Dennis J. Sporre states that "Theatre tries to personalize the love, rejection, disappointments, joy, elation, and suffering that we experience in our lives" (p147)

In understanding theater, humans also grow to enjoy it as an art that calls to the mind the work of  great playwrights such as Shakespeare. Here we delve into a deeper understanding of the theater genres of comedy, tragedy, melodrama, and tragic comedy

First of all, what is theater and what is so great about it? 

 One website source, thetheaterseatstore states that theater originated from ancient Greece 5000 years ago and "emerged from myths, ceremony and ritual which took place in daily life". They also note that theater has taken many forms that involve dance, gestures, and pantomime combined with various other performing arts to portray a single artistic form. Many sources, such as Wikipedia and PBS.org note that the origin of theater come from Ancient Athens around the 6th century BCE. I find it to be a great entertainment type art because it has so many sub genres and topics to choose from, you can never get bored of watching people perform, since each play is unique and can be expressed in various ways. It is a whole new experience each time one goes to watch a play!

http://sandivand.blogspot.com/2011/10/theater-is-mentor-too-guest-tiffanie.html

Comedy

Comedy, as states by Sporre, is simply a story with a happy ending.(p149) Personally I find that comedy is one of the most popular genres in theater because of its humorous moments through out the whole play. Famous plays include "The Complete History of America (Abridged)" Shakespeare's " The Tempest" and "Much Ado About Nothing"are good examples of comedy. It is one of those feel good plays to watch! Here is a trailer clip of "The Complete History of America" by the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uNmJQQB31-A

Tragedy

Tragedy, as stated by Sporre on page 148, is a play with an unhappy ending. The most famously known tragedy is Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". About.com Shakespeare notes that Shakespeare tragedies have three common features to them, which are a fatal flaw, the fall of a nobleman, and external pressures all which to a negative downfall of a character. I've rarely seen plays with a tragic theme to them but "Romeo and Juliet" is a famous one because of its romantic, ill-fated lovers and their tragic end. Long story short, tragedies are sad so expect to shed a few emotional tears!

 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQbS6_JMVFt0Bgm43eYJobcfj3eatf3biAY-XwAfZKspdB6aczliVoe6OTLYAsJRfQNkZO4AEKZjvvQd0HFqBR1SkQUmF4F7oOCkH3b298lJ6wYNYbBZ1kDGfFmGa7vENtYVq3VMpv4MK/s1600/Romeo_and_Juliet_VSD5752.jpg

Tragicomedy

What is a tragicomedy? The Merriam-webster website defines it as a "drama or situation blending tragic and comic events". I don't personally remember any good tragicomedies but here is a clip from youtube that might just do the trick in showing some tragicomedy moments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqaykXxJuDM

While it is not in a theater, the concepts are the same. The main character experiences tragic events yet at the same time viewers note that there are comic elements scattered throughout the whole clip. Can you think of any shows or plays that contain these tragic and comic elements in them?

Melodrama

Sporre notes that melodramas is tend towards optimism where good always triumphs in the end. (p149) This is an important aspect of many notable works such as fairy tales and myths where the good guy or hero wins against the villain in the end no matter how bad the situation. As xroads.virginia notes, melodramas have a "great flexibility which make them very adaptable to any type of audience, and allowed actors to take advantage of a great range of materials and talents."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptDUGNkPvHY

This clip shows a bit of what melodramas can be like, were there are many-sided loves, twists. and heartbreak however in the end the main pair will triumph over all hardships and achieve their true love or goal. Did you think about any stories with this type of similar plot? I bet you did!

Closing

Did you enjoy the little lesson on the four genres of theater? I hope so. This blog was created so that those who accidentally or intentionally stumble across it would find some useful information on what these genres mean as well as providing an example for said genres. Have a nice day~

Bibliography

 Sporre, Dennis J. Reality through the Arts. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1991. Print.

theater origin sources

http://www.theaterseatstore.com/theater-history-guide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_theatre
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/24b.html

Comedy sources

http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/arts/2003/180_great_books.html

http://shakespeare.about.com/od/thecomedies/a/Shakespeare_Comedy.htm

Tragedy sources
http://shakespeare.about.com/od/thetragedies/a/Shakespeare_Tragedies.htm

Traficomedy sources
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragicomedy

Melodrama sources
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/kirk/levy/melodrama.html