The Ancient Greek Theatre

( http://resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/creating/justice/pages/greektheatre.htm )
The Ancient Greek Theatre


The Greek theatre was built in a very large space held for spectators up to 17,000.  The Thearon Is what the area is called where the audience would be seated. The arena was in the shape of a horseshoe and the seats were tiered. This type of theatre is called and amphitheatre.  There was a circular area which was on the ground level known as the Orchestra which was where the chorus members would dance and be stood.  In the centre was the Thymele which was an altar and sacrifices were made, it was also used for props as well. To the side of the Orchestra which formed the open end to the Thearon was then the Skene which was of a wooden structure. This area was the dressing rooms for actors to get changed. The outside look to it was to try and resemble the look of a palace and was used for the purpose of a backdrop to the play.

The 3 doors to the Skene were also used for entrances and exits. The Proscenium was the levelled area in front of the skene where most of the acting and action of the play took place.

The actors performed in big costumes and masks which emphasised the characters emotions. Because they were so big this meant that people in the huge space of the auditorium would then be able to see the expression of the mask which could be seen far better from a distance rather than facial expressions. All cast members were male meaning that the masks also played a big role in creating the characters of both genders and all ages for all the male characters to perform.

The Chorus:

The chorus was a very important part of Greek, tragedy. It often consisted of 15 men whose role was to sing and dance in the orchestra as part of the tragic action that was going on in the play.
 The word choros meant ‘the act of dancing'. The dialogue between the chorus and the characters was very common in the plays and proved to be dramatically very effectively.

Tragedies were part of religious festivals and the large mass of  voices of the chorus were very appropriate for public worship. The singing was very commonly in unison, and the dancing was believed to follow the same rhythm of the songs. The tragic chorus played an important role in furthering the narration of the play and it was it could relate events that had happened prior to the action of the play, and by doing this it often placed events in a broader time span as it could also add religious or historical background to specific events that have happened during or prior to the play.

The singing of the chorus  was also a good way to give the actors time to change costumes or masks between the scenes.