The Origins of Theatre
Ancient Greeks
What did the Greeks contribute to the modern stage? The theatrical form of tragedy Actors Theatre space Trilogy Masks Raised theatre to a level of art; very highly
respected Terms like “scene,” “proscenium,”
“thespian,” and “theatre.”
Where it started… Athens: the capital of Greece; named after
Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. 5th -6th century B.C. Annual Dionysian festival celebrating
spring and Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
Derived from prayer to Dionysus, the dithyramb
The golden age of Greece Athens had rid the
city of dictators and established the world’s first democracy
Rebuilt the city and built the Parthenon, a temple to Athena, on top of the Acropolis
A day at the Dionysus Festival… Wild, ecstatic procession bringing the
statue of Dionysus into his theatre Trilogy of tragic plays End of the day, a satyr or comedic
play to close the evening Satyr: a half-man, half-horse Hero is placed in a ridiculous situation
Theatre of Dionysus, at the foot of the Acropolis
The Theatre of Dionysus
skene
proskenion
three doors
scenerytheatron
altar
orchestra chorus
Parts of the stage Skene: stage house at edge of orchestra;
dressing area for actors to make entrances and exits, hence the word “scene;” has three formal doors
Proskenion: refers to the arch frame around the stage; today we call it the proscenium arch
Orchestra: literally means “dancing place;” circular section on the ground where the chorus performs
Theatron: literally means “viewing place;” where the audience is seated; the Theatre of Dionysus could seat around 17-20 thousand people.
Theatre at Epidaurus
The players The Chorus
unique to Greek theatre responded and reacted to the actor similar to a narrator 12-50 members The effort of dancing and singing through three
tragedies and a satyr play was likened to that of competing in the Olympic Games
Chanted and danced the dithyramb, the prayer to Dionysus from which the drama is derived.
Never entered or exited the through the skene
Actors Thespis is considered the first actor, hence the
term “thespian.” The original word for 'actor' was hypokrites,
meaning 'answerer,' for the actor answered the chorus.
Thespis was later called protagonistes (literally 'first competitor').
The introduction of a second actor (deuteragonistes) is attributed to Aeschylus and the third (tritagonistes) to Sophocles.
Ordinarily, each actor would play several different roles in one production.
Webster’s High School Higher Drama 2007
Technical and Artistic elements Music Dance Poetry Masks
Helped to distinguish between characters Made it easier to show emotion in large
theatre space
Masks…
Tragedy Literally means “goat song” A serious form of theatre developed by the
Greeks Involves a hero character who challenges
the gods, but in the end is forced to face the consequences.
The Greek hero character is described as honorable and imperfect.
Struggle which usually ends in death
Three tragedy playwrights: Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides
Well known satyr playwright: Aristophanes
Aeschylus Earliest playwright Focused on big epic dramas;
catastrophic events involving the gods, titans, and kings
Reduced the chorus to 12 members Introduced a second actor, and,
therefore, invented dialogue Trilogy called Oresteia:
Agamemnon The Libation Bearers Eumenides
Sophocles All characters were essential in his plays Aeschylus was his teacher Credited with perfecting the Greek tragedy Focused on the human struggle Introduced a third actor Had a chorus of about 20 members Trilogy:
Oedipus Oedipus at Kolonos Antigone
Euripides Wrote about moral and political issues that
were reflective of Athens government Characters are neurotic individuals, bursting
into uncontrolled violence at evil around them Involved Feminist issues and had strong
female characters Trilogy:
Electra The Trojan Women Medea
Aristophanes - The father of comedy Wrote for the two Athenian dramatic festivals: the
City Dionysia and the Lenea. Greek Old Comedy, a mix of political, social, and
literary satire in which chorus, mime, and burlesque played a considerable part. Characterized by bold fantasy, realistic characters, merciless invective and outrageous plots.
Surviving Comedies: The Clouds The Wasps
The Birds Lysistrata The Frogs