Greek Drama


1. Put the heading: Ancient Greek Drama, on a new page in your book. On the above site click the 'Arts and Theatre' area to explore. Read the information on the 'Greek Theatre' and in the link: 'What were Greek Plays Like?'.
Then answer these questions in your book in complete sentences:
a) In an ancient Greek theatre, what was a 'chorus' and an 'orchestra'?
b) What were the two main types of Greek plays?
c) What was the 'Skene' used for in Greek theatres?

2. On the above site, click the following yellow mask link  Then move your cursor over each page to find the pop-out information boxes and yellow outlined links to new pop-out pages. Use this information to answer the questions in No.6 below.
On one pop-out page you will be able to listen to the three actors speaking in ancient Greek and the sounds of the audience.

The Greek
Theatre -
2,350 years ago!

3. a) Print off this blank map of Greece and complete the activity on the map. 
    b) Print off this map of Greece and find information from your research to make brief points on each of the places covered in the activity.
From: http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/resources/Resource%20Pack-%20Year%203-%20Ancient%20Greece-%20Unit%201.pdf

             

 

4. Print off this blank floor plan of an ancient Greek Theatre and the acropolis of Athens. Paste the diagrams in your book and neatly label them with as much information and terms as you can. Use the above web site and your own research on the internet to find the terms and names of the buildings on the acropolis. (In Google Image search, try typing 'diagram Greek theatre' and later, 'map acropolis' .

http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/24c.html 

5. From the above web site list the three genres of drama in ancient Greece, and write two points about each.

                                                      

6. From the web sites above and books or encyclopedia in the library.  Answer the following questions in your book in complete sentences, using some of the words from each question in your answer. 

1. Plays were first performed to honour which God?

2. The God in question one was the God of what?

3. What shape were Greek theatres? Why were they
shaped this way?

4. Who sat in the seats at the front?

5. Could women take part in, or attend the plays?

6. Name some of the Greek playwrights

7. What did the audience throw at the actors who
performed badly?

8. What did the actors wear?

9. How did people at the back of the large theatres
hear what the actors were saying?

10. What were the masks made of?

The following mixed up sentences are to help any students who can not find the answers on the above web sites:

 Special very important visitors and priests.

Women could attend the plays, but all the actors were men

Aristophanes- comedies

Theatre and wine

Food and even stones

 The shape of the theatre and the shape of the
masks

Dionysus

From: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history
files/greektheatre.pdf

Large and semi-circular with rows of tiered seating.

Masks, bright colours for comedies and dark colours
for tragedies

The masks were made of fabric and stiffened with
plaster

This shape made sure the audience could all see and
also helped amplify the sound.

The centre was circular with an altar dedicated to
Dionysus. The stage was raised within the circle.

Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides- tragedies
 

Click here to see:  A computer generated image of a Greek Theatre

                                                        

http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Theater.html#timeline 

7. From the above web site or this timeline write out in what century BC, and in what year BC, the people in ancient Athens in Greece started to build the Parthenon.

8. Study the masks at this web site: https://goo.gl/aN2MjA

9. Optional Extra: Read and briefly summarise in point-form notes, this page of extra information on Greek Drama. Only make points on information you didn't record in doing the above questions.

10. While waiting for the rest of your class to finish this unit, find and play on the following site the interactive game
      called 'Great Greek Gods' : https://gridclub.com/activities/ancient-greece 
     

Class Group Work Activity:

Materials:

Vaseline Petroleum jelly (to smear face first, especially the eyebrows, so plaster mask comes off easily)
plastic wrap (to cover hair)
plaster gauze (buy from chemist or craft store) cut it to strips 5 -10 cm 
water dishes (warm water will speed drying)
Newspapers to cover surfaces
Large plastic gargage bags to cover clothes
Paper Maché Pulp ( to pack face for a nose or cheeks, or horns etc)
Damp paper towel (optional- some prefer to cover the face with one layer of paper towels first)
acrylic paints - brushes - mixing trays
Assorted yarns - furs - fake hair - cloth 
cord for hanging (leather cord would be nice) 

from:
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/Cathy-Greek.htm

What to do:
Work out what materials each member of you group will bring on the day you start the group work activity
The teacher will show on one pupil how to do a mask. Afterwards  work in a group ­ doing the masks on each other ( if you have bought enough plaster bandage from the chemist!)

Ask the pupil to smear her face with vaseline, especially the eyebrows. 
Cut the plaster of Paris into 5 -10 cm pieces.
Dip the plaster of Paris into the warm water, lie it on paper towel for a second or so to get off excess water, and then place it over the face, one piece after the other.

After each piece you´ve got to smooth the surface with your fingertips. Don´t cover the eyes! 
Use paper mache pulp or scrunched up bandage to make nose, cheeks, or an facial features.
Let the mask dry and lift it off your face.

Use water-colour to paint it the way you want.
Glue on hair etc
Make holes to attach cord or elastic
from: 
http://www.en.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/vs-art/content.cfm?lang=en&ov=8900

 

www.interactive-learning.com.au