Theatre History: Antiquity

where the chorus sings and dance, Greek for "dancing place"
has usually a diameter of 78 feet
started around 532 BC when Thespis was the earliest known actor

first of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays can still be read or performed
he expanded the number of characters in plays to allow for conflict amongst them

"the vehicle" in this Greek playhouse which "wheeled out" dead bodies and other bulky props and set pieces from the stage house
wheeled out through a skene
used mainly in tragedies

ancient Greek form of tragicomedy
similar to bawdy satire of burlesque
variety of Athenian drama
traced back to 500 BC

Greek theaters can fit around 15k-30k on inlaid stone blocks
using stone instead of wood around 499 BC

one of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived
first plays written later than Aeschylus and earlier or contemporary with those of Euripides
he wrote 123 plays during his life but only 7 have survived completely

the date comedy was introduced to the City Dionysia in Athens

one of three great tragedians of classical Athens
92-95 plays are attributed to him (18 currently exist)
theatrical innovations; traditional mythical heroes as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances

The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies followed by a satyr play, all by one author, to be played in one sitting at the Dionysia as part of a competition

second most important character after the protagonist in a work of literature
credited to Aeschylus in Aristotle's Poetics (335 BC)

one who plays the first part, chief actor
main character (central or primary personal figures) of a theatrical narrative who enters conflict because of the antagonist
begain with Aeschylus expanding the amount of people in his plays

someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art
acting a story through body motions without use of speech
first recorded in Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes (467 BC)

the background building to which the platform stage was connected
costume storage, periaktoi were connected
developed in 465 BC by playwrights

an Old comic playwright of ancient Athens
eleven/thirty plays survive virtually complete, as well as fragments of his other plays
he defines the genre of Old Comedy
recreates the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author

annual Athenian festival with dramatic competition
the lesser festivals of Athens
took place in the month of Ganelion (Janurary)
in honor of Dionysus Lenaios (another name for the Maenads)

annual Athenian festival with dramatic competition
the lesser festivals of Athens
took place in the month of Ganelion (Janurary)
in honor of Dionysus Lenaios (another name for the Maenads)

"God from the machine"
plot device whereby a seemingly unsoluable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object
used mainly by Euripides, in Medea

Greek word that gave term for "tragedy", means "he goat song"
335 BC: Aristotle provides the earliest explanation for the origin of the art form

the high, thick-soled boot worn in Athenian tragedy
used by tragic Hellenistic Greek actors to make them larger than life
used during Hellenistic period (323-30BC)

was situation comedy and comedy of manners