Theatre Comparisons

In this project, I created a poster board and filled it with potential questions that a Roman actor placed on a modern-day set(In this case, Wicked) would ask.

I chose this topic because I am quite interested in theatre, and I was wondering how a Pompeian actor would react to a modern-day production. Roman actors would react strangely to modern-day performances because of all of the differences between the two styles.

One of those differences is that the Romans wore masks to portray their characters, while modern theatres use makeup or paint to create recognizable characters (source 1).  These masks were color-coded. Male characters wore brown masks and female characters wore white masks. These color-codings are important because only male actors were used in Roman plays, much like plays of more modern(but not that modern)eras. The expressions on these masks were amplified, so that attendees at the very back of the theatre could see how the character was feeling.

Another difference between the two is that Roman shows were much more serious than modern-day plays. The plots were serious, and often addressed real-life issues of their days or the stories of their Gods and Goddesses. Shows these days are based on other stories, and use humor much more often than the Romans did in their main plays. However, in the farces, short shows in-between longer, more serious shows, were comedies that often featured the same characters and a lot of bodily humor. (source 2)

Roman theatres themselves were very unlike theatres today. For one thing, they were outside. A large building(scaenae frons)served as a backdrop to the stage(scaena). There was a ring in the very front of the theatre where city officials sat, called the orchestra. This small seating area may have evolved into where the orchestra plays for shows in modern-day theatres. (source 3)

I chose this topic because I love theatre. My love for several shows has been rekindled, and I was interested in how Pompeians enjoyed the many shows of their time.

Sources:

Alchin, Linda. "Roman Masks." Roman Masks. Siteseen, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.

"Ancient Roman Theaters - Crystalinks." Ancient Roman Theaters - Crystalinks. Crystalinks, 2012. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.

"The Roman Actor." Masterplots, Definitive Revised Edition (1976): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.