Crash Course Theater

Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson

Shakespeare's tragedies...were tragic. But they had some jokes. They also changed the way tragedies were written. Characters like Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear had tragic outcomes, but they were sympathetic characters in a lot of ways. This was a big change from the way Seneca and the Greeks wrote tragedies, and it caught on.

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Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism

19th century playwrights remade the French theater – first with Realism, then Naturalism.

Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows

19th century racism contributed to a unique and troubling performance culture in America.

North America Gets a Theater...Riot

How did American theater develop after the Revolutionary War?

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