What sort of plays did the Greeks watch?

At each performance there would be three serious plays, with a short break in between. Then the day would end with an amusing play, so that everyone went home happy. The plays were about well-known legends and myths, so everyone knew the story, but the playwrights would often tell the stories in different ways. The sad plays were called tragedies, and the amusing plays were called comedies. Some famous Greek playwrights were Euripedes, Aeschylus and Aristophanes.

The actors in the Greek theatre were all men. They wore large masks so that the audience at the top and the back of the auditorium could see them. The expression on the mask showed what sort of character the actor was playing. Masks with laughing faces were used in comedies, and masks with sad faces were used in tragedies.

For comedies the actors costumes would be made in bright colours, but for tragedies the actors would be dressed in black. When they needed to play the part of women, the actors wore wigs.

The main acting happened on the raised stage. The actors in the orchestra were called the chorus, and they danced and sang during the play. The Greek actors did not use many props, but they did use real horses if they needed them, and they rattled stones in metal bowls to make the sound of thunder. Often the actors who were playing the part of gods flew over the stage tied on the ropes.

The audiences would bring their own food to the theatre and, if they were enjoying the play, they would whistle and stamp their feet. Sometimes they didn't enjoy the play and then they would boo and perhaps throw rocks. The theatre staff carried large sticks in case the audience got too troublesome, and would hit people to make them behave.

Masks used in the theatre