WORD SEARCH

A B C D E F G H I J
1 M S S A T Y R I C E
 Mask
2 A X C A T U T Q Y R  Dionysus
3 S D R V R I W C D S  Tragedy
 Theatron
4 K G E B A L A A E K  Comedy
 Satyric
5 J H W D G K V S M E  Skene

6 K K T H E A T R O N
7 D J A D D J Z O C E
8 D I O N Y S U S D V
Western Classical
Plays and Opera
History of Ancient
Greek Theater
 Greek theater
•European theater began in Ancient Greece. ​
•It began around 700 B.C. with festivals
honoring their many gods​
•Dionysus.‖ The city-state of Athens was the
center of a significant cultural, political, and
military power during this period and where the
festivals and competitions were usually performed. ​
Dionysus
God of Fertility and Wine
Dionysus was the god of fertility and
wine, later considered a patron of the
arts. He created wine and spread the
art of viticulture. He had a dual
nature; on one hand, he brought joy
and divine ecstasy; or he would bring
brutal and blinding rage.
 Ancient Theater​
700 B.C.E.-410 C.E. 
Parts of an Ancient Greek Theater
Orchestra was the space where the chorus would sing and
dance. An altar dedicated to Greek Gods was usually found
in the center of these orhestras.
Theatron is the area where the spectators were seated,
constructed on a hillside overlooking orchestra.
Parodos The parodos is a large passageway affording access either to
the stage (for actors) or to the orchestra (for the chorus) of the ancient
Greek theater.

Skene was the structure directly behind the orchestra.

Elements of an Ancient Greek
Theater Play

• Movement, gesture, and dance

• Sound and music
• Costume
• Mask
• Make-up
 Gestures and
Movements:
Facial expression
was of no
importance to
Greek actors, since
they were always
masked.
Costumes:
Men wore loose floor length poncho with pleated
shoulder while
Females wore draped robes.
MASK
The use of masks acts to
advance the universality of
the themes and the
dramatic impact of the
events and to keep the
audience from being
distracted by the actual,
physical attributes of the
actors.
 Types of Ancient
Greek Theater Play
Tragedy
• A tragic play imitates significant actions,
emotions and life itself.
• There should be action which can be delivered
through dialogic parts.
• An important part of the tragedy is the orderly
arrangement of incidents – it should have a
beginning, middle, and end.
Comedy
• The word comedy derives from the word “Comus”
which is the Greek God of laughter, joke and revelry.
• Early comedies consisted of mocking and loose
lyrics.
• Performers ridiculed situations and people criticized
wickedness, greed, corruption prevalent in Greek
society.
• The goal was to show audience the values of their
ancestors to convey message of returning to old
tradtion.
Satyric Drama
• A form of tragicomedy that is lighter than a
tragedy and heavier than a comedy.
(comparable in spirit to a vulgar satire)
• It features a chorus of satyrs, and the stories
were inspired by Greek mythology.
• Unabashed sexuality, sight gags, pranks, mock
drunkenness, and general revelry
characterized these plays.
Famous Greek Plays
Oedipus Rex
• This plays follows a
cursed family whose
members try to escape
their fate. Oedipus the
main character is told
by an oracle that he
will kill his father and
sleep with his mother.
Prometheus Bound
• This is based on the
myth of Titan
Prometheus who
was punished by
Zeus for introducing
fire to mankind.
Medea
• This play featuring Medea
and Jason is considered
by many as the early
feminist text. In addition
to misogny, it also
touches on issues that
still relevant today such
as love, passion, betrayal,
vengence, racism, and
justice.
Lysistrata
• This comedy about the
Peloponnesian war has
more than entertainment
value, it also exposes the
sexual politics that
dominated the
patriarchal society of
ancient Greece.
Why is Theater art
so important?
Theater arts helps us to see a
different perspective from our
own. We're shown humanity,
psychology, motivations,
conflict and resolution. We as
the audience get to witness the
trajectory of persons other than
ourselves. It promotes us to give
power to truth, to take risks and
to advocate for new and diverse
voices.