Roman Entertainments 300 BC – 476 AD Mosaic of Roman Theater masks found at Pompeii

Different types of Roman Theatres and Amphitheatres The Roman Theatre being built in a semicircle and the amphitheatre was generally oval. The Roman theatres were designed for stage plays. The Amphitheatres were designed for the greater spectacles and shows of gladiators and wild animals

Roman Theatre Buildings Roman Theatres could hold up to 15,000 people. The theatre itself was divided into the stage (orchestra) and the seating section (auditorium). Organizing the entrances was important in order to safely handle the number of Romans in attendance. According to Vitruvius, "The entrances should be numerous and spacious; those above ought to be unconnected with those below, …, and without turnings; so that when the people are dismissed from the shows, they may not press on one another, but have separate outlets free from obstruction in all parts." The Roman theatre did not have a roof instead an awning was pulled over the audience to protect them from the sun or rain. Another innovation was introduced to the Roman Theatre c 78 B.C - a cooling system which was provided by air blowing over streams of water Roman Theatres had a curtain that could be lowered into the stage when the play began and raised, when the play is ended. Trap doors were common. Some props could therefore be 'entranced' or 'exited' via the trap doors.

Actors and Playwrights Roman drama was highly influenced by Greek drama. Roman playwrights included Seneca for tragedy and Plautus and Terence for comedy. Terence Roman dramas had two sets of actors. There was an actor who spoke the character's lines and a different actor mimed the part on stage. The gestures used were also stylized to emphasize the lines as were the masks that they wore. Plautus

Costumes Roman costumes mirrored traditional Greek clothing. Roman costumes had a standard design which was a long robe, often colored to denote character, sex and rank. In the early Roman theatre the female characters were originally played by men (although eventually women slaves took the roles of women in plays). The audience recognized the characters and their status from the colors they wore: A purple costume identified a rich man Boys wore striped togas Soldiers wore short cloaks Red costumes indicated a poor man A yellow robe meant the character was a woman Short tunics indicated a slave A yellow tassel meant the character was a god

Roman Theatre: Gods and Religion The first Roman stage plays were mounted as part of both political and religious celebrations and followed earlier Greek culture traditions. The Roman theatre is therefore often associated with religious festivals of pagan gods. The Roman Games were a religious festival in ancient Rome held annually during September. This festival first introduced drama to Rome based on Greek drama. The Roman god Bacchus was the patron god of Roman theatre. Bacchus is synonymous with the Greek Dionysus. He is typically shown as the god of harvest, grapes, fertility and the theatre. This Roman god is associated with the festival of Bacchanalia which is infamous for the Roman orgies and licentious behavior. Roman mime was especially lewd as were some of the plays and were thoroughly enjoyed by the Romans.

Amphitheaters - Colosseum The center of the Roman Games was the great Colosseum which still stands today. What technical innovations did the Roman Colosseum contribute to theater?

Laborers pushed vertical winches to propel elevators that carried animal cages up to the arena. Pictured is a hole where one of the devices was anchored.

Vertical grooves indicate where a platform once rose.

Most of the underground (hypogeum) was directly beneath the arena floor. The hidden section was two stories tall, 250 feet long and 145 feet wide. One of its 15 corridors led to the gladiator training ground and barracks.

Animals held in the hypogeum ( area underneath) entered the stadium on a wooden ramp at the top of a lift. A hunter in the arena wouldn't know where the next lion would appear.

Originally, the arena floor and its wooden supports could be removed to flood the space for mock sea battles. Notice the retractable cloth awning to shield spectators from Roman sun and rain.

Mock sea battles ceased by the end of the first century, when workers installed the permanent masonry supports seen today. Shown here is the hypogeum and part of the rebuilt arena floor.

Luxuries were not afforded to workers in the hypogeum. They could be sentenced to fight to the death if they botched a spectacle.

To spectators, the stadium was a microcosm of the empire, and its games a re-enactment of their foundation myths. Killed wild animals symbolized how Rome had conquered wild, far-flung lands and subjugated Nature itself.

The Colosseum accommodated up to 50,000 spectators, who enjoyed delights including prizes tossed into the crowd, pastries and wine. Roman citizens sat according to their place in the social hierarchy. For Comparison – The Rose Garden in Portland seats 19, 980 spectators.

What happens in 476 AD? The Roman Empire falls and the power is taken up by the early Christian Church. The church bans all games and theater entertainments. Between AD the popular forms of entertainment fade away – gladiators, animal fights, theater, etc.