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HANDOUT 1: Solo Performance Timeline
Beginnings of Human History
Early human tribes had oral storytelling; an educational and engaging way to pass information down through generations. Sometimes supernatural elements were integrated. After human civilizations organized, professional bards emerged and incorporated music and characters into their storytelling. Creation of Written History
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Storytellers were tasked less with passing down history due to the creation of writing, so they could incorporate more creative elements and showmanship. The purpose was shifted to teaching morals and lessons. Ancient Greece
Dramatic monologues were created in the works of Aristotle, Sophocles, and Euripides and performed at the yearly competition to honor the god Dionysus. Dark Ages
With the end of the dark ages, Europe began to see more solo performances that were sometimes paired with music in a narrative style. These were also referred to as lyric poetry. In England performers were called minstrels and in France troubadours. 15th Century
The creation of the printing press brought about a large wave of theatre because plays could now be recorded. Theatre also became primarily for entertainment because history could be printed and spread more widely through text. 19th Century
Solo performance became more personal and even family oriented. The traditional family story or reading the Bible or Shakespeare in homes became common practice. Charles Dickens and Mark Twain both read work aloud and gave both lectures and monologues to the public. Early 20th Century
Theatre was incredibly popular and accessible in this time. Audiences were wealthy enough to afford theatre and it was more appealing than early silent films. Spalding Gray emerged and helped to create the framework for modern day solo performance. Modern Day
Today, solo theatre can be autobiographical, biographical, based off of previous work, and more. Multimedia is now incorporated with the widespread use of technology.
Handout based on https://www.afo.nyc/history-of-solo-performance
