THEATRE II – ADVANCED
ROMAN THEATRE NOTES – PP WORKSHEET
Name:
Roman History
Background to the Theatre
 Rome – in 753 B.C. was a town dominated by
, north of Rome. In 509 B.C., the Etruscan
(from Etruria) ruler was expelled, and Rome became a
(just as Athens became a
democracy).
 In the 4th Century B.C., Rome expanded, and by 265 B.C. controlled the
, then
,
then several Greek territories.
 By 240 B.C.,
was familiar to Romans, translated into
, and
brought to Rome; the beginnings of Roman theatre recorded: the first record of drama at the _
(Roman Festival or Roman Games).
 Rome became an empire after Julius Caesar, 27 B.C.
 Republic – from 509-27 B.C. Empire – from 27 B.C.-476 A.D.
 By 345 A.D., there were
festivals a year, 101 devoted to theatre. In 55 B.C., the first
stone theatre was built in Rome (by
)
Roman Theatre
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Borrowed
less
Encompassed more than drama :
o -
ideas and improved (?) on them
,
,
(animal fights)
Entertainment tended to be grandiose, sentimental, diversionary
Actors / performers were called "
Three major influences on Roman theatre:
1. _
2. _
3. _
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,
,
(sea battles),
,
,-
"
Drama
influences – emphasized circus-like elements
– Atellan
(Atella was near Naples).
Short improvised farces, with stock characters, similar costumes and masks – based on domestic
life or mythology – burlesqued, parodied – during the 1st century B.C., then declined
May have influenced
Stock characters:
o Bucco: braggart, boisterous
o Pappas: foolish old man
o Dossenus: swindler, drunk, hunchback
Drama flourished under the republic but declined into variety entertainment under the empire
Roman festivals with theatre:
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Held in honor of the gods, but much less religious than in Greece.
_
– 6th century B.C.
Became theatrical in
B.C.
Held in
(the autumn) and honored
.
By 240 B.C., both
were performed.
Under the empire, these festivals afforded "
" to the masses – many performances.
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THEATRE II – ADVANCED
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Performances at festivals probably paid for by the state a
, had free admission, were
lengthy—including a series of plays or events, and probably had prizes awarded to those who put extra money in.
Acting troupes (perhaps several a day) put on theatre events.
Forms of Roman Theatre:
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Roman dramas – there are only about
years that are important:
o 2 important playwrights:
 _
– 240 – 204 B.C. – wrote, translated, or adapted comedies
and tragedies, the first important works in Latin. Little is known, but he seems to have been best at
tragedy.
 _
– 270-201 B.C. excelled at comedy, but wrote both
 Both helped to "
" the drama by introducing Roman allusions into the Greek
originals and using Roman stories.
 _
: solo dance, with music (lutes, pipes, cymbals) and a chorus.
 Used masks, story-telling, mythology or historical stories, usually serious but sometimes
comic
 _
: overtook after 2nd century A.D. Fabula raciniata.
 Spoken, Usually short, Sometimes elaborate casts and spectacle
 Serious or comic (satiric)
 No masks
 Had women
 Violence and sex depicted literally (Heliogabalus, ruled 218-222 A.D., ordered realistic sex)
 Scoffed at Christianity
o Needless to say, the
did not look kindly at Mime.
Roman comedies
 _
was most popular: Only two playwrights' material survives
o _
(c. 254-184 B.C.) 21 extant plays, 130 + total.
 Very popular.
Pot of Gold, The Menaechmi, Braggart Warrior -- probably between 205-184 B.C.
All based on Greek New Comedies, probably, none of which has survived
Added Roman allusions, Latin dialog, varied poetic meters, witty jokes
Some techniques:
 _
– dialog with short lines, like a tennis match
 Slapstick
 Songs
o _
(195 or 185-159 B.C.)
 Born in Carthage, came to Rome as a boy slave, educated and freed
Six plays, all of which survive
The Brothers, Mother-in-Law, etc.
More complex plots – combined stories from Greek originals.
Character and double-plots were his forte – contrasts in human behavior
Less boisterous than Plautus, less episodic, more elegant language.
Used Greek characters.
Less popular than Plautus.
o Characteristics of Roman Comedy:
 Chorus was abandoned
No
divisions
_
(Plautus – average of three songs, 2/3 of the lines with music; Terence – no
songs, but music with half of the dialog)
Everyday
affairs
Action placed in the
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Roman tragedies - None survive from the early period, and only one playwright from the later period:
o _
(5 or 4 B.C. – 65 A.D.)
 Nine extant tragedies, five adapted from
.
His popularity declined,
in 65 A.D
Though considered to be inferior, Seneca had a strong effect on later dramatists.
The Trojan Women, Media, Oedipus, Agamemnon, etc., all based on Greek originals
Probably
—never presented, or even expected to be.
o Characteristics of Roman Tragedy (Senecan):
 five
divided by choral
elaborate
– forensic influence
interest in
– expressed in
(short pithy
generalizations about the human condition)
violence and horror
, unlike
(Jocasta rips open her
womb, for example)
Characters dominated by a single
– obsessive (such as revenge) –
drives them to doom
Roman Dramatic Theory:
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_
o
– (65-8 B.C.) – a theoretician – Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry)
Little influence in his time (interest at the time was in theatre not drama), but much influence in the Renaissance
Interpreted Aristotle’s Poetics, but less theoretical and more practice-oriented
Mentions unities (of time, place, and action), genre separation, language use in tragedy and comedy
Roman Theatre Design – Buildings
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First permanent Roman theatre built
A.D. (100 years after the last surviving comedy)
So permanent structures, like Greece, came from periods after significant writing
More than
permanent theatre structures by
A.D.
General characteristics:
Built on level ground with
(audience raised)
Skene becomes
– joined with audience to form one architectural unit
Paradoi become
into orchestra and audience
Orchestra becomes
Stage raised to
feet
Stages were large – 20-40 feet deep, 100-300 feet long, could seat 10-15,000 people
3-5 doors in rear wall and at least one in the wings
_
– façade of the stage house – had columns, niches, porticoes, statues – painted
stage was covered with a
dressing rooms in
trap doors were
awning over the audience to protect them from the
,
during the empire around 78 B.C, .cooling system – air blowing over streams of water
area in from of the scaena called the
(proscenium)
125 permanent theatres built during the empire.
Other Structures:
_
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:
for chariot races – 600 B.C.2000 feet long, 650 feet wide, 60,000 spectators
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Track to race 12 chariots at a time
also housed circus games, horse racing, prize fighting, wrestling, etc.
Ampitheatres
For gladiatorial contests, wild animal fights, and occasionally naumachia (sea battles)
First permanent one in 46 B.C.
The Colosseum (or Coliseum) – 80 A.D. – three stories, then 4; 157 feet tall; 620 feet long; 513 feet wide; 50,000
people.
Had space with elevators below to bring up animals, etc.
Used periaktoi
Perhaps curtains – back and foreground
Spectacular effects:
many performers (Cicero tell us: 600 mules, 3000 bowls)
Mechanical lifts for animals
Traps
Some realistic, three-dimensional scenery
Roman Actors
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Style of acting
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Referred to as
and
– later primarily histriones
Mostly male – women were
o Rocius – famous, raised to nobility
o Mimes, however, were considered inferior; perhaps they were slaves.
We know little about the size of troupes
In the 1st century B.C., a "
" performer seems to have been emphasized
6th century A.D. –
– a star actress – married
of the Eastern Empire – but had to
her profession
Mostly Greek traditions –
, doubling of roles
o Tragedy – slow, stately, declamatory delivery
o Comedy—more rapid and conversational
movements likely
Actors probably specialized in one type of drama, but did others
Encores if favorite speeches given (no attempt at "
Mimes – no
Greek or roman costumes
Much
")
Theatre at the End of the Empire
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Fall of the Roman Empire; 6th Century A.D. – Christianity rising
Emperor Constantine (324-337 A.D.) – made
legal.
Emperor Theodosius – made
illegal
By 400 A.D., many festivals abated, diminished – no gladiators by 404 A.D., and no ventiones (animal fights) by 523,
but others continued
Church opposition to Theatre:
1. _
2. 3. =
mentioned in a letter.
. is the last record we have of a performance in the Roman Empire –
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