Greek+Theater+Today

= = = = = Greek Theatre Today =



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Modern Greek drama has been performed and discussed in several European languages.
== Greek theater is an art form that flourished in ancient Greece between 550 and 220 BC. Some people believe that it grew out of special ceremonies that worshiped the god Dionysus where groups of men sang and danced together. Tragedy, comedy, and satire are some of the theatrical arts they express. It can be traced to a state festival in Athens, Greece, honoring the god Dionysus. Greek tragedy always involves the gods and nature. The actors on the stage always talk directly to the gods.Unlike in realistic drama, actors in ancient Greek dramas talk and behave in an exaggerated way (Chi). ==

media type="youtube" key="pZDdL3p0seg" height="315" width="420" == Every year Greek people continue to admire the new theater productions, which are almost always dealing with everyday life and characters. Ancient Greek Drama, also presented today,tries to keep a traditional style. The audience always discovers something creative, tragic, dramatic, comic, and even complicated in each play (Georgoussopoulou). Greek drama almost always relates to everyday life and over coming the challenges of it. Two forms of Greek drama is tragedy and comedy. Tragedy and comedy are viewed as completely separate, and no plays ever merge the two ("crystalinks.com"). ==

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== Greek theater buildings were called a theatron. They consist of three parts, the orchestra, the skene, and the audience.The centerpiece of the theater is the orchestra. There are many differences between the Greek theaters today and from the ones of ancient times. For example, the layout, special effects, seating, and location. In Ancient Greek theaters the seating was arranged in a semi-circle and curve down into a circle almost like a hillside. Today there are many theaters positioned this way, but many have the audience facing a different way of the stage almost like a cinema ("  __123HelpMe.com"). __ ==

==  The actors are required to be able to sing, chant, learn their lines, to be fit, and they have to have a wonderful voice for this is the way that atmosphere was set. Three Greek actors could provide entertainment for sometimes 17,000 spectators at the largest of theaters. The standard for each play was that there are three main actors who are always men. Between them all of the main speaking roles are shared. In the very early Greek theater, a poet was the protagonist, wrote and directed the play and looked after the chorus until chorus trainers were required (Miede). ==

Although Greek theater began in Ancient times, it is still practiced and expressed today. It has changed a bit since those times but writers of these arts strive to stay along the lines and traditions of the original pieces. Many performances and shows are about the gods and everyday life as they were in ancient times, however the way they are acted out and the way that they are spoken has varied through time.

Works Cited:

"Ancient Greek Theatre." // crystalinks.com //. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .

Chi, Liu. N.p., 06/18/2008. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .

"Difference between Greek and Modern Theatres." __123HelpMe.com __. 26 Mar 2012

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Georgoussopoulou, Eva. "Greek Theater Traditions." // Archivist at the Theatre Museum of Athens //. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .

Miede, Kim. "The Kokolus Story." // Aristophanes and the Greek Theatre //. Jaroslav Kokolus, 12/0. Web. 26 Mar 2012. .