Bell Ringer
Write the following questions down on a piece of paper. You will find the answers to these questions as
we go along with the powerpoint. Please answer them along the way.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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15.
16.
What year is considered to be the beginning of theatre?
Who is Dionysus?
Roughly how many people attended the Festival of Dionysia each year?
What awards were given at the Festival?
Who is Thespis?
How did actors show that they switched characters?
How many people could the Greek theatres hold?
What are the three types of Greek plays?
Nearly all surviving Greek tragedies are based on ___________.
Who was Aristotle?
What book did Aristotle write?
What is a skene?
What is Aeschylus most famous for?
What did Aeschylus introduce?
What is Sophocles most famous for?
Name 3 of the 5 things Sophocles changed about theatre.
Learning Goal
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of the
creation of theatre.
Objective
• Students will be able to demonstrate
knowledge of Theatre History with at least
an 80% accuracy on their Powerpoint
Questions
Essential Question
• How was theatre created?
Agenda
1. Bell Ringer
2. Learning Goal/Objective/Essential
Question
3. Powerpoint
4. Powerpoint Questions
Scale
• 0 – I don’t understand anything
• 1 – With help, I understand some of what
you’re saying
• 2 – I understand the Festival of Dionysia
• 3 – I understand the important people that
created Greek theatre, the structure of the
building, and the Festival of Dionysia
• 4 – Along with all of level 3, I can interpret a
scene from a classic Greek play.
Homework
• Bring in any art supplies you may want to
use. We are doing an art project this week.
Bring whatever you may want to decorate
your mask in. (Ex – feathers, sequins,
markers, crayons, colored pencils, glitter,
jewels, construction paper, etc.)
Greek Theater
Drama was born in Ancient
Greece!
• 600s B.C. – Estimated date of the creation
of theatre.
• This began from the Greeks giving choral
performances of
dancing and singing
Dionysus
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Greek God of Wine and Harvest
Believed to have invented wine.
Performances began at festivals honoring Dionysus
Over 15,000 people attended these yearly festivals
Theatre was only performed at these festivals, and it
was so important to the ancient Greeks that prisoners
would be released from jail temporarily, so they
could also attend.
Festival of Dionysus
• Tragedies performed as part of a civic
celebration called the City Dionysia
• Festival lasted several days
• Prizes given for best tragedy, comedy,
acting, and choral singing
Thespis (534 B.C.)
• 1st known Greek actor
• Defined theater
• art of acting a part on stage
• dramatic impersonation of another character
than yourself
• Actors today are called Thespians in his
honor
Greek Theater
• Actors change roles by changing their masks
• In Greek drama the function of the orchestra is were the chorus of man and
boys performed
• Greeks build their theaters on hillsides. Could hold 20,000 people!
• Players included a chorus and their leader
• In Greek drama the chorus told the story through chanted lines.
• Chorus performed in an “orchestra”, not on a raised platform
Types of Greek plays
• Tragedies – character suffers a disastrous
end
• Comedies – dramas with happy endings
• Satyr – plays that made fun of great legends
Sad
Happy
Greek Tragedies
• Nearly all surviving tragedies are based on myth
• Character’s struggle against hostile forces ended in defeat
and ultimately (most of the time) in death
• Episodes performed by a few actors - never more than 3
on stage
• Wore masks to indicate the nature of the characters
played.
• Men played women’s roles
• Same actor appeared in several parts.
• Of the hundreds of Greek tragedies written, fewer than
35 survive.
Aristotle
• 1st known literary critic
• Wrote a book about theater call The Poetics
• This book as well as his other works
analyzed the plays of the fifth century and
of his own time, classified the kinds of
drama, and laid down rules for the
construction of tragedy.
Aeschylus
• Most famous for Oresteia
• Introduced concept of second actor
• Expanded possibilities for plot
Sophocles
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Name means wise and honored one.
Most famous for writing Oedipus Rex
Sophocles’ teacher was Aeschylus
Sophocles wrote 120 plays
Sophocles died at the age of 90
Sophocles changes to Greek theater
• Increased the size of the chorus from 12 to
15
• Used 3 actors instead of two
• Giving plays better structure
• More believable characters in the plays
• Plays were more realistic
Layout of Greek Theatre
Theatron – “Seating Place”
where the audience sits
Orchestra - “Dancing Place”
Where the chorus performs
Parados - The cast’s entrances
to the orchestra
Skene
• Small building behind the orchestra
• Front of the skene was used for scenery
• Back of the skene was used to change the
masks.
Skene
Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
What year is considered to be the beginning of theatre?
Who is Dionysus?
Roughly how many people attended the Festival of Dionysia each year?
What awards were given at the Festival?
Who is Thespis?
How did actors show that they switched characters?
How many people could the Greek theatres hold?
What are the three types of Greek plays?
Nearly all surviving Greek tragedies are based on ___________.
Who was Aristotle?
What book did Aristotle write?
What is a skene?
What is Aeschylus most famous for?
What did Aeschylus introduce?
What is Sophocles most famous for?
Name 3 of the 5 things Sophocles changed about theatre.
Assignment
• Use the materials provided (and any at
home if you wish) to create your own Greek
mask.
• It can be as colorful and creative as you
would like it to be.
• Keep in mind –
• whether your mask is for a comedy or tragedy
• Whether your character is male or female