You will choose one topic from the list below and write a two page (or so) response. You must do some research to adequately answer the question of your choosing. Add a photo if you would like. Once again, these topics are all pretty interesting so find something that interests you. If you do not find something that interests you, you can email about an additional topic. If you are quoting from some source somewhere, make sure to include a “Sources Cited” page or something to that effect.

1. Describe and explain Commedia dell’arte.

2. What are some of the first perspective paintings? Compare and contrast these with illuminations from the Dark Ages and the forward step that painting took during the Renaissance.

3. Why is there a black and white photo of the Teatro Farnese in the outline? The floorplan of the Farnese attempts to combine a thrust and proscenium style theatre together in one facility. Offer a conjecture of why this was done.

4. Recount the story of Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus. Has this story been re-imagined or updated? Provide an example and a description of that example.

5. What is a the “First Folio?” Describe and explain this document and its’ impact on theatre.

6. Explain and describe the original form and operation of the original Globe Theatre in London.

7. What was the Protestant Reformation? How did this affect Roman Catholic control of Europe?

8. Describe the staging of a “commedia” in Spain during the Renaissance.

9. Give an overview of the Civil War that delayed the Renaissance in France.

10. Louis XIV spent lavishly on clothing and his lifestyle; to the extant he built a new royal palace at Versailles. What was the real reason for this lavish spending? Research this question before you answer.