TED-Ed
Leonardo da Vinci: The Man Behind the Renaissance
Why is Leonardo da Vinci considered the quintessential Renaissance man? This brief, amusing video is a fun way to begin a lesson on the man who embodied the ideals of the Renaissance in so many ways. Since the video moves quickly, ask...
Crash Course
The English Renaissance and NOT Shakespeare: Crash Course Theater #13
Believe it or not, Shakespeare wasn't the only British playwright to rise to fame during the Renaissance. Writers other than the Bard make up the content of a video about British theater during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The...
TED-Ed
How to Find the True Face of Leonardo
Illustrator Siegfried Woldhek describes how he analyzed over 700 of Leonardo's works in order to determine an image of the face of the famed Renaissance man. Try flipping the lesson and adding your own assessment and discussion...
Curated OER
Achievements of Leonardo Da Vinci
A short clip discusses Leonardo da Vinci's art, inventions, architecture, and amazing mind. Many of his inventions and ideas have actually been built, such as tanks, man-powered flying machines, and a parachute.
TED-Ed
Development of English Drama
From mystery plays to Shakespeare! Progress chronologically through the evolution of English drama, which began as a way for English clergymen in the eleventh century to illustrate biblical stories to the mass of illiterate commoners....
Crash Course
Moliere - Man of Satire and Many Burials: Crash Course Theater #21
Until the reign of Louis XIII, French society did not view acting as an honorable profession. A video describes French theater during the time of popular playwright Moliere. Viewers enjoy an excerpt of the play Tartuffe and learn the...
The School of Life
Philosophy - Montaigne
You can reach achievement with an ordinary, moral life without the proper education of past philosophy! So says Michel de Montaigne in a short analysis video that succinctly explains his views on academia, the virtue of a good...
Crash Course
The Roaring 20's
Discover the roaring and contradicting nature of the 1920s in the United States. The video provides an overview of laissez faire capitalism in the decade and the nation's dramatic increase in productivity, as well as a variety of...
Crash Course
Straight Outta Stratford-Upon-Avon - Shakespeare's Early Days: Crash Course Theater #14
Who would've guessed that a boy from the sleepy town Stratford-upon-Avon would grow up to become one of the greatest playwrights of all time? Scholars only know a few details about Shakespeare's early life, but that information is the...
Crash Course
Just Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen: Crash Course Theater #11
Wigs, masks, demons, and Buddhism—what's not to love? All of these elements play a role in Japanese theater during the Middle Ages, a topic the informational video covers in depth. An engaging host shares an exhaustive overview of the...
Crash Course
Where Did Theater Go? Crash Course Theater #18
Oh, the drama! According to Plato, poetry is a false representation of reality and, to him, poetry included drama. The Puritans also despised theater, a topic the informational video explores. The narrator describes the controversial...
Crash Course
Rules, Rule-Breaking, and French Neoclassicism: Crash Course Theater #20
School children are not the only ones who have rules to follow! During the neoclassical period, the French established five main rules for plays. A video on theater history outlines those guidelines, as well as other elements of theater...
Crash Course
Why So Angry, German Theater? Crash Course Theater #27
Believe it or not, German theater did not become established until years after theater in other European countries. A video describes the history of German theater starting in the late seventeenth century. After a discussion, viewers...
Crash Course
Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15
Who doesn't love a play where most of the characters die? Such deaths are a defining characteristic of many of Shakespeare's tragedies, the topic of an informational video on the Bard and his works. Along with outlining the plot elements...
Crash Course
Get Outside and Have a (Mystery) Play: Crash Course Theater #10
In the Middle Ages, theater left the church of moved outside to a secular stage. An interesting video describes the transition from pulpit to public venue, discussing common plot lines and other aspects of medieval drama. Animated...
Crash Course
Japan, Kabuki, and Bunraku: Crash Course Theater #23
Kabuki and Bunraku may sound like new age exercise routines, but they're actually types of Japanese theater. An informational video describes the history of theater in Japan during the nineteenth century. The resource includes a...
Crash Course
Federal Theatre and Group Theatre: Crash Course Theater #42
Method acting got its start in the 1930s. A video, the 42nd video in the Crash Course Theater and Drama playlist, describes the theater scene during the 1930s, including the introduction of method acting. Information on Waiting for...
Crash Course
Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty: Crash Course Theater #43
Despite spending many years in a sanatorium, Antonin Artaud became a well-known playwright. Video 43 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist describes the life work of the French playwright with a focus on the theater of...
Crash Course
Bertolt Brecht and Epic Theatre: Crash Course Theater #44
A video, number 44 on the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist, covers the work of Bertolt Brecht, who believed theater should be more than an escape from reality. Content covers a range of Brecht's styles and includes a summary of...
Crash Course
Beckett, Ionesco, and the Theater of the Absurd: Crash Course Theater #45
Life doesn't make sense, so theater shouldn't make sense either. A video about the theater of the absurd, the 45th installment of the Crash Course Drama and Theater series, discusses the unique movement in theater history. An overview of...
Crash Course
The Birth of Off Broadway: Crash Course Theater #47
Many Broadway shows, including Hamilton, got their start off the infamous street. Video 47 from the Crash Course Drama and Theater playlist focuses on the creation of Off-Broadway theater. Discussion centers around specific theaters and...
Crash Course
Poor Unfortunate Theater: Crash Course Theater #48
Sometimes it's impossible to keep up with the Joneses. Scholars watch video 48 in the Crash Course Theater and Drama series that describes poor theater, which takes out the typical lights, costume, and sets that rich theater includes....
Crash Course
Zola, France, Realism, and Naturalism: Crash Course Theater #31
Using an informative video about French theater and drama, scholars learn about the idea of realism in the theater before taking a look at naturalism. Viewers hear about writing styles from Victor Hugo in his works Cromwell and Hernani,...
Crash Course
Broadway Book Musicals: Crash Course Theater #50
Viewers of a short video learn about the development of the Broadway Book Musical in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Scholars explore the Golden Age of Broadway, which produced classics like Annie Get Your Gun and...