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Yet the indispensable appurtenance
of an actor was his mask. ‘His’ is
salient in this context; an actor who
spoke was always male. Mimes, on the
other hand, could be either male or
female. If a female character had a
speaking part, then a man played that
part, one inescapable reason for the
prevalence of masks. Masks were
generally made of linen, cork or wood.
The movements of the performers
were stately and formal for the most
part. This, combined with the emphasis
on the voice, might lead us to align the
performances of Greek drama more
closely to opera than to modern drama.
The aulos was the most popular
musical instrument of ancient Greek
theatre. The aulos had two pipes and a
reed mouthpiece. It most closely
resembles a clarinet or an oboe.
The chorus was a group (of men)
who sang and danced. Their role was
important: the frameworks of the
comedies were built around the
movements of the chorus.
Parodos - the chorus enters the stage
The front row of stone seats of the theatre of Dionysus, Athens. In the centre is the
Parabasis - the chorus moves
special throne for the priest of Dionysus.
forward to speak directly to the
audience. Variations on the use of a The judges of the City Dionysia, outdoors. The main body or auditorium
chorus continued beyond Shakespeare's known as kritai, (from which critic of the theatre was called koilon. It was
time. It is a now at the margins of evolved), always sat in the front row of semicircular and built around the
theatre, surviving in some musical the theatre. There were ten judges, one orchestra (described below). The koilon
forms and Opera. chosen from each of the ten tribes of was divided into two diazoma, the
Exodos - the chorus leaves the Athens. upper and the lower. Other attributes of
stage, usually triumphantly in the case The Archon effectively ran the City an archetypal theatre were:
of a comedy. Dionysia. The citizens chose him every Seating
Agon - a contest, a critical moment year from one of nine magistrates and At first the seats were wooden.
of confrontation between the chorus he in turn chose the poets whose plays Later, the better theatres provided stone
and one of the main actors. would be performed. It was common benches. The layout was usually a
for an archon to be assisted by a priest semicircular format, built into a hillside
PROTOCOLS due to the religious content of many of around the orchestra. The front row of
A few days before the Dionysia, a the plays. It was the priest's role to seats was typically 15m. to 25m. away
ceremony known as the Proagon took organise the rituals. from the acting area. The back row
place to announce the program of The Archon also selected a number might be 80m.away.
events. The first day of the Dionysian of wealthy citizens to help finance the The theatre of Dionysus in Athens
festival was a public holiday. In a spirit plays. It may seem odd, but these had 80 tiers of seats, with six specialty
of benevolence, prisoners were allowed positions, equivalent to those of seats, the proedria in the front row.
out of jail for the day to enjoy the sponsors today, were much coveted. It These were labelled with the names of
festivities! was a bestowal of honour to become a important persons such as the archon,
Winners at the Dionysia were choregos. The word choregoi refers to a priest, city officials and ambassadors.
crowned with ivy, a plant sacred to collective group of financiers. The In the centre of the front row was a
Dionysus. choregoi paid for the chorus, the throne for the priest of Dionysus.
When the festival ended, it was not musicians, the masks, the costumes and Other areas were set aside for city
uncommon for an assembly to be held the props. They even paid for the post councillors and soldiers. Soldiers were
in the theatre. This provided an performance party. Perhaps a chorus of duty bound to attend certain
opportunity to discuss all that had taken 15 was the limit of their generosity. performances so that they might learn
place. from the mistakes of the characters
THE THEATRE
One tradition of that time, the loss portrayed.
The theatre (Greek theatron, Latin
of which is not lamented, is that of The theatre of Dionysus held
theatrum) was supported by the state,
purifying the theatre prior to a approximately 17,000 spectators.
and admission was generally free. A
performance by the sacrifice of a pig! The outstanding theatres of the day
theatre, unlike an Odeia, was always
28 2006 CINEMARECORD