Basic Information of the Ancient Greek Theatre – Masato

Costume: All the actors were men. When they were playing female roles, they wore the prosternida (prosterneda), an imitation of a woman's breast, and the progastrida (progastreda), an imitation of a woman's belly.Sound: The chorus performed a choreographed dance, and either sung or chanted its lines.Sound: The chorus was a group of 12 to 15 men.Sound: The chorus also had a rhythmical function; by using pauses, they controlled the pace of the play and gave time for the audience to reflect.Spectacle: The plays were performed out-door, usually by a mountain which has been shaved into a bowl shape for amplification.Spectacle: The chorus will perform on the Orchestra, a circular pit in front of the Skene.Spectacle: The Skene is a building that is set in the back of the stage, which functioned as a background as well as a backstage. They were decorated differently depending on the context of the play.Costume: Actors wore wooden, cork or linen masks for vocal projection and character distinction.Spectacle: In order to communicate with a large audience, the actors had to use huge gestures when acting.Costume: The actor would make himself look taller by wearing tall wooden sandals Cothurnis.Sound: The chorus' chants and singing were accompanied by flutes, lyres, horns, drums and bells.Spectacle: Staging was done by using Pinakes, scenery painted on boards and placed against the Skene.Sound: Drums were used to represent the sound of thunder.Spectacle: All killings had to occur off-stage and be reported by a third person. The bodies were delivered to the stage on a small wheeled car called the Eccyclema.Spectacle: The Deus-Ex-Machina is a crane-like device used for lowering or lifting actors to represent the intervention of gods.Sources Cited:http://www.greektheatre.gr/http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/theatre/Theatre.html