Theatrical roots in the World: European theatre in Ancient Greece

By Olufunmilola Oludare

Theatre of Epidaurus, Athens.

Entertainment is one of the things our world thrives on. Fortunately for us inhabitants of the earth, entertainment is our coat of many colours, it comes in various forms, giving spice to our lives.

A theatre is a collective form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors and actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined account of events before a live audience in a specific place, which is often a stage. The performers communicate this experience to the audience through gesture, speech, song, music, and dance combinations. It is the oldest form of drama, though live theatre has now been joined by modern recorded forms. Elements of art, such as painted scenery and stagecraft such as lighting are used to enhance the physicality, presence and immediacy of the experience.

Greek theatre, most developed in Athens, is the root of the Western tradition; theatre is a word of Greek origin. It was part of a broader culture of theatricality and performance in classical Greece that included festivals, religious rituals, politics, law, athletics and gymnastics. Participation in the city-state’s many festivals and attendance at the City Dionysia as an audience member was an important part of citizenship. The theatre of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play.

The beginnings of theatre are unknown but, it dates back as far as 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment, and theatrical elements in other activities. However, there are several theories, including the Ritualist theory, suggesting theatre began with religious rituals which became performative. The Great Man theory posits that one person’s genius can be attributed to the origin of the art form. The storytelling theory posits that theatre evolved as a way to enhance storytelling through impersonation and portraying experiences of personified persons. There is no evidence to prove any of these, or several other theories, as the true and correct origin point for theatre; however, the Ritualist theory is the most often accepted, although some questionable research methods were employed.

Athenian tragedy is a type of play that started in ancient Athens around the 6th century BC. It was a big part of the city's theatre culture and was performed during festivals to honour the god Dionysos. Only a few of these plays still exist today, and they were written by famous playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Most of these plays are about stories from Greek mythology, but one exception is "The Persians," which is about a real event in history. The philosopher Aristotle later wrote about these plays and their meaning. Athenian comedy also had three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, and New Comedy. We still have some plays from Old Comedy, but most of the Middle Comedy is lost. New Comedy is known from fragments of plays by Menander. 

Unarguably, the confines of theatre designs and concepts in general have expanded beyond the ancient ones of Athens. There have been various improvements and modifications. However, a lot of entertainment businesses are still very much in the old fashion of amphitheatre designs, open-air venues and the like. What’s more to say? The past has blended in well with the present and it is a commendable and welcome development.

Source: lionhearttheatre.org