Origins of Pantomime

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

History

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2023

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have you ever wondered how and where our Christmas tradition of pantomime originated?

In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out from Dr. Oliver Crick, who traces pantomime’s origins to Commedia dell’arte - Italian travelling players who adapted their performances to other cultures and senses of humour.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code TUDORS. Sign up now for your 14-day free trial here: https://access.historyhit.com/checkout/subscribe/receipt?code=tudors&plan=monthly

You can take part in our listener survey here >`

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey.
0:11.0	So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas.
0:16.5	Trains now on Uber. Tees and sees apply check the Uber app.
0:19.9	Everyone leaves a legacy. But a legacy can change over time as new generations re-examine old reputations.
0:28.0	From Wundery and Goalhanger Podcasts, I'm Afu Hirsch.
0:31.0	I'm Peter Frankepan, and in a brand new series we're exploring the lives of some of the biggest characters in history.
0:37.6	From Napoleon to Picasso. And asking what does their past tell us about our present? This is legacy.
0:44.8	Follow now wherever you get your podcasts. If you've ever been to the UK in the Christmas period you you'll know that you can't go far without seeing an advert for a pantomime, a form of theatre that only happens in the festive season.
1:09.0	Typically, pantomimes are based on well-known children's,'s fairy tales or nursery stories like
1:13.5	Goldie Locks and The Three Bears. They involve music, topical jokes and slapstick
1:18.2	comedy. There's usually a villain, a Dane, always played by a man, a lot of laughs and plenty of audience participation think it's behind you.
1:27.0	Oh no it's not and that's what thing and you get the right idea.
1:30.0	The word pantomime actually comes from ancient Greek via Latin and means all kind of mime
1:35.6	owing to the fact that in its Roman origins one male actor took to the stage acting and
1:40.2	dancing all the roles in the story. The Roma form of pantomime is thought
1:44.0	to have been built on Greek tragedies. So why am I giving you a crash course on
1:48.1	Panto on not just the Tudors? The answer is that the origins of modern pantomime can be traced back to the early modern period to Italy.
1:56.0	At this time groups of actors gave performances known as Comedia de L'Artie or Comedy of the Profession.
2:02.0	And as these troops travelled, so did their ideas. L'Artie or Comedy of the Profession.
2:02.6	And as these troops travelled, so did their ideas,
2:05.2	leading to other groups of actors adapting the performances
2:08.1	for their own cultures and sense of humour.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.