist who might know how
to make use of them.
England was the ripe field for the
new drama. They had encouraged
through wandering players a wide
spread love of acting which was call
ing into existence a group OF protes-
sional players ready to support a more
artistic drama. :, ~
Under the rule of the Tudors there
was acting everywhere turnout, Eng
land--acting of the miracle play by the
guilds on Corpus Christi Day, acting
of moralities in the schools and act
ing of comic and legendary EPISODES
on the village greens. 1t was group
of these strolling players spoken OF IN
Hamlet. -. -
During the reign of Elizabeth these
wandering actors were greatly m
creased in number. They carried no
scenery with them. With nothing
more to carry than possibly a, crown
for a king or a sword for combat
thew were ready today to amuse the
guests of a noble and prepared, tomor-
row. to please the humber audiences
that might come together IN the VII
lage. ,.-u
r. The English inn was often hollow
square with a central court yard grit
with galleries. The strollers would
put up hasty platform around winch
the county folk might stand. while the
people of quality could look down
from the galleries. >,
These drew such vast crowds OF
people in London inns, that they were
forbidden by the city authorities, so
those who have been wanderers were
forced to build houses OF their own
just outside the city limits, They nad
no models to go by so they built 1t IKE
court yard in a hollow square OF
about 80 feet each way, open to the
sky in the center: and consisting or
galleries to be divided into rooms for
the upper class, while the common
spectator stood in the yard. Into this
ward there was thrust out a stage
forty feet square.
Within short time after opening
these theaters outside the limits OF
London the needful conditions of ma
tional drama were present, the play
house, a body Of more or less trained
actors, and the varying population OF
of all classes-nobles, stu
dents, townsfolk, and rustics.
Such great ,dramatists as Greer,
LYLE, NARROW, and Kid prepared and
made possible rich field for the gen
Jus of Shakespeare. Shakespeare tow
cred above them all in power, in gen
JUS, in poetry, in art. in self-control, IN
elevation of purpose, and in drama
turgic craftsmanship.