Greek+and+Roman+Theatre+Structure



Greek tragedies and comedies were always performed in outdoor theaters. Early Greek theaters were probably little more than open areas in city centers or next to hillsides where the audience, standing or sitting, could watch and listen to the chorus singing about the exploits of a god or hero. From the late 6th century BC to the 4th and 3rd centuries BC there was a gradual evolution towards more elaborate theater structures, but the basic layout of the Greek theater remained the same. The major components of Greek theater are labled on the diagram above.  Theatre of the Greeks was built on the slope of a hill, thus securing sufficient elevation for the back row of seats without the enormous substructures which the Romans used. If the surface was rocky, semicircles were hewn out, tier above tier, and if it was soft an excavation was made in the hillside and lined with rows of stone benches, the steps being often faced with marble, as in the **theatre of Dionysus at Athens **. The circular pit thus formed was enclosed by a lofty portico and balustraded terrace, and was assigned to the spectators.  The auditorium was divided by broad concentric belts, named **diazomata**, which served as lobbies, with eleven rows of seats between each, and these were further divided into wedges by transverse flights of stairs between the lobbies, converging on the centre of the orchestra. The latter resembled the passages in a trireme with its banks of oars, and hence were called selides or gangways, the subdivisions, eleven to each section, suggesting as many benches of rowers. Thus Aristophanes bids the audience raise for a certain actor "a splash of applause in good measure, and waft him a nobel Lenæan cheer with eleven oars."  The auditorium was also divided, as with us, into several parts, but the assignment of seats was determined not by a money payment, but by rank and other considerations. Thus the rows nearest the **orchestra** were set apart for the members of the council, while others were reserved for young men, who sat together, or for those who, for whatever reason, were entitled to them. Most of the space was given to the general public, who with these exceptions could make their own choice of seats. The orchestra was ten or twelve feet below the front row of seats which formed its boundary, a portion of its space being occupied by a raised platform, which presently superseded the **altar of Dionysus** in the centre, though still known as the **thymele**. In front of it, and on a level with the lowest tier of seats, was the stage, to which flights of steps led from the orchestra, with others leading to chambers below, and known as **Charon's stairways**; for they were used for the **entrance of spectres** from the nether world and for the ghostly apparitions of the dead. The **skené **, or house, usually of two stories, sometimes a third. They were divided by a continuous balcony, adorned with columns corresponding to the dimensions of the orchestra and stage. There were five doors, for the actors enter.

This document was originally published in The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization, vol. 1. ed. Alfred Bates. London: Historical Publishing Company, 1906. pp. 45-47.

**Orchestra:** The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage near the skene. The earliest orchestras were simply made of hard earth, but in the Classical period some orchestras began to be paved with marble and other materials. In the center of the orchestra there was often a thymele, or altar. The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was about 60 feet in diameter.

**Theatron:** The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra, and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra (see the diagram above). Spectators in the fifth century BC probably sat on cushions or boards, but by the fourth century the theatron of many Greek theaters had marble seats.

**Skene:** The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage. During the 5th century, the stage of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was probably raised only two or three steps above the level of the orchestra, and was perhaps 25 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The skene was directly in back of the stage, and was usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other building, depending on the needs of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. There was also access to the roof of the skene from behind, so that actors playing gods and other characters (such as the Watchman at the beginning of Aeschylus' Agamemnon) could appear on the roof, if needed.

**Parodos:** The parodoi (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus and some actors (such as those representing messengers or people returning from abroad) made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the theater before and after the performance.

http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/theater.html#Theaters