Greek Theatre Research and our Masked Perfomance

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Masked Performance

In the fifth and sixth centuries before the birth of Christ an ancient civilisation reached such heights of intellectual and artistic achievements that every succeeding period of western culture, from the roman empire to the twentieth century, has been heavily in it's debt, whether acknowledged or not. Those momentous years saw the beginnings of history and political theory and the development of philosophical thought. In those years architects designed the temples which have dominated our concept of civic concept of civic building ever since, and sculptors imposed on us an ideal vision of the human form which remains the point of reference even for those artists who turn against it. Not least among the achievements of this great age was the invention and perfection of an artistic medium which we take so unthinkingly for granted that we cannot imagine civilised life without it- the theatre

Greek Theatre began with festivals honouring the Greek gods. Dionysus (he was the Greek god of festivity and wine) was honoured in a festival called, "City Dionysus", in this festival men would sing songs to welcome Dionysus, but plays were only performed at the City Dionysus festival.

Athens was the