9/13/11 Journal

Today's lesson was on classical theater and how the Industrial Revolution changed the way plays were written. Before the Industrial Revolution, classical theater cosisted of romanticism and melodrama. Romanticism was started in Germany by young rebels and was the first time youth started to appear in the theater world. This form of theater lasted for about 20 years. After Romanticism, Melodrama became the next popular form of theater. It consisted of very steriotypical characters and was written to please audiences. Good always beat evil, and there was always a happy ending. These were the first plays to add foreigners and special effects. For example, to make the effect of horse racing as real as possible, horses were put on treadmills and pulled across the stage. The famous broadway show, Les Miserables, was created in between the times of romanticism and melodrama.