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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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