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Crash Course Theater
The Death and Resurrection of Theater as... Liturgical Drama
Season 1
Episode 8
As the Roman Empire fell, so did the theater. If there's anyone who hates theater and actors more than Romans, it's early Christians. As Christianity ascended in the west, theater declined. But, fear not. This isn't the end of the series. Theater would be back, and in the best subversive theater-y fashion, it would return via the Catholic mass!
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10:40
Spain was having kind of a moment in the 16th and 17th centuries.

12:54
In the 1600s, English theater had to go into hiding, from PURITANS. Enter: WOMEN.

11:50
Thanks, Shakespeare! Let's talk about Ben Jonson, revenge tragedies, and court masques.

10:46
Let's take a look at Shakespeare's comedies, romances, problem plays and heroines.

11:29
Shakespeare's tragedies had some jokes, and they changed the way tragedies were written.

10:52
How a young Shakespeare stormed into London's theater – and wrote some pretty good plays.

12:17
Let's take a look at London theater and the playwrights who set the stage for Shakespeare.

10:43
Painting, music, architecture, and plays with fart jokes were all thriving from 1300-1500.

12:20
Noh, and its counterpart Kyogen are some of the most revered theater forms in Japan.

11:10
After European churches changed their minds on theater, drama became an outdoor activity.

11:01
Meet Hrotsvitha: a cool, 10th century nun/playwright who influenced a new era of theater.

12:02
Thanks to Bharata Muni, we can tell you quite a bit about Ancient Sanskrit theater.