Ancient Greece is the birthplace of theatrical art. Theatrical buildings began to be built for the first time in it, the first dramatic genres appeared, and the classical form of the play developed. The first actors appeared in Greece. Costumes and masks played an important role in the success of their performances.
The origin and features of the theater of ancient Greece
The origin of the theater is associated with the cult of Dionysus, originally considered the god of the productive forces of nature, and then became the god of wine and winemaking. It was in this capacity that Dionysus was especially dear to the hearts of the ancient Greeks. During the year, several holidays dedicated to Dionysus celebrated in Greece. The most brilliant and magnificent of them were the Great Dionysius, celebrated for a whole week. The culmination of the holiday was theatrical performances, which took place in the form of dramatic competitions between the authors of tragedies and comedies.
Three tragic poets were allowed to participate in the competition. Each of them presented to the court of the discerning Athenian public three tragedies that made up the trilogy, and one satire drama. The competition lasted for three days, in each of which the works of one of the authors were played. Towards evening, a comedy was also presented at the competition.
The first known by the name of the poet and playwright Fezpid himself was the only performer of roles in his works. Thespid's tragedies consisted of an actor’s part, alternating with choir songs. The great creator of the classic tragedy, Aeschylus introduced the second actor, and his younger contemporary Sophocles introduced the third. Thus, the maximum number of actors on the ancient Greek scene did not exceed three. But since there were much more actors in any dramatic work, each actor had to play several roles. Actors could be only men, they also performed female roles. Any actor should not only masterfully recite a poetic text, but also possess vocal and choreographic abilities.
