Ancient Greek Theater

Today, New York's Broadway is regarded as the epicenter of the theater world. A place where the stories told on stage serve as entertainment and important social commentary. But the story of theater really begins over 2,000 years ago in ancient Athens. The first Greek theaters were semi-circular, open-air structures, often built into the base of mountains. They consisted of an orchestra, the main stage where the action took place, a scheme, the backstage area, and the theatron, where the audience would sit. It's thought that women sometimes attended the theater, but they were never allowed to perform. Even in plays like Antigone, which has a female protagonist, men played all of the roles. The Dionysus Eleutherius is the oldest theater in Greece. It was named after Dionysus, the Greek god of the arts. Every year, it held a festival where plays would be judged by a panel of spectators. Two popular types of plays were tragedies and comedies. Famous playwrights who wrote tragedies, like Sophocles, used Greek mythology to explore their characters' flaws and inspired the audience to think about their own behavior. Famous comedians, like Aristophanes, used satire and wit to poke fun at the city's political leaders. The chorus was an important part of ancient Greek plays. Up to 50 performers spoke, sung, or danced in unison and commented on the action to help the audience understand what was going on and how to feel about it. Cranes would often hoist actors into the air to simulate flight and add to the sense of drama. In a democracy like Athens, theater provided a safe space where artists and audiences could come together and talk about their society. The state even paid for citizens to attend plays so they could learn more about the important issues they explored. Greek tragedies and comedies continue to inspire theater and other forms of entertainment today. Have you seen a play whose message stayed with you?