Theatre and Drama

The Ancient Greeks for sure lived the good life. They loved to attend the live theatre in the open air. Some theatres were able to hold 15,000 viewers! The Greeks didn’t just come to the theatre for fun. Drama contests were held in theatres across towns; and winners were held with as much respect as Olympic winners! There were three types of of plays that the Ancient Greeks invented:comedies, tragedies, and satires. Comedies are plays that always have a happy ending. Satires are plays that made fun and humour out of real people and events. Tragedies are play that always have a sad ending. The play was portrayed in two ways. The story was spoken out loud by a Greek chorus, and the performers told the story with masks and body movements; they did not speak at all. One of the most famous and successful actor in all of Ancient Greece was Thespis. Now-a-days, actors are called thespians in his honour. When you’re going to your next booked play, thank the Ancient Greeks for creating the theatre, and the stage the actors are on!