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Greek and British TheatreDateline: 23rd April, 2000 No one really knows how Greek drama began. It has long been assumed that because, in the fifth century BC which was the "golden age" of Greek tragedy, dramatic competitions were part of the Greater Dionysia, a festival held in March/April in honour of the god Dionysus, then drama must have originated from religious observances, a choral hymn to the god. Eventually, the theory suggests, one member of the chorus took on an individual role and interacted with the others, and thus we had the first actor. However there is nothing to substantiate this theory, apart from a few unclear remarks by Aristotle, and the fact that there is no reference to Dionysus in any play apart from Euripides' Bacchae, which was first performed after his death around 407/6 BC and probably written not long before he died, would tend to make the theory unlikely. All we know about Greek theatre before the fifth century is that the best known writer/director (and possibly actor) was Thespis, from whom the term thespian derives, who was credited with the introduction of the mask. However nothing - not even a fragment - of his work survives, and so we have only tradition to guide us. Our knowledge of Greek theatre begins with the tragedies of the fifth century and the great tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. At this time the Greater Dionysia hosted a kind of drama competition and awards ceremony. Before an audience of thousands (perhaps as many as 15,000), a number of dramatists, chosen by the principal archon (Arcwn) or magistrate, presented a series of four plays, which consisted of three tragedies on a linked theme, followed by a satyr play, a kind of burlesque of a mythical story (which might be the myth at the centre of the trilogy of tragedies). It fell upon wealthy citizens (who we, are told, volunteered, although it is safe to assume that there were some pressed men!) to finance the production of each dramatist's series, paying for the chorus (hence these "angels" were called choregoi - corhgoi) and other costs, although the actual actors were paid by the state. The directors were usually the playwrights themselves. There were ten judges, one taken from each of the Athenian "tribes" (which were not true tribes, as we use the term today, but divisions of the people made for administrative convenience), and the whole business of choosing "best new tragedy" (which is what they were doing) was taken very seriously. In 449BC an new idea was introduced - an award for the best leading actor in a tragedy. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it? However there is no record extant of any long speeches from winning actors thanking everyone they can think of! Nor was Greek theatre dominated by revivals of popular plays. In fact, a special state decree is said to have been issued to allow the plays of Aeschylus to be performed after his death. This was unheard of at the time, athough revivals did begin to occur in the fourth century with the development of touring companies that performed in Attica (the rural hinterland of Athens) and even beyond. Performers were male, both principals and chorus, and we are not even totally sure that women were allowed to attend the performances. The Lenea A lesser festival in honour of Dionysus, the Lenea, which was held sometime around the end of January and the beginning of February, became, about halfway through the fifth century, another theatre festival/competition. The rules were rather different: here there were only four tragedies (two from each of two playwrights) and five comedies (from five playwrights). Incidentally the Greek called the writers poets, not playwrights. The word poet is derived from the verb poieo (poiew), to make, so poets were makers, just as nowadays people in the business often talk of "making theatre". The Lenea was far less significant than the Greater Dionysia in the development of tragedy: all of the "greats" of Greek theatre had their successes at the latter. Next page: Greek Tragedy and Comedy Articles Indices:
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