Definition of Greek Theater

The concept of theater Greek can be used in our language with two senses.

Theatrical works performed in Ancient Greece

On the one hand, it is generally known as Greek theater to all those theatrical works that were written and represented during the time that we know as Ancient Greece (between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC) and in which the theater knew how to display a tremendous relevance.

At this time the theater was closely associated with the celebration of festivities and religious rituals. For example, the celebration that was held to venerate the god of wine Dionisio, knew to be an antecedent and the kick-off of the development of theater in these parts. Even the Theater of Dionysus, located on the Acropolis of Athens, was known to be the most important theater of this time.

How were the characters represented?

Regarding the actors we must say that it was characteristic of this theater that the actor did not show his face but appeared with masks that preserved his

identity. They dressed in colored robes and it was precisely through the colors that the characters showed their relevance in the story that was being told. The shoes they wore, of wood, also brought uniqueness to the scene.

The chorus, sets the context and summarizes the story

A fundamental role was played by the so-called choir, which had the mission of presenting the context and summarizing the situations that were being represented so that the public could follow the adventures. They used to intervene singing or speaking. Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, are the greatest exponents of this theater.

Enclosure built to represent Greek plays

And on the other hand, the Greek theater is called building edilicia, to the enclosure built, also during these times in Greece, to represent Greek plays, a certainly prolific time in this sense.

Open and circular pit

The particularity of the Greek theater is that it was open-air, that is, it consisted of circular enclosures at the air free. The action took place in the center of that place while the public was located around that center.

This is why most theaters were built on the side of a Mountain in order to take a visual advantage of the elevation.

None of this was accidental since with these physical characteristics they achieved good acoustics and also that the spectators could appreciate the representation from anywhere.
The choir was located in the orchestra, the scene was developed on the raised platform called skené, and the public was located in the koilon, in what today we popularly call the bleachers.

Themes in Greek Theater