Theaters and odeons
The theatre
Romans built theaters in masonry only since 55 b.C. with the Teather of Pompey, while before the structures were built for such a purpose, came only in wood, just built for a particular event, inside circuses or in front of temples (especially Apollo and Magna Mater, in Rome). First permament theaters were, more or less, like the ones by Greeks, but with some important updates.
The Roman theatre of the Augustean or Imperial age, differently from the Greek, had a demicircular plan, often built on plain (not necessarily leaning on a slope), closed with perimetral walls of the same height, which connected the cavea (places for the spectators) with the monumental stage where the pulpitum was. The true new element from the Greek theatre, is the scaenae frons: this is an architectural structure, one or two stores high, covered with a roof at more or less the same height of the cavea. This closed shape allowed a “velarium” to cover the entire building to protect the audience, clearly the prototype of a modern theatral structure.
However the following scenographic elements were always present:
“proscenium”, wooden made, that was what we nowadays call the “stage”, that frontal part where actors play; usually a street or a little square was represented; “scenae fronts” was a painted wall with a type of building facade architecture, where several doors opened (likely two or three) used by actors; together with side openings, possible exits were four or five. Usually on the background usually the internal of a building was represented, the left door (from the public point of view) showed the street leading to the Forum, while on the right hand side the road to the port (these were the most important places for the commercial, political and juridical point of view). “periaktoi”, from the Greeks, rolling prismas with painted sides: a commedian picture, another tragic and the third satirical. “auleum”, a curtain, witnessed only from Cicero’ times and unknown to the Greeks, to suddenly show a new scene whenever it fell down. According to others this curtain did not fell quite lifted up and used only at the end on the play.
Odeon
The Roman Odeon is architecturally speaking a copy of the theatre; the only difference are about the smaller dimensions and for being roofed.
Structural and architectural elements:
- cavea diameter
- number of orders: the number of different levels for the arches
- cavea: the place where the audience was; it was divided by aisles where the admittance staircases for the public led (praecinctiones).
- pulpitum or scena: the stage where the actors played
- orchestra: part of the cavea reserved for senators and VIP
- scenae frons: a structure on more floors to be used as background;
from the website Biblio.net (http://www.biblio-net.com/lett_cla/latina/teatro_romano.htm).
Specialized sites about theathers and odeons:
1. Di Bartolo’s site about theathers in the ancient world
2. The ancient theatre archive
3. Andreas Praefcke’ site about ancient theaters