Hellenistic Greek Theater Architecture

Hellenic And Hellenistic Greek Theatre Architecture

In ancient Greek theatre was an important aspect of their lives, they spent hours and even days planning and preparing for numerous plays to be performed in the festival of Dionysus and many other occasions. They took great care into evolving their theatre to improve its various aspects such as costumes, playwriting and architecture, trying to make the theatrical experience more enjoyable for the audience. Greek theatre architecture is the base in which modern day theatre originated from, it was a unique architectural structure at the time making it one of a kind. Greek theatre architecture had two time periods in which the architecture was significant or experienced an evolution, Hellenic

This period is also referred to as the Golden Age of Greece in which great monuments, art, philosophy, architecture and literature emerged becoming the building blocks of our own civilization today. The Hellenistic period however, was between 323 BC with Alexander's death and ended in 31 BC with the conquest of the last Hellenistic kingdom by Rome. It was the time in which the power of Athens declined due to its defeat in the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans. Although its theatrical traditions seem to have lost their vitality, however, a new form of theatre emerged which was New Comedy, comic episodes about the lives of ordinary citizens. Due to the vast historical changes and events the theatrical architecture of had to evolve to be suitable for new types of theatre and plays. The difference between a Hellenic theatre and a Hellenistic theatre varies widely as many changes have been made throughout the years adapting the theatre to various social and cultural aspects. The changes in the architecture of the theatre were made to the skene, theatron, parados and orchestra changing the whole theatrical

One element of the classical theatre plan that was retained in the Hellenistic plan was the circular orchestra, with the auditorium seating surrounding it in a more-than-semicircle configuration. However, by about 150 BC, the orchestra circle began to decrease in size due to the proskenion which was a stone structure that replcaed the skene of the hellenic period which had been a temporary wooden structure in early times. Between the columns of the proskenion were placed removable painted panels that were called Pinakes. The paintings on the pinakes represented the plays where they almost did the job of our nowaday set. Another innovation was the use of a high stage, raised 8-13 feet above the orchestra level. A back wall of the stage, or episkenion, measured 8-13 feet high and doubled as the front wall of a roofed upper story (distegia) of the skene. At first, the episkenion had three doors, which could be used for entrances and exits; the structure itself was used by actors and for storage purposes. Gradually, the episkenion doors were converted into a series of up to seven openings, or thyromata, separated by columns. These could be used for entrances or, as with the proskenion, decorated with pinakes. The space behind the thyromata might be just as deep as the acting area in front of