A Long, Long Time Ago

Ancient Theatres of
Egypt and Greece
THEA 4710

Outline of Topics
Ritual and Theatre
Ancient Egypt
Basics and roots of
Greek tragedy

Shabako Stone
Evidence of
theatre, maybe
8th 7th century
BCE copy of ~2500
BCE text
The story of Osiris,
dismembered
Memphite Drama

Abydos Passion
Play?
Long history of
something like
performance
2500 BCE 550 BCE
Ikhernofret fragment

Image of the Ikhernofret stone,

c. 1880s BCE

Ikhernofrets text
I celebrated the [feast of] Going Forth of Upwawet, when he
proceeded to champion his father. I repelled the foe from the
second barque. I overthrew the enemies of Osiris. I celebrated the
Great-Going-Forth, following the god at his going. I sailed the
divine boat of Thoth upon ____________. [] I slew all the
enemies upon the flats of Nedyt. I conveyed him into the barque
[called] The Great. When it bore his beauty; I gladdened the heart
of the eastern highlands. [] I followed the god into his house, to
attend to his ___________, when he resumed his seat. I loosed the
knot in the midst of his attendants, among his courtiers.

Just the Greek Facts, Maam

Who: Greeks = Athenians =
the Polis. ~ 14,000 in
attendence
When: 5th century BCE 472 388 BCE (plus a late play by
Menander in 316)
What: Comedy and Tragedy,
all were musicals
Where: Theatre of Dionysus*
How and Why: This gets a
little trickier

Component Parts of a Greek

Theatre
Theatron: Seeing
Place
Orchestra: Dancing
Place
Skene: Back wall of
the theatre
Eccyclema: Wheeled
cart
Mechane: Crane for
flying in gods

Masks and Costumes

Would indicate:
Gender
Ethnicity
Social Class

All characters were

masked
Conventions for what
specific colors meant
No masks have
survived, but images
have.

The Chorus
15* men
Paid for by the
CHOREGUS
Rehearsed/Trained for
up to 11 months
Singing and Dancing
crucial - mostly in
unison, sometimes split
in two groups
Accompanied by a flute
player

The Actors
Greek term was
HYPOKRIT?S.Literally
means The Answerer
By Oedipus Rex you
could have 3 speaking
actors who doubled up
on roles
All men

Why?

Contest for writers and actors

Tragedy: 3 playwrights, 4 plays each (3 tragedies
and a Satyr play)
Comedy: 5 playwrights, 5 individual plays

Religious observance to the god Dionysus

Considered an integral part of the life of the
Polis.

Before you got to the

theatre
Procession of the statue
of Dionysus
The Proagon, where
the playwright and actors
were presented to the
public
The Pompe, a
procession of sacred
objects

Pre-Show
The 10 Generals
poured a libation
(liquid sacrifice)
Announcement of
citizens who had
done special
service to the
state/polis
Display of tribute
from vassal states
Parade of ephebes
(young men)
whose fathers had
been killed in
battle

Can we please talk about

some actual theatre?
3 Major surviving
tragic playwrights
1 major surviving
comic playwright
1 minor surviving
comic playwright
Lots of fragments
quoted in other
sources

Thespis (and others)

Semi-legendary
Wrote for one actor and a chorus
None of his work has survived
His name is where we get the term
Thespian to describe an actor
A few others
Choreius: Adds Masks
Pratinus: Satry play
Phrynichus: Female characters

The Three Tragedians

Aeschylus
Most conservative in
form and structure

Sophocles
Added the third actor

Euripides
Most liberal in form
and structure

Aeschylus: 525 - 456 BCE

Introduced the second actor,
hence dialogue, hence all
theatre in the West
So popular that after his death,
his plays continued to be
subsidized by the state
Wrote 70+ plays, we have 7
Persians [only surviving tragedy
based on current events],
Oresteia (x3), Seven Against
Thebes, The Suppliants