VIS 120B Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Sabratha, Peristyle, Palatine Hill
Document Summary
Not for entertainment as we know it today, attending the theatre was more of a civic event. An important way for the community to connect as a whole. Attending was seen as part of your civic duty. Theatres became even more popular in the 3rd c. bc when. There were awnings on poles that were over the stage and audience for shelter, but they weren"t quite adequate sometimes. There was a peristyle behind the stage. There was a colonnade behind the back row of seating where people could run in case of rain. The theatre in pompeii is very well preserved and has been mostly excavated. There was an orchestra before the stage. It would be in the place of the modern day pit. Orchestra comes from the greek word for dance floor, because in greek theater the chorus would sing and dance and needed space.
