Theatre of ancient Greece

A theatrical culture grew in ancient Greece around 700 BC. The city-state of Athens became a key place for culture, politics, and religion. Theatre became part of a special festival called the Dionysia, which honoured the god Dionysus. During this time, three main types of plays developed: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play.

Bronze statue of a Greek actor, 150–100 BC. The half-mask over the eyes and nose identifies the figure as an actor. He wears a man's conical cap but female garments, following the Greek custom of men playing the roles of women. Later, slave women were brought in to play minor female characters and in comedy as well.

Athens shared this festival with many of its other cities. Today, much of what we know about theatre comes from the theatre of ancient Greece. We still use many of the same ideas, names for different kinds of plays, and characters that began there.

Etymology

The word "tragedy" comes from two old Greek words: τράγος, tragos, meaning "goat," and ᾠδή, ode, meaning "song." This shows it is linked to the ancient Dionysian cults. We do not know exactly how these fertility rituals turned into the forms of tragedy and comedy.

Origins

Further information: Greek tragedy and Dionysia

View of the ancient theatre at Epidaurus, considered by Pausanias the finest in Greece.

The Ancient Greeks loved to tell stories by speaking them aloud. They thought spoken words were very powerful. This love of speaking helped theatre grow in Greece.

Around 532 BC in Athens, a man named Thespis became the first known actor. He won a contest and is often called the "Inventor of Tragedy," though people still talk about exactly what he did. Soon after, around 508 BC, Athens started a special festival called the City Dionysia to celebrate their city and honor their god Dionysus. This festival had competitions for tragedies, and early playwrights like Phrynichus told stories that made the audience feel strong emotions.

New inventions during the classical period

The Theatre of Dionysus

After the Achaemenid destruction of Athens in 480 BC, the city was rebuilt and theatre became important. This time is called the Golden Age of Greek drama. The main event of the yearly Dionysia festival, held twice a year, was a contest. Three writers of serious plays competed at the Theatre of Dionysus. Each writer presented three serious plays and one funny play called a satyr play. Satyr plays were funny versions of myth stories. Starting in 486 BC, writers also presented funny plays called comedies. Aristotle said that Aeschylus added a second actor (deuteragonist), and Sophocles added a third (tritagonist). Greek playwrights never used more than three actors in their shows.

Serious plays and funny plays were very different and never mixed together. Satyr plays told myth stories in a funny way.

Hellenistic period

Roman, Republican or Early Imperial Relief of a seated poet (Menander) with masks of New Comedy, 1st century BC. – early 1st century AD, Princeton University Art Museum

After Athens lost power, its theatre started performing old tragedies again. Even though these plays were less exciting, Greek theatre kept going into the Hellenistic period (the time after Alexander the Great's conquests in the fourth century BC).

During this time, the main form of theatre was New Comedy, which told funny stories about everyday people. The only playwright we still have from this period is Menander. New Comedy had a big effect on Roman comedy, which we can see in the works of Plautus and Terence.

Architecture

Theatre of Pergamon, one of the steepest theatres in the world, has a capacity of 10,000 people and was constructed in the 3rd century BC

Most ancient Greek cities were built on or near hills, so they used the slope to make seats for the audience. This area was called the theatron, meaning "seeing place." In cities without hills, they piled up dirt to make seats. At the front was a flat, round space called the orchestra (meaning "dancing place"). Here, a group of 12 to 15 performers, called a chorus, would act out plays with music. Tall, arched pathways called parodoi or eisodoi let actors and the chorus come in and go out.

The word "theatre" came to mean the whole area including the seats, the orchestra, and a backdrop called the skené. The theatron seats started as wooden benches but later used stone blocks. The skené was a background for performances and a place for actors to change clothes. Over time, it became a stone wall with doors and even upper levels. The orchestra was where the chorus and actors performed, and it sometimes had a raised stage. The design of these theatres helped actors' voices carry to everyone, even in the farthest seats.

Masks

The Ancient Greeks used masks, called prosopon, in their theatres, especially during festivals for the god Dionysus in Athens. These masks were important in their ceremonies and shows. We know about them from old paintings, like the Pronomos vase, which shows actors getting ready for a satyr play. The masks were made from materials like linen, leather, wood, or cork.

Masks covered the whole face and head, with holes for the eyes and a small opening for the mouth. They helped actors play different characters, including women and others. The masks had big, clear faces to show emotions to the audience in large outdoor theatres. Actors also wore special shoes: tall boots for serious plays and thin shoes for funny ones. Costumes were colourful and showed a character’s status, with rich fabrics for important people. Most of what we know about these costumes comes from paintings, since the real clothes and masks did not survive over time.

Tragic Comic Masks Hadrian's Villa mosaic