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Crash Course Theater

Crash Course Theater

Mike Rugnetta teaches viewers about theater and drama. Are you in drama club? Want to know about the history of theater? Maybe learn some theater history? Have a lot of fun? This is the series for you! Learn about the history and workings of the dramatic arts.

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Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism
12:06
19th century playwrights remade the French theater – first with Realism, then Naturalism.
Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows
13:04
19th century racism contributed to a unique and troubling performance culture in America.
North America Gets a Theater...Riot
12:07
How did American theater develop after the Revolutionary War?
The Rise of Melodrama
11:34
In the 18th century, audiences were ready for some really, really dramatic theater.
Why So Angry, German Theater?
11:09
After Germany was unified, we got Sturm, Drang, Weimar Classicism and Goethe.
England's Sentimental Theater
11:37
English Sentimental Comedies weren't that funny, but they were definitely sentimental.
China, Zaju, and Beijing Opera
10:51
Let's discuss wizard theater and the rise of classical Chinese theater and Beijing Opera.
All Night Demon Dance Party - Kathakali
10:13
Learn about the all-night dance shows in India that culminate in killing a Demon.
Japan, Kabuki, and Bunraku
11:51
Under the Shoguns, we get Kabuki and Bunraku. And Samurais get in trouble for watching it.
Pre-Columbian Theater, Spanish Empire, and Sor Juana
11:06
American theater existed before Europeans arrived, and the Spanish greatly influenced it.
Molière - Man of Satire and Many Burials
11:11
Meet Renaissance France's theater greatest playwright: Molière.
Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism
12:40
The French Neoclassical revival involved a lot of rules – and some rule-breaking.
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