The Origin of Theatre Essay Example for Free

The Origin of Theatre Essay â€Å"It is unlikely that anyone will ever know just how theatre emerged† (Grose Kenworthy, 1985: 3). Though there is little certain evidence, strong indications, scattered throughout our history, point to theatre finding its origins in the ancient rituals of shamanism. One might argue that theatre finds its origins quite clearly in ancient Greek theatre seeing as they have many written and still surviving plays and strong standing theatres, but George Freedley (1941) would argue otherwise. The oldest records of plays, stage directions and possibly even scripts are found not in ancient Greece but in Egypt, and they date back till as early as 4000 B. C. in examples of drama such as the Pyramid Texts (Freedley, 1941: 2). We can even directly link Egyptian and Greek performance by noting that a historian of the theatre, Herodotus, recorded â€Å"the religious festivals and the origin of the worship of Dionysos(sic) which was later to be transferred to the dramatic festivals in Greece† (Freedley, 1941: 1). This suggests that theatre as we know it actually finds its roots in ancient Egyptian festivals and dramas preformed in celebration of the gods. A common element seen in both Egyptian and Greek culture, be it on stage or not, is the ritualistic nature of their performances. This fact suggests that the origin of their version of performance and theatre is found in ritual and its significant role in society. â€Å" the earliest information about the presence of such drama comes from the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, most notably Egypt† (Grose Kenworthy, 1985: 6). As the quote suggests, ritual as a means of drama is found all over the world, but clearly not in the same form as ancient Greek and Egyptian theatre. Therefore, one must look for other examples of ritualistic practises and performance in the world that predate even these ancient cultures. Left is but one known possible source from which theatre may have evolved; shamanism. To add, there are many similarities between recorded and modern theatre, and shamanistic ritual and the belief itself. Firstly, the definition of  Shamanism is: Shamanism can be defined as a family of traditions whose practitioners focus on voluntarily entering altered states of consciousness in which they experience themselves or their spirit(s), travelling to other realms at will, and interacting with other entities in order to serve their community (Walsh, 1990: 15). Further more, it is also important to note that shamanism is not a religion which adheres to specific rules of practise, it is rather a method used to interact with the spirit world (Harner, cited in Walsh, 1982: 12). For this reason we can at least theorise that shamanism and its traits, however few in common, may be the inspiration for later religious and/or non-religious beliefs and customs involving forms of theatre and performance. Greek theatre for example shares many similar traits with shamanism as seen in the following quote: In all three types of drama, tragedy, satyr plays and comedy, the actors were heavily disguised, much more than in the modern theatre. This was due not only to the fact that the female roles were played by men, but ultimately had its roots in religion. A complete disguise was the external sign that the actor had given up his own identity in honour of the god, in order to let another being speak and act through him. Dionysus, for whom the dramas were preformed, was the god of ecstasy. The word á ¼â€ÃŽ ºÃÆ'Ï„Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹Ãâ€š means ‘standing outside oneself’; in other words the renunciation of individuality. An important medium for this in all three drama types was the mask. Simon, 1972: 10) When compared to shamanism we see that, as in ancient Greek theatre, the use of attire other than the common dress of the shaman was thought to be essential in the rituals they preformed. Whether the ritualistic costume is extreme clothing or even ritualistic nudity (as in the case of the Eskimo shamans), the important point is that whilst a shaman is wearing his everyday clothing, the experience will not take p lace (Eliade, 1964: 146). We also see that the trance-like state achieved allows for the shaman/performer to channel spirits so that they may communicate and act through him, however this does not necessarily mean that the subject is ‘possessed’. Although shamans are thought to be capable of allowing and inducing the possession of their bodies by spirits, their dealings with spirits primarily involve them ‘wielding’ the spirits with which they are dealing (Eliade, 1964: 15). Lastly, the ancient Greek dramas were performed in honour of the god Dionysus, the god of ecstasy. This is important to note as shamanistic practises are defined by the ecstatic experience a shaman induces as he engages in a trance through which his soul ‘journeys’ and leaves his body so that he may communicate with the spirits (Eliade, 1964: 15). In relation to modern theatre, shamans are known to have undergone not dissimilar training from modern day actors and performers in order to acquire many of the same abilities which are commonly used in theatrical performance. In order to induce the altered state desired shamans have been known to use techniques such as singing, dancing, and drumming (Walsh, 1990: 142). Shamans have even been described as â€Å"singers, magicians, actors and ventriloquists† (Thurn, cited in Narby Huxley, 2001: 43). Though the training a shaman endures is much more demanding and can even be physically damaging, such as when using techniques like self-induced vomiting, feigning nervous fits, and fainting (Levi-Strauss, cited in Walsh, 1972: 102-103), there is still a clear similarity in the level of discipline required of shamans and modern day performers to master their craft. The act of transformation, the ritualistic dress, the rigorous training, and the natural skill required to become a shaman are all traits which we today link to theatre and what is required of its performers, providing a strong indication that shamanism is indeed where it all started. Trying to search further back than this leaves one with little more to work with than what one might all ‘educated guesses’ as to what may have sparked its creation. A popular theory is that theatrical actions were the means by which we communicated before language had sufficiently developed as to convey detailed messages to one-another. As language became a human tool, early nomadic societies were still concerned with the needs of survival. Theatrical elements entered into the conveying of these needs among members of the group itself (Grose Kenworthy, 1985: 4). This theory can of course not be tested or proven, but nor can it be isproven, and therefore it holds weight relative to the view point of the researcher. The origins of theatre are hard to trace, as the pieces evidence to suggest where it truly came from are few and far between. However, based on accounts which have survived through history such as those mentioned above, and the clear similarities between Shamanism, shamanistic ritual and the theatre throughout history, it becomes clear that Shamanism is the most likely origin of theatre as we know it today.