1. Roman Theatre 650B.C.-475A.D. Fall of Rome (Based on unifying of city states and change in leadership)

2. Roman Empire

3. Background ► Plays a retelling of Greek Plays ► Prologue told entire story for the uneducated audience ► Often plot explain further for audience within the play ► Upper class often spread out throughout the empire and not located in Roman, audience often lower class and barbarians.

4. Significant People ► A. Pompey huge auditorium “temple” ► B. Caeser-two theatres that revolved into a amphitheatre for chariot races and gladiatorial contests

5. Playwrights ► Plautus and Terence  Comic writers ► Seneca  Tragic writer Plays appeal to the lowest elements

6. Plautus

7. Seneca

8. Theatre Architecture ► Added to Greek-three storied wall filled with carvings and statues ► Awnings over audience and later permanent wooden roofs ► Front curtain-trough in the floor

9. Roman Comic Performers

10. Roman Theatre Skene expanded to decorative wall with doors

11. Terms: Types of Entertainment (purpose to keep the general audience happy and occupied) ► Chariot Races ► Gladiator Contests ► Naumachiaes ► Venationes: Animals in the Arena - lions, elephants, bears, deer, wild goats, dogs, snakes and camels.

12. Arena ► Wood floor is no longer present. ► Floor could be removed and lower area flooded for sea battles!

13. 3 subterranean levels

14. Circus Maximus

19. Various categories of Gladiators

20. Important Terms cont. ► Claque-person paid to arouse audience to clap and shout

22. Significant Events ► Roman’s crude drama replaced Greek plays with translations and adaptions ► Frowned upon by upper class and Senate-so lower class=entertainment (demanded spectacle and vulgarity)

23. Street Scene

24. ► Plays performed for holidays which numbered up to 175 ► Fall of Rome-church banned theatre (dormant on continent- in India and the Orient it flourished

25. The End!