EXPERIENCING THE ANCIENT THEATRE: A PERSPECTIVE ON INTERPRETING THE ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN THEATRE THROUGH REFLECTIONS FROM THE SPACE OF THE PERFORMER A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MEHMET SALİH YILDIRIM IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE JANUARY 2013 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha ALTUNIŞIK Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Dr. Güven A. SARGIN Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Dr. Suna GÜVEN Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Namık ERKAL (METU, AH) Prof. Dr. Suna GÜVEN (METU, AH) Asst. Prof. Dr. İdil KARABABA (BİLGİ U., IND) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name : MEHMET SALİH YILDIRIM Signature : iii ABSTRACT EXPERIENCING THE ANCIENT THEATRE: A PERSPECTIVE ON INTERPRETING THE ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN THEATRE THROUGH REFLECTIONS FROM THE SPACE OF THE PERFORMER YILDIRIM, Mehmet Salih M. A. Department oF History oF Architecture Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Suna Güven January 2013, 161 pages This thesis, in the very broad sense, evaluates the perception of an architectural structure through its history. It examines the ‘theatre’ as the building and selects ‘ancient Greece and Rome’ (mainly Fourth century B.C. to second century A.D. which can be depicted as the golden age of the ancient theatre) as the period. It posits that the study of theatre requires more than Formal data, hence, it employs a multidisciplinary approach, and combines the author’s personal experience on the theatre. The study believes that the subject-focused nature of available works is insufficient for the study of theatre, as they employ only a certain aspect of this structure. This thesis tries to examine the complete experience of the theatre for the people who were exposed to it; and present it, in a more relatable way, for the future researchers, theatre professionals and educated enthusiasts as an intermediate level source, where the need arises to increase the perception of theatre as a whole concept, so that its interpretation can be more complete. Keywords: Greek, Roman, Theatre, Experience iv ÖZ ANTİK TİYATRO DENEYİMİ: ANTİK YUNAN VE ROMA TİYATROSUNUN PERFORMANS MEKANI ÜZERİNDEN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİNE YÖNELİK BİR BAKIŞ AÇISI YILDIRIM, Mehmet Salih M. A. Department of History of Architecture Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Suna Güven January 2013, 161 pages Bu tez, en geniş anlamıyla, bir mimari yapının onun tarihinin incelenmesi yoluyla algılanmasını değerlendirmektedir. Yapı olarak ‘tiyatroyu’, dönem olarak da antik Yunan ve Roma’yı (temel olarak antik tiyatronun altın çağı olarak nitelenebilen M.Ö. dördüncü yüzyıl ve M.S. ikinci yüzyıl) ele almaktadır. Çalışma, tiyatronun incelenmesinin deneysel verilerden daha fazlasını gerektirdiğine inanmaktadır. Dolayısıyla disiplinler arası bir yaklaşımı benimser ve bunu yazarın tiyatro alanındaki kişisel deneyimiyle birleştirir. Tezin inancına göre mevcut araştırmaların konu odaklı yaklaşımı, yapının sadece bir özelliğine yoğunlaştığından tiyatronun incelenmesinde yetersiz kalmaktadır. Bu tez tiyatro deneyimini bir bütün olarak ele alarak gelecek araştırmacılar, tiyatro ile profesyonel olarak uğraşanlar ve yetkin tiyatro izleyicilerine, onların ilişki kurabileceği bir şekilde, sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Böylece bir mimari yapı olarak tiyatro algısı bir bütün olarak gelişebilecek ve yorumlanması da daha eksiksiz olarak yerine gelebilecektir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yunan, Roma, Tiyatro, Deneyim v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Suna Güven for being a mentor and a friend during this difficult process. If she had not believed in me and let me be creative, I would never be able to accomplish this. I realized that I did not really know how to 'read' and 'write' before I met Suna Güven. She turned all the difficulties and frustrations of writing a thesis into the most pleasant and fulfilling experience I have ever been through. I feel lucky to have met her and I hope to make her proud with my future works. I would also like to thank the jury members, Namık Erkal and İdil Üçer Karababa for their positive attitudes, insightful comments and helping me find the right path to continue upon. "Last, but not least", I would like to thank the Department of History of Architecture for accepting me into their family and being so helpful and welcoming. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM..................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 2. THE FOUNDATIONS .................................................................................... 9 2.1 A Change of Experience ....................................................................... 9 2.2 Enter the Actor ................................................................................... 11 2.3 The Station ......................................................................................... 16 2.3. 1 The Site ...................................................................................... 17 2.3.1.1 Orientation ........................................................................... 17 2.3.1.2 Religion ................................................................................ 20 2.3.2 The Stage .................................................................................... 22 2.3.3 The Orchestra ............................................................................. 27 2.3.3.1 The Altar ............................................................................... 29 2.3.4 Acoustics ..................................................................................... 32 2.3.4.1 The Vessels ........................................................................... 35 3. THE STAGED OFFERINGS .......................................................................... 39 3.1 The Status .......................................................................................... 39 3.1.1 The Festivals ................................................................................ 40 3.1.1.1 The City Dionysia .................................................................. 43 vii 3.1.2 The Actors ................................................................................... 47 3.2 The Actor’s Offer ................................................................................ 49 3.2.1 Roman Adaptations .................................................................... 55 3.2.2 The Prologues ............................................................................. 61 3.3 When on Stage Do as the Satyrs Do ................................................... 65 3.3.1 Stage Elements ........................................................................... 70 3.3.2 The Machinery ............................................................................ 76 3.3.3 The Hidden Faces ........................................................................ 78 3.3.3.1 Masks on the Roman Stage .................................................. 81 3.3.3.2 Costumes ............................................................................. 83 3.4 The Might ........................................................................................... 85 4. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 97 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................... 104 APPENDICES A. FIGURES ............................................................................................. 114 B. TEZ FOTOKOPİSİ İZİN FORMU ............................................................ 161 viii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURES Figure 1 Sockets for wooden stage supports ............................................. 114 Figure 2 Altar at the theatre at Priene ....................................................... 115 Figure 3 Orientations of various theatres .................................................. 116 Figure 4 Audience Orientation by Quadrants ............................................ 116 Figure 5 Roman Theatre at Bosra .............................................................. 117 Figure 6 Computer Model of a Greek Theatre ........................................... 118 Figure 7 Computer Model of a Roman Theatre ......................................... 119 Figure 8 Reconstruction of Theatre of Pompey ........................................