lesson 8- the actors, costumes, masks, props and the chorus Flashcards
what were the two distinct groups of performers in the Athenian theatre?
The professional actors who played leading roles, and the amateur chorus members who were chosen from the citizen body
all actors were…
male citizens who would play female roles alongside male roles such as goddesses, women, foreigners and slaves.
In tragedy what was the maximum number of actors that could be on the stage at one time?
In tragedy, there were no more than three actors with speaking parts on stage at one time (although minor characters such as children could also appear). These three actors played all the leading roles
how many parts did plays usually contain and what did this mean for the actors?
Plays usually contained 8-10 different parts and so an actor would be required to play several characters- due to this there must have been rushed moments as actors changed costumes and masks inside the skene
what is an example of an actor playing multiple roles in one play?
In Sophocles ‘Oedipus the king’, the same actor was required to play the following four roles:
- the elderly priest of Zeus
-Jocasta, Oediups’ wife and mother
-a shepherd who found Oedipus as a baby
- a messenger who reports Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus’ self blinding
what other talents did actors have to have?
Actors also had to be good singers, perhaps in a variety of different character roles. Due to this, playwrights probably wrote parts with certain actors in mind, aware of their particular vocal talents
why were masks added to performances in Ancient Greek theatre?
The ancient theatre space had no artificial lighting and many spectators were a significant distance from the stage. Facial expressions were therefore largely redundant, and in this context masks had to be added to the performance and were slightly larger than life-size to make them appear more visible
what expressions did masks for tragedies have?
solemn expressions to emphasise the theme of the play
what were masks made from?
They were made of linen, cork or wood and had openings for eyeholes and the mouth. There was also some hair attached to the top to act as a wig
what were the benefits of using masks during performances?
- since a play was performed by just three actors, masks allowed them to take on a range of different roles and show different characters
- occasionaly, two different actors would have needed to play the same character- such as in Oedipus where the role of Theseus could not have been played by the same character
- a change of mask during a play would add a great deal to the action, such as when Oedipus arrives back on stage after blinding himself. In the original production he wore a new blood splattered mask with darkened eye holes to reflect the blinding of himself off stage
what was so important about masks and costumes for the playwright?
in the absence of stage lighting, masks and costumes were an important way for the playwright to give the audience information- a distinct mask and costume would have made it easier for the audience to identify characters; gods, old men, kings, queens, paupers and slaves who would all be recognised by their costume and what they were wearing
what were the costumes of tragic actors based on?
two main items of Greek clothing; the chiton, a full length robe over which a short cloak was worn and a himation which reached down to the knees
what do vase paintings suggest about what tragic costumes may have looked like?
They suggest that tragic costumes were more fitted with sleeves and were more ornate and colourful with rich patchwork of different patterns. Tragic costumes therefore reflected the grand and heroic characters of the genre. Some roles required specific costumes- paupers were dressed in plainer robes, black was reserved for mourners, soldiers wore armour and barbarians wore trousers
what did actors wear on their feet?
soft leather boots, Kothornoi which reached up to the thigh
why did Athenian theatre not use many props?
because so many spectators were sitting far away from the acting area however large props could have great power
what is an example of a prop that would have had large effect to an audience?
In Euripides Bacchae, Agave appears on stage holding the severed head of her son as she begins to realise that she has just killed him- a prop would have been used during this scene such as the mask used for the character of Pentheus
How many people was a chorus made up of?
15 ordinary citizens (12 in the early days of tragedy)- something which demonstrates the democratic nature of Athens
if you count dithyrambic contests, how many Athenians would have taken part in the chorus at a festival?
more than 1,000 Athenians
how were chorus members chosen for dithyrambic contests?
We do not know how chorus members were chosen but the competitive nature of the chorus meant that a choregos must have had to find the best available singers and dancers from each Athenian tribe
what would a choregos do for tragedies?
he would select chorus members to act in all four plays by a playwright that he was financing
what shows how important rehearsing for the chorus was?
training/rehearsing was taken so seriously that chorus members were apparently spared military service during the rehearsal period
what did each chorus have?
A leader who spoke individual lines in dialogue with the actors (for example commenting on what has happened or responding to a character’s questions). Apart from this,chorus members danced and sang in unison
who were the chorus members accompanied by?
a musician who played an aulos, a reed instrument. This musician would be known as an aultetes
what do we have little information about?
the music and dances of a chorus, but we can guess how they may have looked or sounded. However, we can see from the Basel dancers vase that dancing in the chorus must have involved the whole body with the movement of the arms and swirling of the body
