The origins of drama
TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, two thousand years before Shakespeare, Western theatre was born in Athens, Greece. Between 600 and 200 BC, the ancient Athenians created a theatre culture whose form, technique and terminology have lasted two millenia, and they created plays that are still considered among the greatest works in theatre. Their achievement is truly remarkable when one considers that there have been only two other periods in theatre history which approached the greatness of ancient Athens -- Elizabethan England and the Twentieth Century. The great playwright of Elizabethan England was Shakespeare, but Athens produced at least five great playwrights. The Twentieth Century produced thousands of fine plays and films, but their form and often their content were based on the innovations of the ancient Athenians.
The Cult of Dionysus
The theatre of Ancient Greece evolved from religious rites which date back to at least 1200 BC. At that time Greece was populated by primitive tribes. …
