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https://www.britannica.com/art/New-Comedy
https://www.britannica.com/art/comedy-of-manners
http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/trsanders/units/comedy/comedyofmanners.html
https://www.theatrefolk.com/spotlights/moliere-and-17th-century-french-theatre
Intelligent and cultivated audience...able to discern serious moral and social issues beneath the laughter and fun.
Rules of society, rules of structure, rules of language, character behavior and story
Not culturally advanced at beginning of century due to wars. Moliere influenced by traveling Commedia troupes.
Performed 2-3 times a week.
Women allowed on stage.
First permanent proscenium stage theatre was renamed the Palais Royal and it is where Molière staged his plays.
Louis XIV had his own theatre at Versailles, designed by Jean Berain. Berain also designed the sets for Molière's plays.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
First theatre company failed and landed him in debtors prison
Took stage name to not embarrass family
Greatest exponent of Comedy of Manners
satirized hypocrisy and pretension of French society
Made enemies of the church
Archbishop threatened to excommunicate anyone who saw, performed or even read Tartuffe.
Petitioned King three times; play wasn't critical of religion, but those that misuse it.
The word Tartuffe comes directly from Molière's play – a hypocrite who pretends to be pious.
Impacted by Greek New Comedy and author Menander (c. 342–c. 292 bc)
France
Satirizes society
Plot focuses on scandal, but is secondary to wit and commentary on society
Prologues and Epilogues are important. Containing poetry. Delivered in coarse, boisterous fashion
Verisimilitude is the appearance of truth or that the play must be believable.
Neoclassicism
Dress - Every part of the body is adorned
Face - "excessive make-up, false noses, beards, mustaches, powder, rouge, pencil, lipstick and beauty patches. Facial expression was avoided because it tended to crack the facial make-up."
Voice - "brilliant and brittle, witty in language, often prose was used, and rapid repartee was the norm." "Tone was used to convey emotional quality to the audience and precise pronunciation was encouraged." "Intricate vocal pauses and timing was developed and tempo of delivery was rapid."
Movement - "focused on entering and exiting through doors. Action took place mainly downstage on the apron of the stage. Highly graceful and elegant patterns of movement were encouraged and all actions should be precise and inventive."