Greek theatre in the context of "Scaenae frons"

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⭐ Core Definition: Greek theatre

A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its center was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalized there as part of a festival called the Dionysia, which honored the god Dionysus. Tragedy (late 500 BC), comedy (490 BC), and the satyr play were the three dramatic genres emerged there. Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies. Modern Western theatre comes, in large measure, from the theatre of ancient Greece, from which it borrows technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements.

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👉 Greek theatre in the context of Scaenae frons

The scaenae frons (Classical Latin: [ˈs̠käe̯näe̯ frõːs̠]) is the elaborately decorated permanent architectural background of a Roman theatre stage. The form may have been intended to resemble the facades of imperial palaces. It could support a permanent roof or awnings. The Roman scaenae frons was also used both as the backdrop to the stage and behind as the actors' dressing room. Largely through reconstruction or restoration, there are a number of well-preserved examples.

This form was influenced by Greek theatre, which had an equivalent but simpler skene building (meaning "tent", showing the original nature of it). This led to the stage or space before the skene being called the proscenium. In the Hellenistic period the skene became more elaborate, perhaps with columns, but also used to support painted scenery.

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