Themes - Summary 15 Flashcards
Theatres prior to 4th century
Constructed of wood
When theatres were constructed and reconstructed in stone
4th century
Main components of a theatre
koilon/cavea, diazoma, prehedria, kerkis, parodos, skene, preskenion, orchestra
Diazoma
Horizontal paths across the rows of the theatre
Kerkis
Up and down paths in theatre; intersect with diazoma
Role of altar in theatre
Theatre was related to the worship of the gods. Because of this, an altar was an integral part of the orchestra; the theatre was close to temple(s)
Origin of the theatre
Likely developed from earlier orchestral ground used by choral dance groups - they danced and sang on circular compacted ground.
Prohedria
Area for the rich - front row seats. Throne-like construction
Orchestra
Round part from which all things originate. Where the choir performs/a large part of the play takes place
Parodos
Areas through which the kilos can be entered
Koilon
The seating area in its entirety. Cavea is the Roman term
Skene
Even after most theatre are of stone, not all scene are (remain wood)
Proskenion
The part of the building that is right in front of the skene
Mechane
A crane or structure that is used to make gods appear
City Dionysia
A festival in honor of Dionysos in Athens. Held in March/Aprils, were plays were performed over four days.
Skenographia
Backdrop - included in the scene
Moveable skene
In Sparta - because there was a great view of the city
Odeion
Indoor venue where musical performances and competitions in oratory were held.
Theatre on vases
More popular in southern Italy/Magna Grecia/ Characters in comedy shown with grotesque masks, padded bellies and rumps, large phallus. Sometimes distortions and reversals of well known scenes. Tragic scenes less common and sometimes harder to identify, as they were less over-the-top. Sometimes a painter will show it is the play via indicating scene, machine, or individuals with masks/costume.
