How different were Greek theatres to modern theatres

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Fred Speight

How different were Greek theatres to modern theatres

Theatre today as in ancient Greek times is a popular from of entertainment. Today’s theatres share many similarities with the Greek predecessors however they are also very different. There are in fact many differences for example; layout, special effects, seating arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location and architectural features.

        

In ancient Greece festivals were mainly held at the Great Dionysia. This was the oldest theatre in Greece and many plays were performed here for example the first performance of Antigone. The patron of the theatre was the God Dionysus and there was a temple near which was dedicated in his honour. There was also a statue of the patron Goddess Athene. Today there is no link between religion and theatre, as we live in a multi-cultural society with people who follow many different faiths; therefore the theatre is secular to appeal to all people.

First I will discus the various aspects of ancient Greek theatre then compare with today’s modern version of theatre. Today it is widely believed that theatre first began in ancient Greece, the evidence people used to come to this conclusion was from ancient Greek plays, Greek art and architecture.

Orchestra

The diagram on the right shows the layout of a typical Greek theatre. The circular area in the middle of the theatre is called the orchestra. In ancient Greek times this area would have been used for dancing and where the ‘chorus’ would sing and perform. A ‘chorus’ was a group of people who would play a major part in ancient plays often describing scenes much like a modern narrator. In modern theatres today we do not have a chorus, as it would obscure the view of the play and maybe set the wrong atmosphere as modern audiences are less willing to suspend their disbelief and want things to be as realistic as possible. However we do have an area today where the orchestra sits but it is often beneath, behind or to the side of the stage so it is out of the way. The orchestra today performs music only and has a different meaning than to ancient times where it described an actual area. In ancient times in the centre of the orchestra there stood a statue of the patron God Dionysus. This was here to remind people who the theatre was in honour of. Sometimes in ancient times the plots of plays contained religious rituals and ceremonies which were performed at the altar. Today we do not have altars in our theatres as not all people who go to theatres follow the same religion so it would not attract diverse audiences.  There is no link today between religion and theatre like in modern times for instance Dionysus the God of drama who had many religious festivals dedicated towards him.

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Image of the ruins of the theatre of Dionysus – in the forefront you can see the skene

Seating

In ancient Greek theatres the seating was arranged in a semi-circle and curve down into the centre following the natural shape of the hillside. There are many modern theatres which are arranged in this way however many have the whole audience directly opposite the stage like in a cinema. Seats in ancient Greek theatres would have been ...

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