Name:

Period:
Date:

Greek and Roman History of Drama

The Greeks
Origins
Dionysus
God of wine and fertility (402)
City Dionysia
Occurred in March and lasted 5-6 days
Athens, Greece
Featured a contest of 4 playwrights
Each day there was a trilogy of performances: 3 tragedies and 1 comedy (to
lighten the mood at the end) (402)
Lenaea Festival
Another Dionysia festival held in February that consisted of mainly comedies instead
of tragedy (403)
Audience
Business would be suspended so that EVERYONE could attend. The state would pay
the ticket fee for those who could not afford to attend. (402)

Theatre Architecture
Physical Description
Placed into the side of a
mountain, half-circle in
shape, tiered stone seats.
Skene
Small building behind the
stage (orchestra) for
costume changes (402)
Theatron
Audience seating (402)
Orchestra
Circular space at the foot
of the hill, essentially the
stage (402)
Parodos
Space used for the
entrance and exit of
chorus and other cast
1

members (409)

Costumes and Set

Costumes
Description
Greek attire; included masks and elaborately-patterned fabrics. (404)

Chalmys (405)
Also Called:
Short cloak

Himation (405)
Also Called:
Mantel

Chiton (405)
Also Called:
Tunic

Set
Description
Outdoors, limited props and scenery (405)

Pinakes
Scenery painted on boards (405)
Periaktois
Triangular prisms that revolve, in which pinakes are affixed and allow for scene
changes (405)
Ecyclema
Small wagon that was used in performances to wheel in dead bodies. Death
had to happen off-stage and announced later. (405)

Production
Actors
Only males were allowed to act (402)
Rhetorical
Questions were often posed to the audience, but a response was not expected (404)
Stage Presence
Actors used broad gestures while acting and declamatory (loud) vocal style so that
audience could hear (404)
Cothurnus
Shoes that were used to make actors taller and more visible to audience (404)
Deus Ex Machina
God from the Machine; a crane that was used to raise and lower gods during a
performance (404)

The Romans
Origins
The Greek Influence
Romans took inspiration from the Greeks, taking their tragic plays and
turning them into vulgar comedies.

Audience
Only the poor went to view theater and they expected gross humor
(408)

Theatre Architecture
Physical Description
Started off as portable wagons and platforms that would travel and
small audiences would gather around.
Pompeys Influence
Built temple for plays under the guise of worship for the goddess
VENUS.
Caesars Influence
Ordered a permanent and grand playhouse that could be used for
theater and GLADITATOR FIGHTS.
3

Set and Production

Set
Description
More complex scenery was used now, so the stage set became
more complex, eventually incorporating a curtain and seats that
could easily be changed for viewing chariot races, gladiator
fights, and, naumachiaes (408)
Curtain
They were the first to use this, and it moved up and down
through the floor of the stage instead of side to side. (408)
Claque
Someone paid to begin clapping, shouting, or showing
appreciation to a play or actors. They got the audience riled up.
Production
Actors
Still only males allowed to be actors, but female slaves would
eventually be given feminine roles.

The Fall of Theatre ( in Rome )

Reasons
1. The church banned all theater activities.
2. Drama became redundant and boring. They had a performance
for every holiday and, at one point, that was 175 holidays.
3. Gladiator fights and naumachiaes became more popularthey
wanted performances with action.

The Gladiators
People enslaved by the rich to fight to the death for entertainment.

Naumachiaes
The amiptheaters and colosseums would have their stage removed
and the arena would be filled with water. Ships would be set into this
and there would be live sea battles for entertainment.