At Play in the Theater of Dionysus

At Play in the Theater of Dionysus

The Theater of Dionysus as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides knew it was very different than the theater whose remains you see today in Athens. Listen to Emily and Cam walk you through the development of the space, and through the creation of the genre associated most strongly with it: Greek tragedy.

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00:10 - Introduction

01:37 - Visiting the Theater and Sanctuary

1. 01:42 - Where to find the Theater and Sanctuary
2. 02:16 - Don’t confuse it with the Odeion of Herodes Atticus!
3. 03:26 - An overview of the physical remains

04:01 - The Origins of the Sanctuary, the Theater, and the Festival

1. 04:02 - The Sanctuary, the Festival, and the Temples of Dionysus
2. 04:58 - The Theater through Time: The Fifth Century, the Lycurgan Theater, the Hellenistic Theater, and the Roman Theater
3. 07:59 - The Festivals of Dionysus: The Origins of the City Dionysia and celebrations for Dionysus in Ikaria and other demes

11:44 - The Origins of Scripted Drama in Athens

1. 11:50 - The Dithyramb
2. 12:41 - The legend of Thespis, the first actor
3. 13:15 - The importance of the chorus in Greek drama
4. 14:10 - Masking and actors playing multiple characters
5. 14:30 - The Development of the Three-Actor Model in the Age of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides

19:09 - The City Dionysia

1. 19:42 - The Schedule: The Procession and its Ithyphallic Floats; the Dithyrambic Competitions; the Dramatic Competitions
2. 22:50 - Dionysus, the most important spectator
3. 23:48 - The Organization of the Dramatic Competitions: Tragedies, Satyr Plays, Choruses, and Choregoi!

30:09 - The Performance Space and its Evolution

1. 30:20 - The Fifth-Century Theater: the Orchestra, the Skēnē, and the Paradoi
2. 33:30 - Technical Innovations: the ekkyklēma and the mechanē
3. 36:36 - The Deus Ex Machina in ancient Drama
4. 37:34 - Changes over time in the layout of the theater and in the role of the Chorus

41:01 - Final Thoughts on the Importance of Tragedy

44:15 - Wrap-up