2. Review…  What was the name of the Festival dedicated to the God of Wine?  Who was Thespis? Why was he important?  What is Tragedy?  What is Comedy?

3. Greek Amphitheatres  Often seated 14,000 – 30,000 people to watch one performance  Had no electronic lights or sound equipment to help the actors  Was a “thrust” stage  The audience sat on three sides on the stage instead of just one  All performances done on this outdoor stage (had no roof)

4. Greek Amphitheatre

5. Thrust Stage

6. The Stories  All of the plays were based on Greek Myths  The audience already knew the story and the characters  Each story was meant to teach a lesson (moral)  Normally about how to be a good person or what would happen if you were NOT a good person

7. Being an Actor in Ancient Greece  Could only be male  Actors played many different parts (both male and female characters)  Only three actors, plus the chorus (had 50 people)  Wore very large costumes and masks to help show the audience their characters

8. Greek Masks  Masks were a very important part of Greek theatre  At first the masks were small but eventually, as theatres increased in size, the mask changed as well  The mask then began to cover the whole head and look like legends from Greek mythology, not humans

9. Greek Masks

10. Three Reasons for Masks 1. Characterization and Visibility:  Masks helped the audience (who was sitting so far away) see who the characters were  Masks had exaggerated facial features which helped to express the main emotion of each character

11. 2. Sound Assistance:  The mouths of the masks acted as MEGAPHONES, which increased the volume of the actor’s voice 3. Lack of Actors  There was only three actors to play ALL of the different characters in each play  Masks helped actors change characters very quickly

12. Mask Making  Were made by the actors who wore them  Made from cloth, leather and/or wood and covered in dye, animal hair, leaves, flowers and even jewels  Covered the whole head and face

13. What problems did Greek Actors have to overcome? The Stage? The Masks?