Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
Crash Course Theater

Hrotsvitha, Hildegard, and the Nun who Resurrected Theater

Season 1 Episode 9

When last we saw Theater, it was just making its way back in the West, by sneaking a little drama into the Easter mass. In today's episode, we're talking about Hrotsvitha, the cool 10th century nun from Lower Saxony who was maybe the first playwright of the new era of theater. She wrote comedies with a moral message, and influenced future heavy hitters like Hildegard of Bingen.

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
The Spanish Golden Age
10:40
Spain was having kind of a moment in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Where Did Theater Go?
12:54
In the 1600s, English theater had to go into hiding, from PURITANS. Enter: WOMEN.
English Theater After Shakespeare
11:50
Thanks, Shakespeare! Let's talk about Ben Jonson, revenge tragedies, and court masques.
Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare's Heroines
10:46
Let's take a look at Shakespeare's comedies, romances, problem plays and heroines.
Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson
11:29
Shakespeare's tragedies had some jokes, and they changed the way tragedies were written.
Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon – Shakespeare's Early Day
10:52
How a young Shakespeare stormed into London's theater – and wrote some pretty good plays.
The English Renaissance and NOT Shakespeare
12:17
Let's take a look at London theater and the playwrights who set the stage for Shakespeare.
Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte
10:43
Painting, music, architecture, and plays with fart jokes were all thriving from 1300-1500.
Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen
12:20
Noh, and its counterpart Kyogen are some of the most revered theater forms in Japan.
Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play
11:10
After European churches changed their minds on theater, drama became an outdoor activity.
The Death and Resurrection of Theater as... Liturgical Drama
11:59
As Christianity rose in the west, theater declined. But it returned – via Catholic Mass!
Nostrils, Harmony with the Universe, and Ancient Sanskrit Th
12:02
Thanks to Bharata Muni, we can tell you quite a bit about Ancient Sanskrit theater.
Active loading indicator