Classical Greek Drama

Background Information

Four Reasons for Theater

• Entertainment• Religion• Displaying loyalty to your city-state• Honoring local heroes

Origins

• Over the centuries, harvest dances developed into the dithyramb (dith-uh-ramb), a religious ritual performed by a chorus of men wearing masks.

The Theaters

• The first theaters were just hillsides with a few wooden benches for the important spectators.

• Then the circular dancing area, called the orchestra, was paved with stones.

• The skene (skee-knee), a rectangular building made of wood, provided changing rooms for actors and prop storage.

• Banks would shut down for days, people would travel from all around to see the drama competitions—even prisoners were temporarily released to see the plays