The Complete History of Theatre

by Matt Thompson

It's opening night, and master playwright William Shakespeare, theatrical diva Sarah Bernhardt and the indelible intellectual Constantine Stanislavsky lead you on a wild and wacky journey through the history of theatre from Aristophanes to Emile Zola. This crazy cast of characters takes you back in time to relive theatre from all parts of the globe. Explore the beginnings of Greek theatre, Aristotle's Poetics, the fine art of Kabuki, the history of mime, the gladiators of Rome and speculation on the real author of Shakespeare's plays. You'll hear homage to some of the most famous lines from the world's best-known and beloved plays performed at breakneck speed. Finally, the cast realizes that the playwright hasn't written an ending, and they have to ask the audience to help come up with a conclusion for the play. This interactive farce keeps the audience in stitches at every turn on a rollicking ride!

Genres: Plays

87 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Nora Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Performed it today- got tons of laughter from the audience, and it was received really well.

[Judine Brey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of this play, which "shows" how theatre works. I liked the humor and personality given to the three leads (portraying Shakespeare, Sarah Bernhardt, and Stanislavsky). That said, Act I was stronger in that it felt like it was easily accessible to an audience. Act II's tour through famous playwrights got repetitive, and felt like too much of an inside joke for a non-theatre audience.

[Kaci Deakins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all of the "Abridged" comedy plays, this one very well may be my favorite. It would be perfect for a one act festival or any theatre company with strong comedic actors. The playwright has given plenty of structure and detail to make this show successful but leaves room for the actors and directors to have creative freedom. A great read for any theatre nerd.

[Zachary Pareizs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite fun!!!

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some funny parts. Not what I'm looking for