The beginnings of theatre in ancient Greece were plays performed during the festival of Dionysus.
The Festival of Dionysus was a three day long event that happened each year. Three poets would compete for the judges votes by submitting a trilogy of tragedies and one satyr that followed the trilogy. Each poet's work would be performed on a different day and in the end someone would come in first, second, and third.
The word tragedy translates to goat song and was probably used because of the goat sacrifice or the goat skin robes the performers wore. Throughout this festival of Dionysus goats would be sacrificed and the dithyramb would sing hymns to worship the god.
This dithyramb could best be described in current culture as a glee club, however the only similarities are that it is made up of boys and sometimes girls who sing. During ancient Greek tragedies the dithyramb would sing choral odes in between sets of dialogue between the characters. This group of boys who sang acted as a modern day chorus helping to create the illusion of the performance.
I prefer the analogy that the dithyramb is more like a modern day chorus. During Classical plays the performance alternates from choral odes and sets of dialogue between the actors. This is similar to the role of the chorus in musical theatre. The chorus is a group of actors and actresses who do not affect the plot, but support and accompany the leading roles in musicals. The chorus is depended upon by the leading roles in musicals similarly to the way the three actors in Classic Theatre rely on the dithyramb. These chorus break up dialogue and allow the leads to change costume off stage.
Jacobson, Thomas. (2011, June 26). Ancient Greek Civililazation [Lecture 17]. Theatre
the Competition of art. Video retrieved from
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