1. Ancient Greek Theatre

2. Greek Theatre began in the 5th Century B.C.E.
It honors the Greek God Dionysus; He is the God of wine, fertility and merrymaking
First Actor was Thespis, that is why we get the term thespian for actors
There are 3 types of plays done in Ancient Greece: Tragedy, Comedy and Satyr

3. All Plays Have a Chorus The chorus sang, danced and recited lines
Chorus contained anywhere from people
Said their lines and moved in unison
Provided background information on the main characters, commented on the action of the play and described the action that happens offstage
Chorus represented the “common people”

4. Theatre Building hold 15,000 to 17,000 audience members
Theatron- “viewing place” where the audience sits
Orchestra- playing area for the actors
Skene- scene building, where the scenery is
Parados- entrance

6. Costumes All performers wore masks
This helped actors play different roles and the audience to identify different characters
In wearing masks, actors had to really use projection and their bodies
Costumes consisted of a tunic and some sort of long or short cloak