Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

Comedy

Sets

Props

There were little to no props used in Roman plays. If any were used, they had to be easily moveable.

Theatres were designed in the shape of a semicircle to enhance the natural acoustics of it. It helped the actors to project their voices without microphones.

The theatre was divided into two parts the stage, or as it was sometimes called the orchestra, and the audience. The average theatre could hold up to 15,000 people. There was no roof over the theatre, but an awning could be pulled over the audience to shelter them from the weather. A cooling system was also provided by blowing air over water.

Temporary Roman theatres based their basic design off of the Theatre of Pompey, which was the first permanent Roman theatre. The permanent Roman theatres were made of stone while the temporary ones were made of wood.

The seating area in the theatre was called the Cavea. Like many modern theatres, it was divided into wedge shaped sections. There were three main sections of seating. The first was the orchestra. This is where the high class citizens sat. The next range was the equestria, where the knights sat. The last section of seating was the popularia, where the commoners sat.

The stage in the Roman Theatre was about five feet high, twenty to forty feet deep, and one hundred to three hundred feet long. The stage was covered with a roof to protect the actors from harsh weather. There were doorways on the left and right sides of the stage, called portae hospitales, where the actors made their entrances. The dressing rooms were located on the side wings.

Women were not permitted to sit in the front of the theatre because it was believed that they would run off with the actors.

The stage always represented an average Roman street. It included a few houses and an altar.

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, a famous Roman architect, engineer, and theorist came up with a basic entrance and exit plan for the theatre. According to Vitruvius, "the entrances should be numerous and spacious; those above ought to be unconnected with those below, in a continued line wherever they are, and without turnings; so that when the people are dismissed from the shows, they may not press on one another, but have separate outlets free from obstruction in all parts."

Any Questions?

Just Kidding! Shakespeare wrote his plays during the Renaissance, which took place after Ancient Rome. Shakespeare actually borrowed a lot from the Romans when creating his plays. One can see where Shakespeare gathered his inspiration by studying aspects of ancient Roman Theatre such as, types of plays, costumes, sets, props, and architecture.

("History of Ancient Theatre").

Architecture

("413 Roman Theatre").

("Roman Colosseum").

("ROMAN THEATRE AND MASKS").

("Roman Colosseum").

("413 Roman Theatre").

("Architecture").

("Romeo and Juliet").

("Comedic Play").

Plays

The Roman's did not use sets to show the audience where the play takes place.

A good comedic play was defined by how much the audience laughed. One of the most famous comedic writers was...

(Gill).

Titus Maccius Plautus

Plautus wrote around 130 comedic plays. Of the 130 plays he wrote only 21 have survived. He adapted his plays from the world around him. The two places he most often made reference to were the military camp and the marketplace. Two of his most famous plays were...

Instead:

("Titus Maccius Plautus")

("Titus").

Cistellaria

Miles Gloriosus

and

This play refers to the conflict Rome had with Carthage. ("Titus Maccius Plautus").

This play referred to the imprisionment of the poet Naevius. ("Titus Maccius Plautus").

("Mimes").

They used larger props to set the stage such as:

  • Furniture
  • Trees
  • Statues

("Tragic Masks").

Pantomimes/

Mimes

Tragedy

Pantomimes and Mimes were more popular than the typical comedic and tragic plays. Performers did not speak, but rather acted out roles to singers and music. These plays are comparable to modern ballets. A famous Mime writer was...

Mostly, the audience relied on the playwright to set the scene through the lines of the actor.

("Ancient Rome").

Costumes

Publilius Syrus

A tragic play would show human motives to the overwhelming force of religion and its presence on earth. One famous tragic playwright was...

Syrus was a slave that arrived in Rome around the first century BC. He rose to become the author of many mimes, all of which have been lost over time. Although his plays have been lost many of his aphorisms have been perserved. One of his many sayings is, "A good reputation is more valuable than money."

("Theatre Database").

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

("Ancient Rome").

Seneca adapted his plays from the works of other playwrights. Many people in Rome believed that Seneca condenscended to write plays for the theatre. He was best known for his realistic portrayal of horror and violence within his plays.

The costumes in the Roman theatre were generally simple. They were derived from traditional Greek clothing. The standard design for the costumes were a long robe referred to as a chinton. Over the chinton a himation was worn as a cloak.

(Roman Colosseum).

("Seneca").

("Lucius Annaeus Seneca").

Masks

GAME TIME!! :)

Masks were worn to indicate what type of character the actor was portraying.

("ROMAN THEATRE AND MASKS").

("Roman Colosseum").

Brown masks were men.

White masks were women.

Smiling meant a comedy.

("Roman Theaters").

Sad face meant a tragedy

("Roman Mask

Woman")

("Roman Mask Man").

Clothing

The actors were specific outfits to indicate the type of person they were portraying.

Boys were identified by striped togas.

A purple costume meant the actor portrayed a rich man.

Soldiers were short cloaks

Poor men wore red costumes.

Slaves had short tunics.

The character was a woman if he wore yellow.

A yellow tassle was worn by a god

Examples:

("Roman Theaters")

("Roman Costumes")

swords, daggers, armor,

jewels, bones, furs, and blood soaked clothing

("Roman Colosseum").

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi