Roman Theatre

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Roman Theatre

• 650B.C.-475A.D. Fall of Rome
• (Based on unifying of city states and change in
  leadership)

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Roman Empire
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Background

• Plays a retelling of Greek Plays
• Prologue told entire story for the uneducated
  audience
• Often plot explain further for audience within
  the play
• Upper class often spread out throughout the
  empire and not located in Roman, audience often
  lower class and barbarians.

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Significant People

• A. Pompey huge auditorium temple
• B. Caeser-two theatres that revolved into a
  amphitheatre for chariot races and gladiatorial
  contests

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Playwrights

• Plautus and Terence
• Comic writers
• Seneca
• Tragic writer
• Plays appeal to the lowest elements

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Plautus
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Seneca
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Theatre Architecture

• Added to Greek-three storied wall filled with
  carvings and statues
• Awnings over audience and later permanent wooden
  roofs
• Front curtain-trough in the floor

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Roman Comic Performers
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Roman TheatreSkene expanded to decorative wall
with doors
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TermsTypes of Entertainment (purpose to keep
the general audience happy and occupied)

• Chariot Races
• Gladiator Contests
• Naumachiaes
• Venationes Animals in the Arena -lions,
  elephants, bears, deer, wild goats, dogs, snakes
  and camels .

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Arena

• Wood floor is no longer present.
• Floor could be removed and lower area flooded for
  sea battles!

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3 subterranean levels
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Circus Maximus
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Various categories of Gladiators
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Important Terms cont.

• Claque-person paid to arouse audience to clap and
  shout

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Significant Events

• Romans crude drama replaced Greek plays with
  translations and adaptions
• Frowned upon by upper class and Senate-so lower
  classentertainment (demanded spectacle and
  vulgarity)

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Street Scene
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• Plays performed for holidays which numbered up to
  175
• Fall of Rome-church banned theatre (dormant on
  continent-in India and the Orient it flourished

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The End!