戏剧(theater)
戏剧性动作的现场表演，以述说故事或造成景观。「戏剧」一词源於希腊字theatron（意为「观看之地」）。戏剧是全世界文化中最古老、最重要的艺术形式之一。剧本是戏剧表演中最基本的元素，也在不同程度上仰赖表演、歌唱、舞蹈，还有舞台设计、灯光等制作的技巧面。人们认为，戏剧最早的起源是宗教仪式；戏剧经常上演属於文化结构中心的神话或故事，或者藉着扭曲这样的故事而创造出喜剧。在西方文明中，戏剧始於古希腊，而在罗马时期受到改造；它在中世纪的礼拜式戏剧中复苏，并在文艺复兴时期以义大利即兴喜剧形式和17～18世纪的法兰西喜剧院等固定剧团而达到顶峰。各种相异的戏剧形式可以演化而投合不同观众的品味（例如日本人民的歌舞伎和宫廷的能乐）。在19世纪和20世纪早期的欧洲和美国，戏剧是所有社会阶级主要的娱乐来源，其形式从诙谐作品和歌舞杂耍表演到莫斯科艺术剧院表演风格的严肃戏剧，不一而足。虽然百老汇的音乐剧和伦敦西区剧院的闹剧仍然保持广大的吸引力，电视和电影的兴起已使现场戏剧的观众减少，并倾向於使其观看者限定在受过教育的精英。
English version：
theater
Live performance of dramatic actions in order to tell a story or create a spectacle. The word derives from the Greek theatron (“place of seeing”). Theater is one of the oldest and most important art forms in cultures worldwide. While the script is the basic element of theatrical performance, it also relies in varying degrees on acting, singing, and dancing, as well as on technical aspects of production such as stage design and lighting. Theater is thought to have its earliest origins in religious ritual; it often enacts myths or stories central to the belief structure of a culture, or creates comedy through travesty of such narratives. In Western civilization, theater began in ancient Greece and was adapted in Roman times; it was revived in the medieval liturgical dramas and flourished in the Renaissance with the Italian commedia dell'arte and in the 17th-18th century with such established companies as the Comédie-Fran?aise. Varying theatrical forms may evolve to suit the tastes of different audiences (e.g., in Japan, the kabuki of the townspeople and the No drama of the court). In Europe and the U.S. in the 19th and early 20th century, theater was a major source of entertainment for all social classes, with forms ranging from burlesque and vaudeville to serious dramas performed in the style of the Moscow Art Theatre. Though the musicals of Broadway and the farces of London's West End retain their popular appeal, the rise of television and movies has eroded audiences for live theater and tended to limit its spectators to an educated elite. See also little theater.
