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534 BCE
Thespis; The Beginning of Theatre
It is not known whether he was the first person to perform a play, but it is known and said that he was the first actor and to win an award in theatre (Brockett) (AncientAthens). -
500 BCE
Tragedies in Dionysian Festival
Theatre and Tragedies became part of society for the Greeks as it was a way for them to worship the god, Dionysus. Not many tragedy plays survived, but the biggest writers plays that did include: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides (NewHistorian). -
486 BCE
Comedies in Dionysian Festival
Although comedy plays had already been happening, 486 BC was the first year that comedy competition began in Athens. Only one comedy authors work lived, his name was Aristophanes, said to be a comedy genius of his time (NewHistorian). -
458 BCE
Aeschylus's "Oresteia"
"Oresteia" (by Aeschylus) and the writing of it was an important event in history because today it is the only Greek tragedy as a trilogy that has survived (Britannica). -
430 BCE
Sophocles's "Oedipus Rex"
"Oedipus Rex" and the time it was produced is important because at the time only three actors could have speaking parts in a play, resulting in some actors playing multiple roles and speaking as different characters (Brockett). -
350 BCE
Theatre of Dionysus
Constructed around 350 BC in Athens, the Theatre of Dionysus was constructed for performers to show their plays while also honoring the god, Dionysus. The theatre held between 14,000 to 17,000 audience members (Brockett) (Ancient). -
240 BCE
The First Roman Play
After gaining control of Greece and adopting some of their traditions, they found Greek theatre. They brought over Livius Andronicus, a Greek writer, and in 240 BC the first Roman play was produced (Brockett). -
219 BCE
Plautus's "Menaechmi"
Although the actual date is unknown of when the comedy was performed, assuming it was performed while Plautus was alive, it was sometime around 219 BC. "Menaechmi" is said to be the most popular Roman comedy of its time (Brockett) (Britannica). -
354
100 Days of Theatre
This year is important because in 240 BC only one day throughout the whole year was given to theatre, but by 354 AD it had grown to one hundred days devoted to the art (Brockett). -
400
The Decline of Roman Theatre
The Christian Church showed their intolerance for theatre because of its connection to worshipping pagan gods, leading to the decline of Roman theatre (Brockett). -
Works Cited
