Prehistoric Beginnings
This word, meaning “to do or act,” is at the root of theatre.
What is drama?
The earliest definite dramas came from this civilization.
What is Egypt?
Greek theatre grew out of worship of this god of wine and fertility.
Who is Dionysus?
Greek theatres were carved into hillsides and seated thousands in this area.
What is the theatron (audience seating)?
Wrote Oedipus Rex and Antigone.
Who is Sophocles?
Prehistoric dances that taught boys reaching manhood the customs of the tribe.
What are initiation dances?
Plays written on tomb walls with staging, often about gods and the afterlife.
What are pyramid plays?
The City Dionysia festival became a competition for these artists.
Who are playwrights?
The circular performance area in a Greek theatre.
What is the orchestra?
Wrote Medea and explored psychological themes.
Who is Euripides?
Prehistoric dances that kindled bravery in warriors before battle.
What are war dances?
Plays written to celebrate a pharaoh’s rise to power.
What are coronation plays?
The first actor, honored today when we call actors “Thespians.”
Who is Thespis?
Triangular prisms used for scenery changes.
What are periaktoi?
Wrote comedies such as Lysistrata and The Birds.
Who is Aristophanes?
A religious leader and medicine man in prehistoric theatre.
What is a shaman?
This Egyptian jubilee play was performed after 30 years of a pharaoh’s reign.
What are coronation jubilee plays?
Aristotle’s three unities were unity of time, place, and this.
What is action?
This crane-like device lowered gods and goddesses onto stage.
What is the deus ex machina?
The first drama critic, author of Poetics.
Who is Aristotle?
These dances imitated hunts or battles to teach young boys survival skills.
What are story dances?
This multi-day Egyptian play involved the whole population and told a resurrection story.
What is the Abydos Passion Play?
In tragedies, heroes usually fail because of this character weakness.
What is a tragic flaw?
Greek masks, called this, had built-in megaphones to project sound.
What is an onkus?
This playwright won the very first Greek theatre competition.
Who is Thespis?