DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

BS-ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE

Classical Drama

Assignment # 01

“ Greek theatre vs Modern theatre”

Submitted to: Ma’am Irum Iqbal

Submitted by: Gul-e-Ayesha

Section: BS 4-B
SAP ID: 19807
 GREEK THEATRE VS MODERN THEATRE
Greece is the cradle of civilization & the birthplace of theatre. Theatre means "that which is seen" and drama
means "acting out." It was an art form central to Greek community life, which shows that they were
profoundly serious about it. Just like in ancient Greece, a theatre is still a popular form of entertainment.
Modern-day theatre shares very few similarities with ancient Greek theatre. Due to the advancement of
technology, we see that they differ in their connection with religion, architectural design, seating arrangement,
location, acoustics, lighting, machinery, actors, costumes & other stagecraft.

In ancient Greece, the theatre was important because the plays were performed to honour the God
Dionysus, who represented fertility and wine. Not just him, other Gods, especially the 12 Olympians (major
gods of Ancient Greece) also joined in to act & speak. The Greeks were always weaving the gods into their
stories which shows the strong connection between ancient theatre & religion. Furthermore, theatres were
commonly located in or near sanctuaries for this reason. Today we see no such link because we live in a
culturally diverse society, hence modern theatre is secular to appeal to all people.

Greek theatres consisted of three main elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the koilon (seating area).
Orchestra is the centre most part of the theatre where the chorus would sing & ritual dances were performed.
An altar (Thymele), in the middle of the orchestra, was dedicated to Dionysus. Skene was a large rectangular
building situated behind the orchestra. It was the actual building where the actors performed. It also functioned
as a backstage where actors would change costumes and masks. Proscenium, thrust, black box theatre, theatre
in the round, amphitheatre, and arena are examples of current contemporary theatre designs.

Theatre buildings are called a theatron or an amphitheatre. The ancient theatres were large, open-air
structures that were usually constructed on the slopes of hills for better seating arrangement. The seating was
constructed in a semi-circle that curved down into the centre following the natural slope of the hillside. The
theatre seating nowadays consists of chairs aligned in consecutive straight rows, facing the stage in one
direction. Ancient theatres were built in a way to accommodate a large audience of up to 14,000. This is in
sharp contrast to contemporary theatres, which hold around a thousand people on average.

The seating area of the Greek theatre is called theatron & its seats were initially made of wood & then
later with stone. The stone seats of spectators were known as Edolia. Modern-day theatres are quite
comfortable as they are equipped with padded seats. It is because society is more advanced now. In ancient
times the seats at the back were reserved for poor people. The first row of the seat was intended for the officials
only & it took the form of a marble throne (named Prohedria). There is no such restriction on seats with a
better view nowadays. If a person can afford it, he can have it.

As discussed earlier, the seating arrangement in the open-air theatre was done in a naturally curved
shape. It was done to provide better acoustics. The curved shape allowed sound to be transmitted to such a
big audience without any sound amplifying systems. Nowadays use of wireless microphones has improved
vocal reinforcement. Additionally, various sound effects are employed to enhance the performance of actors &
to add realism to the theatre.

A theatre is nothing without actors. Ancient Greek dramas were performed by only three actors
(regardless of how many speaking characters there were) & a chorus. The chorus played the role of narrating
the play & giving commentary. They were also needed when a scene needed more people. Masks were the
 most important aspect of Greek’s costume. They represented the character’s age, sex, social status & customary
mood. Furthermore, funnel-shaped mouths of masks served the function of a megaphone. Nowadays, masks are
not used anymore as we have multiple actors & the use of theatrical makeup enhances the appearance of a
character. Contemporary theatres also allow women to perform on stage which is something that was forbidden
in ancient times.

Plays that were performed in ancient Greece were either comedies or tragedies. Most tragedies were
based on mythology, but comedies were satirical and mocked the public and their concerns. Most tragedies were
written in trilogies (3 acts) however, comedies were normally self-sufficient. But present-day plays have five or
more acts & the plots cover a wide range of topics (other than tragedy & comedy). Moreover, violence was
never allowed to be shown on stage and always appeared to go on offstage. Whereas in contemporary theatres, it
is not avoided & other acts of pain & aggression are also displayed explicitly.

Lighting & lifts are also a significant part of the theatre. In ancient Greek theatres, daylight served as the
only lighting source, whereas contemporary theatres use different electrified light sources such as footlight, strip
light, border light, & concentrated light. Lifts today are used to move platforms, actors, scenery, and other
production elements above or below the stage floor. Lifts in ancient times were made of wooden rotating
structures called Periaktoi, to hold different painting themes & another machine known as Machanne was
used as a small crane, lifting the actor who played the role of God & to create the illusion of flight.

In the light of the information mentioned above, we see Greek & contemporary theatres stand in stark
contrast to each other. Greeks constructed outdoor theatres with a massive audience capacity, whereas modern
roofed theatres are constructed in urban areas with a small audience sitting capacity. With advancements in
technology, modern theatres are well-equipped with various stage crafts such as lightning, better sound systems
& better stage machinery. Moreover, modern plays & dramas no more follow the rigid rules of classic Greek
plays.

The End

References:
1. https://www.britannica.com/art/stagecraft/Medieval-costume
2. https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/greece/gr1180e.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_lighting