© Gallica-BNF
Sarah Bernhardt in the title role of L'Aiglon (The Eaglet) by Edmond Rostand, Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt, 1900.
History
This section presents an overview of the history of theatre and its milestones: the major periods, the famous artists—playwrights, directors, designers and actors—who influenced its development, and finally, a panorama of theatre architecture, past and present.
Major historical eras
- Ancient Greece, 5th century B.C.
- Mediaeval mystery plays
- Elizabethan England
- Classical Japanese drama; Noh, Kabuki
- Spanish Golden Age
- 17th-century France
- Romantic theatre (Germany, France, England)
- Rise of the director
- Theatre since World War II
Major playwrights
- Sophocles
- William Shakespeare
- Molière
- Jean Racine
- Chikamatsu Monzameon
- Carlo Goldoni
- Friedrich Schiller
- Henrik Ibsen
- Anton Chekhov
- Luigi Pirandello
- Bertolt Brecht
- Samuel Beckett
Great directors
- André Antoine
- Constantin Stanislavski
- Edward Gordon Craig
- Max Reinhardt
- Vsevolod Meyerhold
- Louis Jouvet
- Elia Kazan
- Tadeusz Kantor
- Giorgio Strehler
- Jerzy Grotowski
Great designers
- Sebastiano Serlio
- Nicolo Sabbatini
- Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena
- Adolphe Appia
- Caspar Neher
- Jo Mielziner
- Christian Bérard
- Josef Svoboda
- Ezio Frigerio
- Richard Peduzzi
Major actors
- Isabella Andreini
- Richard Burbage
- La Champmeslé
- David Garrick
- Edmund Kean
- Sarah Bernhardt
- Eleonora Duse
- Mei Lanfang
- Emil Jannings
- Helene Weigel
- Laurence Olivier
- Gérard Philipe
Theatre architecture: historical overview and contemporary trends
- Ancient Greek theatre - Coming soon
- Elizabethan theatre - Coming soon
- Renaissance Italy - Coming soon
- Contemporary frontal auditorium – Bayreuth - Coming soon
- An example of a configurable theatre (National Arts Centre Studio) - Coming soon
