1. Roman Theatre

5. Horace 65-8 BCE Son of freed slave Father sent him to Athens and Rome for education to eventually get high government post Supported poet, was given a farm by patron Often called Rome’s Aristotle

6. Theatre of Pompey 55 BCE Before Theatre of Pompey, theatres were temporary structures Roman officials opposed theatre buildings Pompey insisted the theatre was a religious due to the shrine

7. 8,000 to 25,000 Freestanding Orchestra was semicircle and used for seating Comfort – Awnings – “air conditioning”

8. Stage Craft Plays did not require unique environments Periaktoi, auleum (front curtain) and siparium (painted backdrop) Stage too big for curtains

9. Ars Poetica/ Art of Poetry Horace was known to Renaissance scholars before Aristotle, so Horace was the basis of many theatre “rules”

10. Horace’s Rules 3 Actor Rule Don’t mix comedy and tragedy Plays should have 5 acts Gods should not be brought in to resolve a play unless absolutely necessary. Drama’s purpose is to “profit and please” or entertain and instruct.

11. Decorum – Character actions and words must fit traditional ideas of behavior for the character type Age, gender, social status, emotional state – nothing extreme or fantastical

12. Horace’s Chorus Should be used to move the action forward High moral tone Give good counsul

13. Acting Companies Local government managed festivals and hired acting troupes Unofficial competition Troupes managed by the dominus – lead actor, financier, bought scripts – Actors were called historiones – Actors may have been slaves – Actors could earn wealth and respect Aesopus and Roscius

14. Popular Entertainment Colossseum Circus Maximus