Transcript The Performance Experience - IB-English

The Performance Experience
By: Kyle, Zach, Emily, and Andrew
Chorus
• Danced and sang along with each performance in the
orchestra
• All members of the chorus wore similar masks
• Narrates and reflects on the actions of the play
• Audience learns the background of the show from the
chorus
• Originally had 12 members but changed to 15
• The chorus was also known as "emmelia“, "codrax“, and
"sicinnis."
• The chorus is the most important component of each
performance
Performers
• When Greek theatre began there were no actors
• The poet Thespis was the first to use actors,
Aeschyles was the second, and Sophocles was
the third
• The actors where originally called hypocrit’s
• Those in orchestra were the followers, most
commonly known as chorus
• The hypocrits were always men, females roles
were played by males before they hit puberty
Costumes and Masks
• The costumes in Ancient Greek theater had a symbolic
significance in the way the production was understood.
• In order to have a female appearance men would wear a
“prosternaid” on their chest and a “progastrida” on their
stomach.
• In order to look taller actors would wear “cothornous” which
were wooden shoes with tall heels.
• Costumes did many things. They showed whether the actor
was male, female, rich, poor a priest or many other things
• The masks had almost the same affect however they were
personalized to show the emotions of each actor.
Audience
• The audience was made up of a large amount of Athenian citizens
• At one time, the Dionysian theatre held up to 14,000 people
• There were individuals who were appointed as judges to critique
performances based on audience responses
• If the audience disliked the play, it was typical that they interrupted
and mocked the play by yelling or throwing food
• The audience was easily influenced by flattery and small gifts
supported by the playwrights
• Large crowds were very hard to maintain, actors needed to do
something outrageous to capture their attention
• This is very different from today, audiences tend be respectful and
pay full attention to the performance
Questions
• What is the purpose of the chorus?
• What did the masks tell about the actors?
• What influenced the judges decision on
their thoughts about the performance?
• What was the original name for actors in
Greek theatre?
Bibliography
• "ACTORS IN ANCIENT GREEK
THEATRE." Web. 18 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/the
atre/stage.html>.
• Fonseca, Ruben. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/arts/
Architec/AncientArchitectural/GreekArchite
cture/GreekBuilding/Theater.htm>.