The performing arts has always been a passion of mine. I love to sing, dance, and act. It is on my bucket list to be in a musical, possibly a lead role. Nevertheless, I have always had a passion for the stage. I have often wondered what was the origins of theatre? Where did it come from? What is the earliest known play?
If you breakdown the word theatre it orginates from the Greek word meaning "a place for viewing." Theatre Store Theatre has been used as a form of expression throughout different cultures. We can go to any museum and see the various usages of this form. The earliest play that has ever been documented is in Athens, Greece nearly 5,000 years ago. The majority of these plays were showcased in order to honor the Greek gods. There are two different types of plays was drama and comedy.
The first play that was staged in Athens was a play called "The Persians", which was performed in 472 B.C. Theatre Store This first play only had one person on stage with a chorus in the background. As the years progressed it began to develop into more and more characters with deeper storylines. The first plays were performed in Theatre of Dionysus, that was built under the Acropolis in Athens at the beginning of the fifth century.
The majority of tragic plays were based around Greek mythology, which was the basis of Greek religion. With that in mind, the plots were about moral right and wrong. Violence was not permitted on stage and the death of a character was heard offstage. Ancient Greek Theatre I think this more to the effectiveness of the play, leaving more to the imagination.
The comedic plays of Ancient Greece were usually of men wearing outlandish and over dressed costumes. These cosumes could represent anything from giant bees with huge stinger to knights riding another man in imitation of a horse or even a variety of kitchen utensils. Ancient Greek Theatre These comedic plays allowed more freedom for the playwrights to have artistic expression. The most famous comedic play was Aristophanes (460 - 380 BCE) and Menander (c. 342-291 BCE) who won in festival competitions just like the great tragedians.
No one truly knows what ancient civilization created plays first. However, it is encoded into human DNA that we have the ability to mimic and express our circumstances through different media. Humans have always been creatively expressive with much gratitude thank you to the ancients that developed and created this medium. I absolutely love theatre and I cannot wait for my minutes of fame.
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Hey! I found your topic so interesting, I didn’t know all of that. I’ve heard that on Ancient Greek plays all actors were men, and women's roles were played by men. Actors wore heavy masks and costumes, and could quickly change characters by changing their mask and costume. It’s true that humans find a way to relieve or portray their emotions on different types of media.
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