GREEK THEATRE

THE BIRTHPLACE OF

WESTERN DRAMA

First Definite Record of Drama in Greece: 534 B.C.

Contest for Best Tragedy instituted

Winner of first contest is Thespis, who also acted in the performance

Actors today are known as “Thespians”, in honor of the first known Greek actor.

“HYPOKRITE”

GREEK WORD FOR ACTOR, MEANS “WEARER OF MASKS”

CHORUS

•Ranged in number from 50 to 15 Athenian citizens, not professional actors.

• Offer a sense of rich spectacle, important background and summary information that facilitates an audience's ability to follow the live performance; they provide commentary about and underline main themes animating the action, and they model an ideal audience’s response to the unfolding drama. 

CHORUS

It was the rhythmic dance and chants of the chorus, positioned always to mediate the physical space separating audience and actor, that evoked the visionary experience that was the very essence of tragedy.

GREEK CHORUS Choral songs were divided into stanzas: strophe

(turn), antistrophe (turn the other way), and epode (added song) that were sung while the chorus moved or danced.

While singing or chanting the strophe the chorus moved from left to right; while singing the antistrophe they moved from right to left.

GREEK THEATRE STRUCTURES

“Amphitheatres” Built onto hillsides Originally temporary

wooden structures, later made of stone

Were considered a form of temple

Some held up to 30,000 spectators

Parts of a Greek Theatre ORKESTRA: circular

acting space at center, translates as “dancing place”

THEATRON: (thay-AH-tron)

Spectator seating; “seeing place”

SKENE: (SKAY-nay) Stage building behind orkestra; where we get the words “scene” and “scenery”

SKENE

STAGE HOUSE: provides scenic background, a place to change costumes, place to exit

Had one to three doors May have been raised up

off ground level Developed a second

story in later years

Side View: Orkestra and Theatron

Orkestra with Skene

Teatron

Ancient Greek Masks Masks were used for two

reasons:– 1. To help the audience,

especially those seated far from the stage, understand the dominant emotion of the character in the scene.

– 2. The structure of the mask acted as a megaphone to help the actor’s voice project.

GREEK PLAYWRIGHTS

Only 5 playwrights and 45 plays survive Early “plays” were no more than a

discourse between one actor (“Protagonist”) and the chorus.

Later a second actor was added (“Antagonist”)

SOPHOCLES: 496-406 B.C. Considered greatest Greek

dramatist, wrote tragedies Created the Third Actor which

reduced the importance of the chorus in presentation of the plot

More concerned with human relationships than religious issues

Wrote The Oedipus Cycle, known as the Theban Plays