The Theater Of Dionysus

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go to when they had to change their
costumes. Above lay the deep blue sky, behind it was the Acropolis, and seen in
the distance was the olive colored hills and lush green of the forests that
surround.

The theater was built as a result of the Athenian's religious practice in honor
of the god, Dionysos, who personified both wine and fruitfulness. Long before
the theater itself was built, an annual ceremonial festival was held for
Dionysus in the same spot. This ancient ceremony was performed by choruses of
men who sang and danced in the god's honor. Spectators would gather in a circle
to watch these dancers; that was the way that the theater took its circular
shape. When the theater was built, the performers only sang and danced about
the stories of Dionysus's life, then later the stories of other gods and heroes.
The stories were told in the form of a song, chanted at first by all who took
place, then later by a chorus of about fifty performers. During the intervals
of a ...

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