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Realism Gets Even More Real: Crash Course Theater #32
Just how real is realism? It seems that the Theater Duke, as the video discusses, felt every realistic detail mattered. Scholars learn about the use of realism in plays and the importance of realistic details in props, costumes, and more.
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Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows: Crash Course Theater #30
Does theater really influence society? In the nineteenth century, drama displays that depicted the treatment of different races actually contributed to the spread of racism. Scholars view images from such plays to gain a better...
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The Horrors of the Grand Guignol: Crash Course Theater #35
Fight or flight? Could a play be so scary that it makes the audience want to run from the theater? Andre de Lorde actually had the dream of writing such a play. Scholars learn of him and other French playwrights that focused on the...
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Japan, Kabuki, and Bunraku: Crash Course Theater #23
Kabuki and Bunraku may sound like new age exercise routines, but they're actually types of Japanese theater. An informational video describes the history of theater in Japan during the nineteenth century. The resource includes a...
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Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte: Crash Course Theater #12
Welcome to the Renaissance, known as one of the most vibrant periods in the world of theater. An informational video provides a thorough overview of the period, noting key changes that took place on the stage. After a lengthy discussion...
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Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play: Crash Course Theater #10
In the Middle Ages, theater left the church of moved outside to a secular stage. An interesting video describes the transition from pulpit to public venue, discussing common plot lines and other aspects of medieval drama. Animated...
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Moonlight
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awarded its 2017 Best Picture award to Moonlight, which was written and directed by Barry Jenkins. The tender exploration of expectations for black men, contrasted with the reality of...
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Moliere - Man of Satire and Many Burials: Crash Course Theater #21
Until the reign of Louis XIII, French society did not view acting as an honorable profession. A video describes French theater during the time of popular playwright Moliere. Viewers enjoy an excerpt of the play Tartuffe and learn the...
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Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15
Who doesn't love a play where most of the characters die? Such deaths are a defining characteristic of many of Shakespeare's tragedies, the topic of an informational video on the Bard and his works. Along with outlining the plot elements...
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Why So Angry, German Theater? Crash Course Theater #27
Believe it or not, German theater did not become established until years after theater in other European countries. A video describes the history of German theater starting in the late seventeenth century. After a discussion, viewers...
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England's Sentimental Theater: Crash Course Theater #26
How did people in the nineteenth century encourage better decision making? Using playwrights to discuss morality, of course! A video on British theater in the 1800s describes sentimental comedy and the common characteristics found within...
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China, Zaju, and Beijing Opera: Crash Course Theater #25
Combine music, acrobatics, dance, and mime, and you have Beijing opera. An informational video walks viewers through a timeline of Chinese theater, including the introduction of the opera. Comparisons to other forms of drama throughout...
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All Night Demon Dance Party - Kathakali: Crash Course Theater #24
What's more fun than an all night demon dance party? Kathakali, a type of Indian drama and dance, is the topic of an informational video. Viewers gain an understanding of the history behind the style, as well as witness examples of...
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Pre-Columbian Theater, Spanish Empire, and Sor Juana: Crash Course Theater #22
The Aztecs turned the act of making sacrifices into a theatrical production. These native religious practices introduce a video on Pre-Columbian theater. By watching the video, viewers discover the connection between theater and the...
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Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism: Crash Course Theater #20
School children are not the only ones who have rules to follow! During the neoclassical period, the French established five main rules for plays. A video on theater history outlines those guidelines, as well as other elements of theater...
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The Spanish Golden Age: Crash Course Theater #19
Heads up! In the Golden Age, women threw cucumbers at other audience members. This detail is just one of many fun facts a video about Spanish theater during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries covers. Other information the resource...
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Where Did Theater Go? Crash Course Theater #18
Oh, the drama! According to Plato, poetry is a false representation of reality and, to him, poetry included drama. The Puritans also despised theater, a topic the informational video explores. The narrator describes the controversial...
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English Theater After Shakespeare: Crash Course Theater #17
Shakespeare may have been one of the greatest playwrights of all time, but many masterful dramatists came after him. An interesting video describes English theater after the Bard, particularly focusing on the works of Ben Jonson and...
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Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon - Shakespeare's Early Days: Crash Course Theater #14
Who would've guessed that a boy from the sleepy town Stratford-upon-Avon would grow up to become one of the greatest playwrights of all time? Scholars only know a few details about Shakespeare's early life, but that information is the...
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Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen: Crash Course Theater #11
Wigs, masks, demons, and Buddhism—what's not to love? All of these elements play a role in Japanese theater during the Middle Ages, a topic the informational video covers in depth. An engaging host shares an exhaustive overview of the...
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Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare's Heroines: Crash Course Theater #16
As a writer, Shakespeare took the genre of comedy to a new level. An informational video outlines the characteristics of Shakespeare's comedies and romances and explains how the plays differed from others during the period. Additionally,...
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The English Renaissance and NOT Shakespeare: Crash Course Theater #13
Believe it or not, Shakespeare wasn't the only British playwright to rise to fame during the Renaissance. Writers other than the Bard make up the content of a video about British theater during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The...
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Dances to Flute Music and Obscene Verse. It's Roman Theater, Everybody: Crash Course Theater #5
Believe it or not, ancient Romans had a sense of humor—although it may have been a bit absurd. The fifth video in the Crash Course Theater series discusses the evolution of Roman drama, incorporating images and animations to help bring...
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Thespis, Athens, and The Origins of Greek Drama: Crash Course Theater #2
Unless you're singing about a lonely goatherd in the Sound of Music, goats have little to do with theater, and yet the word tragedy comes from the Greek words for goat and song. A video about Greek drama, the second video in the Crash...