Greek Theater

How Greek Theater Started: 1. Greek Theater originated around 700 B.C. 2. It was originally a celebration of thanks to Dionysus, the god of wine and agriculture 3. Festival was called "City Dionysia" and it took place in Athens, the greek capital of that time 4. People started to write plays about topics not related to mythology 5. Formed three basic genres: Tragedy (Stories with tragic endings), Comedy (humorous tales), Saytrs (tales of greek mythology)

A statue of Aristotle

Greek Playwrights and Actors: 1. Well-known tragedy playwrights were: Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus 2. Well-known comedy playwrights were:Aristophanes and Menander 3. Aristotle, a famous philosopher, was the very first literary critic 4. Thespis was the first person to stand in front of a crowd and speak alone 5. Today, in his honor, actors are called Thespians

Theater Arcitecture: 1. Theaters were usually located in hilly areas 2. They were outdoors and often in a circular shape 3. A famous theater that still stands today is The Theatre of Epidaurus 4. The Theatre of Epiduaus is known for its perfect shape and great engineering 5. All theaters had a large circular area called an 'orchestra' 6. That was where the actors spoke their lines and moved about 7. All theaters had skenes, which were little buildings where the actors changed masks during performances

This is The Theatre of Epidaurus

Comedy and Tragedy Masks

Greek TheaterBy: Jacob Mielczarek

This is a statue of Thespis