Tragedy & Comedy
Nature of Tragedy
Tragedies were plays that involved fierce conflict and characters who represented powerful forces both divine and human. They were frequently constructed from myths but a few dealt with contemporary historical events.
Performance of Tragedy
Tragedies were performed in a competition at the CIty Dionysia, in the outdoor theatre held sacred to Dionysus, which could hold about 14,000 spectators. Three playwrights competed against each other; they had to produce three tragedies and one satyr each and the victor was decided by citizen judges. The playwrights themselves often had rich backgrounds, which would likely have been needed to compose the plays due to the lack of ability to write in Athens; Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides all served in the army and/or held public office at some point in their careers.
The chorus wore elaborate, decorative costumes that would add to their role in the plays, such as in Aristophanes' Birds. There were normally only three actors (at most) in each play, and would have often needed to play multiple characters. They wore masks, made broad gestures and needed powerful voices, however the design of the theatres would have often meant that only very little sounds were projected throughout. The voice was the key attribute for actors as dialogue was the key behind Greek tragedy, rather than actions, as actions would have taken place in the skene and then likely described by the chorus. Lead actors were assigned by lot as they also competed to be the best.
The chorus wore elaborate, decorative costumes that would add to their role in the plays, such as in Aristophanes' Birds. There were normally only three actors (at most) in each play, and would have often needed to play multiple characters. They wore masks, made broad gestures and needed powerful voices, however the design of the theatres would have often meant that only very little sounds were projected throughout. The voice was the key attribute for actors as dialogue was the key behind Greek tragedy, rather than actions, as actions would have taken place in the skene and then likely described by the chorus. Lead actors were assigned by lot as they also competed to be the best.
See also:http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Theatre/