Download Roman Theatre

Roman Theatre
Where it all began…
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The Romans borrowed extensively from
Greek theatre.
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Although Roman theatre may not be held in
the same high esteem as that of the Greeks,
we have inherited much from the influence
of the Roman Theatre, including the word
"play" itself, which derives from a literal
translation of the Latin word ludus, meaning
recreation or play.
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Roman theatre took two forms: Fabula
Palliata and Fabula Togata. Fabula Palliata
were primarily translations of Greek plays
into Latin, although the term is also applied
to the original works of Roman playwrights
based upon Greek plays
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Drama in Rome consisted primarily of
Fabula Togata, (plays in Greek costuming)as
well as the spectacles of the gladiators and
chariot races made familiar by modern
Hollywood treatment of the Roman Empire.
Ancient Rome
Playwrights…
Plays of a more serious literary
nature continued to be written,
but these were not intended to be
performed so much as read or
recited.
 Comedies were far more popular
and, like tragedy, divided into two
groups:
 Written about Greeks
 Written about Romans
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Plautus and Terence were both
comedic writers for Roman
theatre. Plautus, the older of the
two, was an actor as well as a
playwright.
 He has written over 100 works but
only 21 survive…”Aulularia” being
one them.
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From Greek to Roman
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Although we have few works by
Roman playwrights surviving to us in
forms that would lend themselves to
revival, the influence of the Roman
world on the form of the stage is one
which had more lasting effect.
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The semi-circular orchestra of the
Greek theatre came to be eclipsed by
the raised stage and the more
vigorous style of acting employed by
the performers. However, the greatest
impact Rome may have had on the
theatre was to lower it in the esteem
of the Church -- an impact that was to
retard the growth of the dramatic arts
for several centuries.
Pleasing the audience…
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Romans bent toward low
comedy and its mass appeal -coupled with its association
with the entertainment of the
arena almost certainly
contributed to its disfavor by
officials of the early Christian
Church.
Plays, or ludii were associated
with either comedy of a coarse
and scurrilous nature, or with
pagan rituals and holidays. It
was the latter, however, which
may account for the survival of
theatre through the Middle
Ages.
Rub-a-dub-dub!
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Entertainment was
essential to daily life
in Ancient Rome. And
with theaters,
amphitheaters,
circuses, and public
baths galore, the
Romans never
seemed to get bored.
A day at the SPA…
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In the time of the Roman
empire, the baths were a
place of leisure time
during many Romans
daily routine. People
from nearly every class men, women, and
children - could attend
the thermae, or public
baths, similar to modern
day fitness clubs and
community centers.
Saunas & Pools Roman style…
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Towards the center of the
Roman baths, adjoining the
dressing room, could be found
the tepidarium, an exceedingly
large, vaulted and mildly
heated hall.
This could be found
surrounded on one side by the
frigidarium, a large, chilled
swimming pool about 200 feet
by 100 feet, and on the other
side by the calidarium, an area
for hot bathing warmed by
subterranean steam.
VADO!
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Chariot racing was Rome's oldest and most
popular pastime, dating back to at least the
Roman monarchy.
Greek chariot races were held in hippodromes
in the east, but in the west they were held in
circuses.
Other events eventually infiltrated the circus
games (ludi circenses), such as Greek athletics
and wrestling, but chariot racing remained the
popular favorite.
As a sport, it was highly expensive, but
organized into a highly profitable business.
There were four chariot facing teams, the
blues, greens, whites, and reds, the colors of
which were worn by respective charioteers
during races.
If successful, a charioteer could become rich
and famous throughout Rome.
Images of charioteers survive in sculpture,
mosaic, and molded glassware, sometimes
even with inscribed names. The teams rivaled
greatly, sometimes leading to violence among
supporters. In general, however, the greens
and blues were the favorites.
Ludi Circenes
Ludi Circenses
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The circus itself consisted of tiers of
seats build around a U-shaped arena
with an elaborately ornamented
barrier, the spina, running down the
middle.
Metae, or turning posts, surrounded
each end of the course.
At the open end of the U waited up to
twelve four horse chariots (quadrigae),
which began the race from starting
gates (carceres), drove to the right of
the spina, and then continued counterclockwise for seven laps.
At each end of the spina were seven
lap markers, one of which was
removed after each lap run by the
charioteers.
Circuses were also used for two horse
chariot racing (bigae), foot and horse
racing, athletics, and gladiatorial
shows/mock battles were
commonplace in the circus.
Circus events…
Chariot Racing
Circus Maximus
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The 1st circus was the Circus
Maximus, supposedly built
during the monarchy.
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Entertainment, politics, and
religion all seemed to be
intertwined.
Gladiators…
Foot and Horse Racing
The original Olympics
Shows at the Arena…
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Several different types of shows all took place in the arena of an
Amphitheater. The word arena comes from the Latin for "sand,"
which was placed on the Amphitheater floor to soak up spilled
blood. Amphitheaters were most commonly used for gladiatorial
matches which had been adapted from Etruscan funeral rites
(munera). By the last 1st century BC, however, the games had lost
their ritualistic significance.
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Gladiators came from various lots of life. Originally, there were
gladiatorial schools, but these came under state control in the 1st
century BC to avoid them becoming private armies. The majority of
gladiators were either condemned criminals (damnati), slaves,
prisoners of war, or volunteers who signed up to do shows for a
fee. There were four main types of gladiator:
Armor
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Murmillo: Fought with a helmet adorned by
a fish crest, an oblong shield, and a
sword. He usually fought a retiaritus.
Retiaritus: A lightly armed gladiator with a
net, brandishing either a trident or a
dagger.
Samnite: Utilized a sword, visor and
helmet, and an oblong shield.
Thracian: Combated with a curved scimitar
and round shield.
Various other weapons, women, and
sometimes even dwarves were used in the
games. Special types of "wild animal
matches" (venationes) were introduced in
the 2nd Century BC and became very
popular. Such bouts included men on foot
and on horseback, known as beastiarii, who
were usually either criminals, prisoners of
war, or trained and paid fighters. Beastiarii
fought exotic animals, which eventually led
to an extensive trade market.
Bull fighting?
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Originally, wild animal
matches took place on
the morning of the
games, the public
executions were held at
midday, and then the
gladiatorial matches.
Over time, however,
these divisions became
blurred, and often many
fights would take place at
once, giving the
appearance of a battle.
In the Navy…
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Other spectacles
included mock naval
battles (naumachiae),
known to take place
on artificial lakes, as
well as animal
performances,
accompanied by
music.
Mock Battles
Army & Entertainment
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In small towns, the local
Amphitheater could be
the only
entertainment. Due to
their massive size, they
were usually constructed
on the edge of a city or
directly outside its
walls. Military
amphitheaters (ludi) built
near forts and fortresses
served as training
grounds for soldiers.
Taking it to the stage…
In Ancient Rome, plays were presented at the
time of the games on contemporary wooded
stages.
 The first such permanent Roman theater was
ordered to be built by Pompeii in 55 BC,
eventually erected on the Campus Martius at
Rome.
 Built of stone, it had a seating capacity of
27,000. Essentially patterned after the Greek
theater, it differed in the respect that it was built
on level ground.
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Where’s the chorus?
Excavated out of the sides of hills, the
circular space located in front of the stage
in a Greek theater was called the
orchestra, where choruses and actors
performed.
 Since Roman plays usually lacked a true
chorus, the area in front of the stage
which might have been an orchestra
simply became a semicircular area.
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Where are all the women?
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All actors in Roman plays were male slaves. Men played the parts of women. The
typical stock characters included the rich man, the king, the soldier, the slave, the
young man, and the young woman. If necessary, an actor would play two or more
roles in a single performance.
The most notable part of an actor's regalia was probably his mask. While different
masks and wigs were used for comedies than tragedies, certain characteristics
remained constant. All masks had both cheek supports and special chambers which
acted as amplifiers.
Gray wigs represented old men, black for young men, and red for slaves. Young
men donned brightly colored clothing, while old men wore white. In this manner the
characters could be easily identified by the audience.
Admission to the Roman plays was free for citizens. Originally, women were barred
from viewing comedies and were only admitted to tragedies, but later, no such
restrictions were imposed.
Pantomimes, popular during the 1st century BC, involved miming roles to
accompaniment of singers, dancers, and musicians, in addition to visual effects,
similar to a ballet. In mimes of antiquity actors spoke.
Women were allowed in mimes and pantomimes, which were more popular than
typical plays but eventually degenerated into vulgar and disgusting tastelessness.
Mimes, pantomimes
Wearing Wigs?
Similarities? Write it down…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
List three differences between Greek and Roman
theatre.
List three similarities between Greek and Roman
theatre.
What does ludi mean?
What three aspects of Roman life were intertwined?
What is significant about Roman lifestyle and Roman
theatre?
The End…For Now