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1000
Revival of Theater
Clerics began acting out dramatic scenes from the bible and biblical knowledge to help people understand and comprehend their lessons and teachings. -
1200
Movement of church theater
The productions put on by the church were reviving the theater and people came to see them, but soon these plays became more and more complex and they could no longer fit inside the church. So, they were moved outside. -
1501
Stage Machinery
During a play that was staged in a southwestern city in Belgium the producer hired technicians to operate the secrets, or stage machinery involving trapdoors, rigging, and painted scenery. Seventeen people were hired to work this overcomplicated technology. -
1545
New Lighting
A man named Sebastiano Serlio was the first to try putting amber and blue colored water in front of clear containers of water. -
The Teatro Olympico
The Teatro Olympico was a theater built in Vicenza, Italy. It was a theater that corresponded with the Greek and Roman theater styles which contained the architectural writings of Vitruvius. It was specifically designed like the Ancient Roman theaters. This theater is significant because it was moved indoors and instead of having a complete semicircle for seating its seating consisted of Eclipse seating -
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The Globe
The home theater of William Shakespeare. -
Drama in England
Around the 1600s the theaters in England were building more rapidly, but they took on a different structure. Thus began the rise of the Elizabethan theaters. -
Lighting
This was the time that those in the theater started using reflectors to gain better lighting in the theater's. Up until now the only lighting they used was for the bare minimum of seeing. Around this time theaters began to put footlamps around the edge of the stage and vertical rows of lamps in the wings. -
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Stage Lighting
During this time period there were no significant advancements in stage lighting. Oil Lamps and Candles were the only light source and were placed in areas where the stage could get the most light (ex: footlights, overhead chandeliers, and wings). -
Standardized Theaters
The architectural style of theaters and the style of scenery that was used was generalized and standardized through most of Europe and England. -
Indoor theatres
The government gave permission for Kabuki troupes to build indoor roofed theatres. -
Elevator Traps
New Elevator Traps were being introduced. -
Elevator Stages
Shortly after the Elevator Traps,They developed Elevator Stages. -
Revolving Stages
Kabuki theaters started using revolving stages in their theater productions. This was used to shift scenery. -
Arang Oil Lamps
The arang oil lamp was introduced,with a cylindrical wick that was enclosed in a glass chimney. It improved with brighter,whiter lighting, and cleaner light. -
Gas from Coal
During this time a Scottish Engineer named William Murdock discovered a way to take gas out of coal, and thus began the rise of gas lighting. Gas burned brighter and cleaner; this was exactly what the theaters had needed. -
Style
The revolution in the style of theatre began in the late 1800's -
Limelight
Thomas Drummond created limelight when a sharp jet of flames is focused against the block of limestone. Limestone produces Really bright and soft light. When coupled infront of a mirror reflector, the light was so bright it lit up the whole stage. -
Concentric Revolving Stages
A more complex type of revolving stages. -
New Tech
By this time the Paris Opera developed a projector, a follow spot, and they started utilizing carbon arc for special effects. -
Incandescent Lamps
These lamps were the next great advancements in Theater Lighting. It occured throughout Europe and North America. -
The Coversion
Almost all of Europe's and north america's theatres coverted over to using electricity. -
Major Development
The first major technological development meant in stage lighting of the twentieth century resulted from refinements to the incandescent lamp that significantly increased the lamps brightness and longevity. -
Little Theatre Movement
The little theatre movement of the 1920's through 1930's was an effort to establish quality productions outside of new york city. It also gave new playwrights a chance to improve their crafts. -
Amplified Sound and Record Players
Sound effects and music was the central part of theater and had been since the Greeks. Until the 1930s when record players were invented all music was played live. -
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Dimmers
George Izenour invented the first thyratron tube dimmer. This was the first remote control dimmer that was invented. This was supplanted by digital control in the 80s -
Period: to
Sound Tech
The development of the tape recorder, high fidelity sound, and stereo sound was all invented in this time period. Digital storage, replay, and recording devices came later in the 80s. -
Tungsten-Halogen lamp
This lamp produced whiter light and its life was 10 to 20 times longer than that of those before it. -
Borosilicate Lenses
These produced even whiter light than before and it was less susceptible to heat fracture.