Module 1- Greek Theatre- Vocabulary Assignment Sammy Heroux PDF

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Unit 1 Greek Theatre Vocab Terms for Theatre History I....

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Sammy Heroux Define or describe each term in the attached document in 1-3 sentences using your own words. Remember these topics are related to theatre and should reflect their importance to theatre practice. Submit your assignment as either a Word or PDF Document.

Period Pericles : A prominent statesmen and general whose leadership was behind many of Athens greatest accomplishments during the Golden Age. It was under his watch that the arts, including theatre flourished during this time period. The Golden Age: A period of Greek history between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars roughly (490-430 B.C.E) which was the height of Athenian and Greek Culture. It was during this time where theatre in Greece flourished and began to take on its own style to reflect the affluence of Modern Greek society. Dionysus: A Greek god of Wine, Fertility, and Splendor and a patron god of the arts. Many festivals were held in his honor including the famous City Dionysia in which great playwrights would come together and compete through various forms of Greek theatre. Many of the greatest Greek plays were written for these festivals in Dionysus’s honor. Terminology City Dionysia: An Athenian Festival taking place towards the end of March and marking the opening of the ports and the work season. The festival was held in honor of Dionysus and involved 3 different playwrights who would create new works of revive old ones in order to compete against one another. Archon Eponymos – The Chief Archon of Athens who presided over Assemblies. He was also responsible for organizing the City Dionysia and the theatrical events that took place. Choregos – The one who organized the chorus and also assumes the public duty of funding any aspect of production that the state has no allocated resources for. Major Figures Thespis - By Aristotle’s account the first actor to appear playing a character on stage. Or perhaps have been the one to give the shows exposition and introduce the principal actor.

Sophocles- A tragic Greek playwright with 7 surviving works known for his excellent construction and exposition as well as beautiful poetry. He was also an actor which is why his plays were known for being more focused on the individual and even invented new ways of scenic painting. Aeschylus – The first Greek playwright to develop the style of the Greek tragedy and was known for many innovations like adding a second actor to create dialogue and reducing the chorus size from 50 to 12. Euripides – A Greek playwright regarded as somewhat of a modernist and criticized in his time for writing plays that showed average people and portrayed the gods as fallible. His plays are also know for rich female characters compared to the portrayals of other writers. Aristophanes – One of the only known prolific writers of Greek comedy. His style, known as Old Comedy was known for preserving the Greek traditions of chorus and burlesque and was characterized for its bold fantasy. Menander- The Best known writer of the New style of Greek Comedy which began to develop after the start of the Peloponnesian war. Aristotle- A Greek historian and classic whose writings on the works of the Golden Age Playwrights conceived that the plot of the play is of greater import than the characters. His writings serve as the basis for our definition and understanding of Greek Theatre. Theatre Design and Architecture Skene – A building set behind the acting area that served as a backdrop and private area for the actors. It it’s the prelude to the modern set. Parados – Entrance Ramps that separate the orchestra from the elevated skene. Sometimes theatres still have stairs at the base of the stage to allow actors quick access to the orchestra so they may use the space in their performance. Theatron - The seating area for patrons of Greek theatre. The root of modern Theatre Buildings. Orchestra – The open space at the base of the audience where the chorus resides. In modern theatres there is often still some type of pit or clear space in front of the stage before the seating begins. Thymele – Alter at the center of the orchestra. Serves as a call back to the religious roots of Greek theatre. Paraskene – Flanking wings added in the 5th century as plays became more complex. A perquisite to the modern backstage wings.

Mechane – A Greek crane system used to life actors above the stage often with the intention of making them appear heavenly. This is a precursor for the modern fly system Eccyclema – A cart inside the skene which could be rolled out in order to display the results of the typically violent event portrayed within the skene. Periaktoi – An early piece of scenery used in Greek theatre. The device consisted of three faces which were mounted triangularly around a spindle so that they could rotate to display different images and locations. Playwriting and Genre Dithyramb – A type of early Greek Choral Performance often dedicated to Dionysus that served as the basis for the early Greek dramas. Aristotle, The Poetics - Aristotle’s writings about the plays written during the Golden Age of Greece. In it he identifies the core elements that distinguish Greek Tragedy as its own form of theatre. Old comedy - A style of Greek Comedy predominant during the golden age oh which the most famous practitioner is Aristophanes. The style focused on preserving the choral and burlesque elements of Greek theatre. Satyr Play – A specific type of play that often accompanied the performance of a tragedy that often ridiculed the gods and heroes. Protagonist – The main character in a theatrical performance. In Greek theatre this was the person who interacted with the chorus and other characters and was often portrayed as a person of means. Deus ex machina - Another way of saying divine intervention, particularly at critical moments. In Greek theatre this would often be the appearance of a god or some kind of revlation....