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Highlights der Antikensammlung

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Verwandlungssprüche im Totenbuch des Paser

Audiocontent

We can think of theatre as the earliest manifestation of animation: During the performance, people transform into and embody new characters, giving the audience a front-row seat to an array of human experiences. The audience can comfortably feel all these grand emotions without them affecting their actual lives. So, in a way, the origins of what we know today as show theatre can be found right there in ancient Greece. Tragedies, comedies and satyr plays, the three traditional types of Greek drama, have their origins in Athens in the second half of the sixth century BCE. They were adapted from the dance performances of masked choruses, whose singing was meant to honour Dionysus. While their performances were originally full of improvised action and lines, the stories, when written down, received a structured shape with an engaging and dramatic story arc. Tragedies were often inspired by the misfortunes of mythological figures. Satyr plays approached those same stories more playfully and mockingly. Comedies, on the other hand, reproduced and engaged with social interactions and incidents, going as far as referencing and reacting to popular political events in the fifth and fourth century BCE. During the early fifth century BCE, these performances in Athens turned into actual contests organised by the state. It wasn’t only the authors and composers who competed against each other. In addition, choruses, financed and managed by wealthy members of the public (choregoi), were also part of the spectacle. The choregos who had won was awarded a monument celebrating his accomplishments on the Street of Tripods – a place located between the theatre of Dionysus and the agora. These kinds of competitions would usually take place during the Festivals of Dionysus, in particular when the City Dionysia and the Lenaia were being celebrated. The voting was coordinated by jurors, who were selected at random. No prior experience was necessary for them to be considered for the job. Originally, poets were the ones tasked with directing the plays. Later, the work was delegated to professional choreographers. Actors – usually only three! – as well as the members of the chorus were all male. The men even played female characters. To mask their gender, costumes as well as masks (with wide openings at the mouth) were used. Depending on the genre, the masks would mimic the mood and physical traits of the character in an exaggerated manner. Stock characters became popular with the emergence of New Comedy (320–280 BCE), where political satire made way for the moralisation of human behaviour and habits. Complex stage design developed over time; however, most of the set design was still standardised. The beginnings of the literary theatre lie in Athens – just like its physical manifestation (ill. 1). During the fifth and fourth century BCE, it gained popularity and recognition throughout the entire Greek realm, reaching as far as Rome. Its stone structures became an integral part of the existing urban landscape and life. Along with it, simpler forms of improv theatre began to take root, such as comic farces, travesties and mime (so, silent performances).

Theatre

“The magic of performance theatre lies in its ephemerality. Trying to capture it only highlights how moments, as they arrive, are always already slipping away”

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