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Ancient Greek Theatre Research Paper

1991 Words8 Pages

Kaleem Khan
Prof. Kale Braden
TA 300
June 28, 2015
Backstage Technology: Ancient Greece to Modern Times

The art and technology of theater has changed tremendously from the mythical performances found in Ancient Greeks, to modern day musicals that light up Broadway. Theater has been depicted throughout history as a way to not only entertain audiences, but to show cultural traditions, political beliefs, religion, as well as other aspects of everyday life. The origin of theater can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where many theatrical acts were festive events and involved honoring or praising the Gods (HISTORY OF THEATRE). In the modern world, theatrical plays are more commonly seen as a sole form of entrainment, but have drifted away from …show more content…

Special effects can be a combination of sound, lights, and effect movement on stage such as things rising up and under the stage. In ancient times they did not have much in terms of special effects, but in in England they often had trap doors that lead to a secret room under the stage. This special effect using the stage allowed actors to not only to enter or exit the stage mysteriously, but allowed them to make sounds or vibration under the stage that would mimic the idea of a ghost. In the modern day, special effects have now become an expected thing, as audiences need more and more to be entertained. A piece of special effect technology that is used today is two dimension or even three dimensional projections (Digital Drama). This technology, also referred to as technodrama, consists of using software technology and projectors to project interactive scenery that can produce certain gesture by simply walking in front of it (Digital Drama). For example, certain projections will make a sound when a character has walked in front of the designated are, or even project a moving set or scenery. These projectors can also be used to create animated characters that seem real, but are all part of an illusion. This type of special effect can be seen as a way to replace imagination in a play, essentially doing all of the imagination for the audience in a clean and crisp way. In addition the ability to move a character also became a special effect. In ancient Greek theater, they would use a crane, mechane, to carry actors up and down the stage (Brunch, 1 ). This technology allowed for a somewhat magical experience for the audience as the character would be giving the illusion of flying. This piece of technology is still used today as actors are sometimes harnessed to a rope that is somewhat invisible, giving off the illusion that a person is flying

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The most obvious prop was the implementation of the two giant screens placed on the ends of the stage. During every scene the screens would consistently change their projection in order to give off the effect of a complete background for the audience to experience. For example, towards the end of Act One, where Igor, Frederick and Inga were in his Transylvania residence, the giant screens projected static images of castle walls in order for the audience to feel like they were almost in an actual castle. In order to meet the demands for constant stage changes, some scenery props would be outfitted with wheels in order to quickly and silently change scenes. Then there was the actual interaction with the props, such as during the scene “Join The Family Business”, where Frederick and Inga would interact with a moving bookshelf which gave the audience some more insight about Inga and Frederick.

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An example of actors is -5:24 through -5:03 where everyone in the neighborhood is wondering why nothing is working. If actors were not used to portray the characters then there would be no story to tell. In conclusion you have seen how the use of sound effects, scenery, and actors helps differ the teleplay from play but the play also differs using stage directions,the use of personification, and onomatopoeia. The play of “Monsters are due on Maple Street” is quite different from the play in several ways, such as the use of stage direction.

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The stage was used as both the ring and the practice room. The movement of props such as the towel, the stools, and handles toward thes the edge of the ring helped portray each scene. The props that were used where chosen wisely and that prevented the overflow of props

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Not only were the props used to enhance their music they used it to made it comical and interactive. First the flutist blew up a balloon and released it in rhythm, this was comical because of how much it annoyed the cellist. Next the pianist took pencils and began playing along on the cellists cello. This made a unique sound and an interesting “musical theater esque” show. Lastly they pored ping pong balls on the piano string.

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At the Theatre of Epidaurus many things were performed. Dramas and plays about the gods were performed

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The Greeks were the first to introduce the concept of theater. As a matter of fact, one performer, Thespis, created the idea of a chorus, which was a group of people that expressed opinions, gave advice, and had the author’s point of view. The chorus would be the equivalent to the “score” in modern theater. The International Thespian Society, an organization formed to honor student’s success in the theater, was named after Thespis. In Greek theater, the place that the actors performed was called the “paraskene,” while in modern theater it is called the stage.

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