Construction, maintenance, and repairs were so expensive that theaters were rarely financed by one individual. The theater was advantageous for public benefactors, as the gift had great visibility. When Alexander wanted the architect at Pella to make the proskenion of bronze, he refused, to avoid spoiling the sound of the actors’ voices.įinance and building are treated in Chapter 2. Mummius even took to Rome the bronze sounding vessels from Corinth. Romans were interested in acoustic devices, such as the wooden roof over the stage, wooden stage and doors, and sounding vessels to amplify voices. In Rome Vestal Virgins sat in the tribunal opposite the praetors. Tribunalia, boxes for praetor and magistrates for the games, perch above side corridors. Central seats of honor probably derive from the Hellenistic period and ruler cult, but are rare in the west. Some theater tickets contain indication of section, row and seat. Certain citizens sat in tribal units (Stobi), and reserved seating for groups occurred: copper-beaters, wineskin makers, jewelers (Bostra).

Women were seated separately by 94 BC (Capua), and Augustus established segregation of the sexes in theater and amphitheater. In Chapter 1, Theatre and Audience, Sear examines the ancient use of terms for building sections. Pisani Sartorio, Teatri greci e romani (Rome 1994). Sear’s book includes more theaters, and more detail and analysis than its four-volume predecessor by P. Most site bibliographies are brought up to the late 1990s, some to 2003. The book’s bibliography ends about 1996, with a few later additions. The book also includes indices of ancient authors, inscriptions, place names, a general index, and one of persons and peoples. Nine chapters treat subjects concerned only with the Roman theater, thus justifying the book’s title: theater and audience finance and building Roman theater design theaters and related buildings Republican theaters in Italy theaters of Rome cavea and orchestra scene building and provincial theaters. The illustrations alone, which are of excellent quality and include maps, tables, plans, many figures and photographs, make this book indispensable for study of the ancient theater. Sear’s handsome book is divided into two parts: essays on aspects of the Roman theater and a catalogue that includes Greek and Roman phases of theaters, bouleuteria, and odeia. Frank Sear’s book addresses this interest by presenting in a single, elegantly produced volume interpretative discussion, factual information, and illustration of virtually all Greek and Roman theaters.

The ancient theater in its many aspects has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years.

Arausio theater