In the city Dionysia there was a great theater festival in honor of Dionysus. It was every March, and lasted for 4 days. 17 plays were performed in the course of those 4 days. It was a major deal, everybody went. The city even gave money to the poor so that they too could go to the festival. Prizes were givin to the best plays after the festival.
Three Types of Plays:
Actors:
Believe it or not actors in the plays were not professionals! They only had to be good Athenian citizens. Actors wore masks and fancy costumes. And only men could act, even if there was a womans part. Only 3 speaking parts were allowed at a time, although there could be more than 3 people on stage. The Chorus usually accompainied the actors. They sang, danced, and give background information between scenes. They were usually joined by a man playing a double flute.
Audience:
The audiences back then were not very nice or polite. They ate during the play, and shouted if they liked what was going on. If they didn't like it they would throw rotton food at the stage or boo/hiss.
Three Types of Plays:
- Tragities- Sad and serious. They were normally formed from myths.
- Satyr- Based off of myths and usually funny. They featured the mythical creature satyr.
- Comedies- About the real world & myths. They usually poked fun about a famous person or leader. There were lots of rude jokes and are a funny play.
Actors:
Believe it or not actors in the plays were not professionals! They only had to be good Athenian citizens. Actors wore masks and fancy costumes. And only men could act, even if there was a womans part. Only 3 speaking parts were allowed at a time, although there could be more than 3 people on stage. The Chorus usually accompainied the actors. They sang, danced, and give background information between scenes. They were usually joined by a man playing a double flute.
Audience:
The audiences back then were not very nice or polite. They ate during the play, and shouted if they liked what was going on. If they didn't like it they would throw rotton food at the stage or boo/hiss.