Basic Theatre Overview
The #1 job of any person working in the theatre industry in any capacity.
What is to tell the story?
The Classic, or Golden Age, in Ancient Greece brought us this.
A small building near the stage used by actors for dressing and relaxing
What is a "skene"?
Wrote the plays Agememnon and The Oresteia Trilogy and is considered to be the “Father of Tragedy”
Who was Aeschylus?
The historical group that gave us the names for stage directions based on their raked stages.
Who were the Greeks?
A group of people working together to achieve a common goal.
What is an ensemble?
The Greek god that was praised at the Greek Theatre Festivals.
Who was Dionysus?
Three painted flats formed into a triangle and mounted on a revolving platform. Used to show different settings.
What is a "periaktois"?
Considered to be the “essence of Greek Drama” and wrote Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Electra.
Who is Sophocles?
When you walk towards the audience, you are moving this direction.
What is downstage?
A frozen stage image that tells a clear story.
What is a tableaux?
Songs of praise to Dionysus that eventually morphed into the Greek Chorus.
What were Dithyrambs?
A giant crane used to “fly” actors into the playing area.
What is the “deus ex machina”?
Who wrote Medea and The Bacche?
Who is Euripides?
When you are walking away from the audience, you are moving in this direction.
What is upstage?
The visual tools that an actor has to help tell a story.
What are body language, facial expressions, and gestures?
The city in which the Greek Theatre Festivals were held.
What is the City of Dionysia?
The first person to win the Playwriting Contest, and the first person to step out of the Greek Chorus to become the first actor.
Who was Thespis?
Introduced the second actor.
Who was Aeschylus?
This is what good stories consist of.
What is a clear beginning, middle, and end?
The height of a person on stage. Using various types of this will allow for there to be more interesting stage pictures that help to tell the story.
What are levels?
The amount of people that Greek ampitheatres held.
What is 20,000?
These conveyed information about a character such as their age, gender, and social status.
What are masks?
Introduced the third actor.
Who is Sophocles?