The
In the early
days theatres in
Facing the
audience was the scaena, the
stage and its backcloth that was not cloth but a permanent stone structure of
two or three storeys with three doorways through it. Very often the stage
represented a street scene and the doorways were the doors of three houses.
The theatre was
open to the sky but in very hot weather a large canvas awning was suspended by
ropes and pulleys across most of the theatre to shade the audience from the
sun. The awning was managed by sailors, who were used to handling ropes and canvas
but on a windy day the awning could not be unfurled and the audience had to
make use of hats and sunshades to protect themselves from the sun. Between
plays, scented water was sprinkled by attendants to refresh the spectators.
The day of the performance
Plays were performed
in the daytime and lasted for several hours. Plays were not performed every day
but only at festivals, which were held several times a year. There was
therefore great excitement in the town when notices appeared announcing a
performance. On the day itself the shops were closed and no business was done
in forum. Men and women (with their slaves)set off for
the theatre early in the morning. As the performances lasted several hours, some
carried cushions (because the seats were made of stone) and many took food and
drink for the day. The people who did not need to hurry were the town
councillors and other important citizens for whom the best seats at the front
of the auditorium were reserved. These important people carried tokens which
indicated the entrance they should use and where they should sit. These tokens
were often made of
bone or ivory and decorated with engravings of the theatre,
actors masks, fruit or animals.
A dramatic
performance was a public occasion and admission to the theatre was free. All
the expenses were paid by wealthy citizen who provided the actors, the
producer, the scenery and costumes. He volunteered to do this not only to
benefit his fellow-citizens, but also to gain popularity which would be useful
in local political elections.
The Roman
audience was a lively one: they frequently shouted and hissed. When several
players were competing for a prize, paid gangs of supporters clapped or hissed
as directed, adding to the noise.
The actors
The actors wore
masks which helped the audience to recognise the characters they were playing. In
addition to their costumes they also wore coloured wigs- white for old men,
black for young men, red for slaves. Pantomime actors were usually Greek slaves
or freed men. They were much admired for their skill and stamina, and attracted
a large following of fans. Equally popular were the comic actors. They appeared
in vulgar farces and in short one act plays which were often put on at the end
of longer performances.
Types of production
Mimes
These were
short sketches of daily life with much singing and dancing.
Pantomimes
These were a mixture of opera
and ballet. The plot, which was usually serious, was taken from the Greek
myths. The parts of the different characters were mimed and danced by just one
masked performer, while a chorus sang lyrics. The performance was accompanied
by an orchestra.
Short plays
These were often
about Italian Country Life and were packed with rude jokes and slapstick. They
used just a few familiar characters, such as Pappus, an old fool, and Manducus,
a greedy clown. These characters were instantly recognisable from the strange
masks worn by the actors.
Plays by Plautus and Terence
These were two
famous comedy playwrights. Their plays also used a number of familiar
characters but their plots were complicated and the dialogue more witty than
those of the short plays.
Plautus (254-184 BC)
Titus Maccius
Plautus was born in
The plays of Plautus
These tend to
follow a regular pattern. There is usually a young man from a respectable
family who is leading a wild life; he is often in debt and in love with a
pretty but unsuitable slave girl. His father who is
old fashioned and disapproving, is usually kept in the dark by deception. The son
is usually helped by a cunning slave, who gets himself and the young master in
and out of trouble at great speed. Eventually it is usually discovered that the
girl is free-born and from a good family. The young man is therefore able to
marry his true love and all ends happily. You can see this pattern in Plautus’
play “Mostellaria.”
“Mostellaria” (The
Haunted House)
The scene is a
street in
One day the
friends are having as party outside Philolaches’ house. Their pleasures are
interrupted by the arrival of Tranio. He has just seen Philolaches’ father down
at the harbour. He had not been expected home for some days! Their first
impulse is to leave the house but Callidamates is hopelessly drunk and cannot
move. Tranio hustles them into the house and locks the door. When the father
arrives, Tranio greets him respectfully but pretends that it is dangerous for
him to go into the house because it is haunted.
Unfortunately
at this moment a money lender arrives to claim the money he lent to
Philolaches. Tranio thinks quickly and pretends that the money was borrowed to
buy the house next door. Even when Philolaches’ father meets the real owner of
the house, Tranio manages to hide the truth for some time but he is found out
at last and jumps onto the top of an altar to escape punishment. All ends happily
however, when one of Philolaches’ friends arrives and persuades the father to
forgive his son and Tranio.
Your Roman comedy play
You are now
going to write your own comedy play in the style of Plautus. Make some notes
under the headings below:
Your characters what are their names?
Clever slave
Young man
leading a wild life (usually in debt)!
Unsuitable
slave girl
Old fashioned
and disapproving father
Your plot-remember this should follow a regular
pattern (see overleaf under “the plays of
Plautus”). The plays do not include rude jokes or slapstick-they are
much more sophisticated!