Roman theatre
Classical open-air venue
Roman theatre refers to theatrical performance and architecture from ancient Rome, roughly 3rd century BCE through the fall of the empire.
Unlike Greek predecessors built into hillsides, Roman theatres were freestanding structures with elaborate stage buildings and semicircular seating.
The tradition emphasized comedy and spectacle over Greek tragedy's philosophical concerns.
The Roman theatre at Orange still hosts summer performances.
- open airUnenclosed outdoor space
- patriciansHereditary ruling class
- Greek dramaAncient Athenian theatrical tradition
- tragic maskTheatrical symbol of sorrow
- prosceniumTheater's architectural frame
plebeians · pantomime · mime · cavea · stage machinery · public festivals · Terence · vomitorium · marble columns · farce · orchestra · civic pride · ancient ruins · social hierarchy · bread and circuses · colonnade · basilica · masks
- theater historyGreek tragedy, vaudeville, William Shakespeare, Drury Lane, Christopher Marlowe
- Roman comedy
- classicsHomer, Iliad, the Iliad, Odyssey, the Odyssey
- amphitheaterstiered seating, tiers, seats, oval shape, semicircle
- Early TheaterShakespeare, Marlowe, morality plays, mystery plays, playhouse
- Greek dramacomedy, tragedy, Greek chorus, Greek plays, Dionysus
Roman theatreRoman amphitheatre
Ancient circular performance venue
Roman, theatre, Rome, Romans, Romanize, Romanization, romance, Romance, romantic