5 Century BCE Athenian Theatre - tilted-windmill.com
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5th Century BCE Athenian Theatre
Andromacha of LesbosBardic Champion – An Tir
Pronomos Vase
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Today, we will discuss the…
• What was Athenian Theatre• Where/When Athenian Theatrical
Performances took place• Genres of Athenian Drama• Production of Athenian Drama• Whose who of Athenian Playwrights
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What was Athenian Drama
• Plays performed during festivals to Dionysus– Greek God of Wine
• Contests– Playwrights– Actors
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When would the Plays take Place
• Plays would take place at festivals to Dionysus:– City Dionysia Festival
• Between March and April• Week long festival
– Lenaia Festival• Between December and January
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Where would the Plays take Place
Aerial view of the Acropolis in Athens, with the theater of Dionysos in the foreground
(Goette, n.d.)
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Genres of Athenian Drama
• Tragedy– Predominately featured during the City
Dionysia– Subject matter included:
• Divine justice• One’s place in the universe
• Satyr– Followed Tragedies of the City Dionysia– Chorus of Satyrs wandering into a myth
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Genres of Athenian Drama – Cont.
• Comedy– Predominately featured during the Lenaia
• 5 Comic Playwrights with 1 play each• 2 Tragic Playwrights with 2 plays each
– Performed the last day of the City Dionysia– Mocked politics of the time– Almost no topics were off limits
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Production of Athena Dramas
• Archon Eponymous – Oversees the City Dionysia festival; Selects the following:– Chorêgoi – Financial Producer nominated to
finance the playwright• Dionysia:
– 3 for Tragic/Satyr Playwrights– 5 for Comedic Playwrights
– Playwrights
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Production - Continued
• Chorêgoi and the Playwright discuss:– Special effects
• Mechane – flying characters• Ekkuklema – cart to roll out corpses
– Costs• Actors (not including the Playwright if he
participated)• Chorus• Unspeaking roles
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Production - Continued
– Costs – continued• Costuming – Embroidered Linen/Wool
– Could include feathers, fur, or armor depending on Chorus/Nonspeaking pieces
• Masks– Constructed out of cork, wood, linen, or leather
Greek vase depicting comic choirstersdressed as birds
Terracotta statuettes and molds for statuettes of Actors. 4th Cen B.C.E.
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MASKS
Terracotta masks were not worn by actors/chorus.
These were more than likely…
Terracotta mask 250 B.C.E.
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Masks
THEATER SWAG!!!
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Production - Continued
• Playwright had many jobs– Didaskalos (Director) of the chorus– Choreographer– Costume designer– Set designer– Actor
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Production - Continued
• Cast – All Male– Actors – played multiple roles
• Drama/Satyr – 1 to 3 actors per playwright– Performed all four plays for the City Dionysia Festival
• Comedy – 1 to 3 actors– Chorus
• Drama/Satyr – 12 to 15 choral members• Comedy - up to 24 choral members
– Musicians – aulos, lyre, tambourine– Non-speaking roles
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Production - Continued
• Literacy amongst the actors and chorus was not guaranteed
• Theorized playwright read play out loud to cast to memorize
• Dramas started off as an idea; final product was a collaborative effort by all
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Whose who… Drama
Aeschylus
c. 525 – c. 456 BCE
Sophocles
c. 496 – c. 406 BCE
Euripides
c. 484 – 407 BCE
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Whose who… Drama - Continued
Aeschylus• Earliest
surviving playwright
• Served in Navy and Army
• 90 plays written
• 7 Survived• Only
surviving trilogy
Sophocles
• Most successful playwright• Highly
political figure
• 123 play written
• 7 Survived
Euripides
• Not as well known
• 120 plays written
• 19 survived• Only surviving
Satyr Play• Used mostly
“female” protagonists
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Whose who… Comedy
Aristophanesc. 460 – 380 BCE• Not much is
known• Only
surviving examples of Old Comedy
• 11 Survived
Cratinusc. 523/21 -
423/21 BCE• 21 – 29 extant plays
Died around 410 BCE• 19 extant
plays
Eupolis
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Questions? Comments?
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Picture References
[Photograph of Pronomos Vase]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.historyoftheancientworld.com/2015/08/the-transformation-of-athenian-theatre-culture-around-400-bc/
[Photograph of the Acropolis].(n.d.). H.R. Goette. Retrieved from http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/ancient-greek-theaters-seen-from-the-sky/
[Photograph of Greek Vase]. (n.d.). M.Damen. Retrieved from http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/ClasDram/chapters/081earlygkcom.htm
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Picture References
[Photograph of terracotta statuettes]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.agathe.gr/democracy/theater.html
[Photograph of terracotta mask].(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.agathe.gr/democracy/theater.html
[Photograph of Aeschylus]. (2015). C. Raddato. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/image/4335
[Photograph of Sophocles]. (2013). M. Cartwright. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/image/1443
[Photograph of Euripides]. (2015). Jastrow. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/image/3761
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References
Adkins, L., & Adkins, R. (2005). Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece. New York: Facts On File.
Brooke, I. (1962). Costume in Greek Classic Drama. New York: Theatre Arts.
Cartwright, M. (2013). Ancient Greek Comedy. Ancient History Encyclopedia.Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/amp/1-11834/
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References
Cartwright, M. (2013). Aristophanes. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/Aristophanes/
Green, J. R. (1994). Theatre in Ancient Greek Society. London: Routledge.
León, V. (2007) Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns, and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World. New York: Walker.
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References
Lloyd, J. (2015). The Plays of Cratinus. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu/article/794/
McLeish, K., & Griffiths, T. R. (2003). A Guide to Greek Theatre and Drama. London: Methuen Drama
Sacks, D., & Brody, L.R. (2005). Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World. In O. Murray (Ed.). New York: Facts On File