Theatres in Ancient Greece

The first people we know created plays were the Ancient Greeks in about the year 500 B.C. They divided plays into two kinds: tragedy and comedy. The best known Ancient Greek writers of plays are Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Some of their plays survived, and actors perform them today.

The ancient Greeks performed their plays outdoors in large amphitheatres, so that many people could see them. There were contests among the playwrights (people who write plays are called playwrights) and the winner often won a prize.

The Greeks were full of brilliant ideas. They used mechanical devices like trap doors and had a Greek chorus that gave information to help the audience follow the performance.

The players wore masks, covering their faces and head, with holes for the eyes and a small hole for the mouth, plus a wig. So when the audience saw that they were looking at the character and were not thinking about the actor.

Adapted from www.kidzsearch.com