The Performance Experience

1
The Performance Experience

• By
• Amanda Loesch, James Ryan, Elvin Cardenales, and
  Carly Roman

2
The Chorus

• Essential part of the play
• Narrates and reflects on the action in the play
• Provides background information to make the play
  less confusing
• Originally consisted of 12 members. Sophocles
  added 3 more people.
• Also acted as extras in play and dancers
• Chorus was located in the center of the theatre
• The chorus had different names for each play
  based on the emotions that play evoked.
• Tragedies "emmelia."
• Comedies "codrax."
• Satyric dramas "sicinnis.

3
The Performers

• When Greek theatre began, there were no actors
  (dithyrambus). There was only the chorus.
• Thespis, Aeschrylos and Sophocles were the first
  to use actors.
• Hypocritisleading characters(always men!)
• Female roles were played by men before their
  voices changed.
• After the second and third actors were added, the
  dialogue between the actors and chorus became
  extremely important.
• Happy characters wore bright colors, tragic
  characters wore dark colors.
• In comedies, the chorus would wear costumes.
• Each actor wore a mask in order to express a
  characters sex, age and feelings. It was easy for
  an actor to change their character, since all
  they had to do was change their mask.

4
The Audience

• One of the largest aspects of the Performance
  Experience, and Greek Culture in general, is the
  audience. The theatre was a major source of
  entertainment and all kinds of people enjoyed
  going to see the performances.
• The audience was always huge, ranging from
  outrageous things to get the audience to notice
  them
• 14,000-17,000 people from rich noblemen to the
  average citizens. Even poor farmers were given
  special discounts to be able to see the play. In
  this manner, everyone could enjoy the
  performances put on by the actors and
  playwrights.
• Audience determined which play was the best,
  judges would read their reactions and take the
  audiences opinion into account
• Dislikeunruly mock actors and throw food real
  embarrassing possibility.
• Extremely loud hard to grab attention, actors had
  to do

5
Quiz

• What did the masks show about the character?
• Masks showed sex, age, and feeling.
• Where was the chorus located?
• The chorus was in the center of the theatre.
• True or False Only the rich were could afford to
  see the plays.
• False. There were discounts for the poor.
• How were the names of the choruses decided for
  each play?
• The names were based on the type of play.

6
Works Cited

1. Phillips,K. Ancient Greek Actors. Rich East
   High School. 29 March, 2000. Web. Retrieved 16
   March, 2011 from http//www.richeast.org/htwm/Gree
   ks/theatre/actors.html
2. Fronseca, Ruben. "Ancient Greek Theatre."
   Cartage. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. lthttp//www.cartage.or
   g.lb/en/themes/arts/Architec/AncientArchitectural/
   GreekArchitecture/GreekBuilding/Theater.htmFestiv
   alsgt.
3. Lesky, A. Greek Tragic Poetry (1983). Chapter 1
   "Problems of Origin."Pickard-Cambridge, A.W.
   Dithyramb, Tragedy, and Comedy (1927) ________,
   second edition by Webster, T.B.L. (1962)Winkler,
   J. "The Ephebes' Song Tragoîdia and Polis."
   reprinted in Nothing to Do with Dionysus? (1990)
4.  Burkert, W. "Greek Tragedy and Sacrificial
   Ritual." Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 7
   (1966) 87-121.