Theatre Flashcards
when was the Lenea held
Late march
What were prisoners given
a day off to watch the plays
who was the Choregos
the financial backer of a set of plays
what did the Choregos do
- Paid for everything to set up the play
- select, feed and sometimes house the chorus
How long before the plays was the Proagon
A day or two
what was said in the Proagon
Plays were announced and each play gave a synopsis
what happened the night before the City Dionysia
a wooden statue of Dionysus was brought into the city from a shrine just outside the walls
what happened on the morning of the first day of the City Dionysia
The grand procession or Pompē
where did the Pompē start and finish
started outside the city and finished in the temple of Dionysus
when did the dythramb take place
afternoon of the first day of the City Dionysia
where did the Komos take place
in the streets
what happened on the second day of the City Dionysia
comic playwrights presented 5 comic plays
what would be performed on days 3,4&5 of the City Dionysia
3 tragedies and one satyr play
what was the parade of tributes
all the tributes form nations in Athens empire would be due at this time of year. All the money was paraded for the audience to view
what was the proclamation of honours
A herald announced names of those who had done outstanding service for the city and awarded them a crown
what was the parade of orphans
the boys and girls who’s fathers had died fighting for Athens.
what was given to the orphans of Athens out of respect
- state paid for their education
- when they turned 18 they would be given armour and declared independent citizens
what was the entry cost to the theatre to watch
two obols (days wage for an unskilled worker)
when was the Theoric fund set up
second half of the 5th century
what was the Theoric fund
it paid for the poorest citizens to attend the theatre if they couldn’t afford to
what was the Prohedria
the VIP front row of seating in the Theatron
how was the seating of the Theatron organised
- Tribes sat together
- metics (foreigners) sat on the far side together
who were the rod bearers and why were they needed
- Rod bearers were people who stood holding rods which they would hit people with for crowd control
- needed because crowds were rowdy and interacted with the action
when did the judging take place
at the end of day 5
what was the judging system
- judges were selected at random
- on day of judging each would write their order of best to worst on a tablet
- 5 of the 10 tablets would be drawn at random
typical features of the theatre
- raised seats in a large semi circle
- a ‘sweet spot’ in the centre of the Orchestra
- carved into hills and mountains
- an orchestra
capacity of Epidaurus
roughly 15,000
where was the Theatre of Dionysus located
- south east side of the Acropolis
- just above religious sanctuary dedicated to Dionysus
when was Epidaurus built
late 4th century
what was the capacity of the Theatre of Dionysus
roughly 17,000
who stood in the orchestra
the chorus
what was the role of the chorus
to commentate on the main action of the play
what shape(s) was an orchestra
typically semicircular but Thorikos is rectangular
what is the Ekkyklema
the wheel platform
what was the Ekkyklema used for
often representing a coffin
that is the Mechane
the crane
what was the typical use of the Mechane
- to lift actors in the air
- often depicting gods
what example do we have of use of the Mechane
- Aristophanes play ‘peace’
- Hero is flying on a dung beetle
- addresses the crane flyer directly telling him to be careful or else he will give the beetle a meal
what was the capacity of the theatre at Thorikos
3,000
