Stage Areas
The area closest to the audience
What is downstage?
Considered the first actor ever, this Greek man made history by playing a single character rather than staying with the chorus
Who is Thespis?
This area behind the stage eventually became what we would now call a backdrop
What is the skene?
Two (or more) characters talking to each other
What is dialogue?
The area furthest from the audience
What is upstage?
The first theatre festivals were a tribute to this Greek god of wine and song
Who is Dionysus?
This area on the ground level is where the chorus performed. Nowadays, we could expect to see instruments
What is the orchestra?
The main character in a story (not necessarily a hero)
What is the protagonist?
The area to the audience's right
What is stage left?
This group of performers comment on the action of a story
What is the chorus?
The acting area (or stage) in front of the backdrop and above the audience
What is the proscenium?
The character or force that works against the protagonist (not necessarily a villain)
The area to an actor's right
What is stage right?
This writer changed theatre by shrinking the chorus and adding two actors to his plays
Who is Aeschylus?
The areas on either side of the stage out of view (we would call them wings today)
What are the paraskenia?
Latin for "God in the Machine", refers to a Greek god showing up in a play to solve a plot point
What is deus ex machina?
The nickname for a theatre, especially the part where the audience sits
What is the house?
This tragic hero's story is considered one of the best examples of a Greek tragedy ever--killing your dad and marrying your mother is pretty tragic, after all.
Who is Oedipus?
These were worn by actors to show they had switched to a different role
What are masks?
A Greek word for the flaw that causes a tragic character to meet their doom
What is hamartia?