The Roman Theaters

The Roman Theaters had originated in 240 B.C for celebrations when public athletic games, and events were held. These celebrations would portray comedy and tragedy through music, dancing and acting. Most of the acting, and dancing prophesized events or would honor the gods. However, dancing was not as highly thought of, as it was difficult to portray a battle scene through dancing. In Rome, there were several large theaters for the performance of plays. The …

…ar a striped toga, soldiers a short cloak, and a red toga would portray a poor man. Since women were not allowed to act, men or young boys wearing a white mask instead would play their parts. Even though the actors spoke the lines, a second actor would mime the gestures to fit the lines. This was done so that the people in the far reaches of the theater could understand what was going on.