Roman and Greek Theater

(R.M)
Roman Theater was a major influence in the everyday life of the Romans; they spent a majority of their free time attending plays, chariot races, gladiatorial contests. Greek was a major influence on Ancient Romans' perspective on theater. Comedies and tragedies both derived from Greek originals. Comedy was the most popular among the Romans. Much like today the comedies in Ancient Rome were exaggerated and absurd situations. For example, Saturday Night Live is very comedic and it's one of the most popular late night shows in America today. There is no doubt that Roman theater has had a major influence on today's theater; specifically comedy. Roman actors were usually male slaves and they would have costumes according to their character, for instance if an actor were to play a rich man he would wear a purple costume; purple because that color represented wealth since it was so hard to get. They also used mask to show emotions to let the audience know what was going on. Also, Romans were known for their chariot races, chariot racing was an extremely dangerous sport, because of the fact that many of the contestants either crashed or died. Chariot racing was Ancient Rome's NASCAR in a sense that many people watch NASCAR in hope to see an explosion or a car crash. Chariot races usually took place in a circus. A circus is a large open venue used for public. The most famous circus in Rome was the Circus Maximus. (For more information on the Circus Maximus: http://rubymartinez.weebly.com/roman-architecture.html) Furthermore, Romans were huge fans of the gladiatorial contests; they enjoyed the thrill of the fight. This was their form of entertainment, much like today's UCF fights. In ancient Rome, death had become the best form of entertainment. In Rome, the gladiatorial contests were held in the Coliseum, a Coliseum was a huge theater. (For more information on the Coliseum: http://rubymartinez.weebly.com/roman-architecture.html) The Circus