Greek Theatre Research Paper

1666 Words7 Pages
The Ancient Greeks were a very cultural group of people, with magnificent sculptures, complex belief systems as well as great architectural skills. But their greatest achievement isn’t any of these, it’s their thoughtful ideas that went into the theater that give them a standing ovation every time. Theaters flourished at approximately the sixth century BCE in the culturally-rich city of Athens. Originally, theaters were used for religious purposes. According to PBS, a Greek ruler named Pisistratus established a festival named the “City Dionysia” at around the sixth century BCE to commemorate Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility and wine (The Origins of Theatre-The First Plays). In other words, the concept of theatre derived from the Greek…show more content…
According to Crystalinks, the Greek theaters were “large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills” (Greek Theatre - Crystalinks). What this means is that the manner in which theatres were built in Ancient Greece, differs from the manner in which theatres are built in modern day. This is significant because it implies that theatres in Ancient Greece were constructed to hold a very large amount of people, since many visited these theatres to watch these performances and take part in the City Dionysia festival. These Greek structures consisted of four main parts: the orchestra, theatron, skene, and parados, each built to serve its own purpose. For instance, the theatron was built for the spectators to see the act taking place in the orchestra (Ancient Greek Theater). Furthermore, skenes were utilized for the storage of materials and visuals backstage, whereas the parados were used as an entrance and exit for the chorus (Ancient Greek Theater). What this means is that a great deal of thought was put into the architecture of these structures that placed a foundation on Greek entertainment.This is significant because it shows that the ancient Greeks were able to build their theater in a systematic way to satisfy their needs. All in all, the creation of theatres were one of the major cultural achievements of ancient…show more content…
Ancient Greek theaters were very much open, largely bowl shaped or sloped, allowing around 10,000-15,000 people to sit in the audience. According to CNR.edu it states, “The acoustics in this theater, however, are magnificent, and words spoken very softly in the orchestra can be heard in the top rows (as long as your neighbors are quiet).” This means, the audio parts such as the music and dialogue are clearly audible. Even from the top rows, the audience can clearly hear the music and dialogue, which proves how much the Greeks emphasized sound in the theater. Sight was also an essential part in theater where the audience is able to see many detailed visuals. The audience was able to see that, “All the actors were men or boys. Dancers and singers, called the chorus, performed on a flat area called the orchestra.”(BBC Greek Arts and Theater 1) In other words, the audience can see an all male cast, as well as a chorus made up of dancers and singers. This implies, the audience to observe the elaborate costumes, movements and dances of the actors and chorus. However, since the seating arrangement was a slope-like structure, “in reality actors and chorus would look rather small even from seats only part-way up, and from the top rows one would see mostly colors and patterns of movement rather any details of costuming or masks.”(College of New Rochelle: Theater 1) This meant those
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