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Greek Theatre. 400-500 B.C. Greece as a respected world power. Greeks had fought many wars to become a strong nation. People in other countries modeled their lives after the Greeks. Greeks believed that actors, musicians, & poets were as important as judges, doctors, teachers, & priests.
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Greek Theatre 400-500 B.C.
Greece as a respected world power • Greeks had fought many wars to become a strong nation. • People in other countries modeled their lives after the Greeks. • Greeks believed that actors, musicians, & poets were as important as judges, doctors, teachers, & priests. • Many actors & poets used their influence in politics, the military, and religion. http://www.balkanology.com/greece/index.html http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/3332/42/
The Greek Stage • Ampitheatre – Outdoor theatres built on hillsides, held thousands of people. • Orchestra – Circular stage for performers. • Skene – Building behind the stage where actors changed costumes and waited for their cues to come back on stage. Equivalent to wings today. Theater of Dionysius http://classmyth.blogspot.com/2009/10/aristophanes-complete-plays.html
The Chorus • Chorus – 50 male performers. Would sing, march, and dance in a line. They’d enter into the orch. through pathways called paradosalong the sides of the skene, which is where we get “parade.” • They sang songs similar to church hymns for the Greek gods from mythology. • Greek plays that developed later were dramatic stories about great battles and problems in people’s lives. • These plays were written down for the first time. Greek Theatre Masks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_ancient_Greece
The Festival of Dionysius • Plays were performed only a few times a yr. in Athens at religious festivals honoring Dionysius, the Greek god of fertility & wine, in hopes he’d bless the Greeks with many children, rich land, and abundant crops. • An important part of the festival was the dramatic contest. It was for drama only at first. Contests for comedy were added later. • 14,000-17,000 people may have attended each festival Acropolis of Athens http://www.greece-athens.com/place.php?place_id=1
Thespis, the World’s First Actor • Thespis performed in the street for money so he could city-hop to Athens from his home island of Icaria. • He won the first contest held at the Festival of Dionysius in 534 B.C. • He was the first person to speak by himself onstage. Because of him, audiences wanted to see more solo acting. • Actors are called thespians in his honor. http://timemarcheson.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/534-bc-show-biz-is-invented-almanac-of-absurdities-for-11-23-2011/
Other Fun Facts • Other famous winners of the contests held at the Festivals of Dionysius included Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides for drama, and Aristophanes for comedy. • Of the hundreds of plays written by these famous Greek playwrights, only about forty remain today. • The type and style of theatre performed in the USA today can be traced all the way back to these ancient Greek plays given in honor of Dionysius. • Key words such as theatre, drama, tragedy, and comedy all originated with the Greeks!
Answer in Complete Sentences!! • 1.) What is the orchestra used for? • 2.) Where is the skene? • 3.) What did the Chorus do in the performances? • 4.) What took place at the Theatre of Dionysius? In what city was it located? • 5.) Who was Thespis? • 6.) What is a thespian?
