The evolution of Greek and Roman performance space took place continuously throughout history. There were great differences between the two stages, however the Roman's original ideas came from the Greeks. The theatre was the central event in these civilizations and the constant improvements in the performance space helped the popularity spread among these cultures and many others to come afterwards.
There were three stages in the development of the theatre space in Greek history. The early phase was a simple layout in the Theatre of Dionysus and began around 520 B.C. The orchestra was a full circle used as a ritualistic place. It was roughly 66 feet in diameter. In the center of the orchestra sat a small alter originally used for offerings to the gods, this was called the themele. The orchestra sat in front of the hillside, and on the opposite side was a skene. The skene was a tent-like structure used as what would be thought of us a modern day dressing room. It was also used for props and storage.
The middle stage took place around 500 B.C. The skene was made bigger and was a more permanent structure. Its name was changed to a skene house. Wooden seating was used for audiences. "Occasionally, the roof of the skene itself was pressed into service.As, naturally enough, it was the gods who usually appeared on these airy heights, this roof platform became known in Greece as theologeion, the place from where the gods speak"(Berthold,145).
Greece started to become more advanced towards the end of the fifth century B.C. following plans of Pericles. The use of deux ex machina came into effect. This being the used as a device to make gods fly over the stage. It was a crane that sat behind the stage, which swung a basket where the god or hero sat while being lifted over the stage. There was also the use of an eccyclema, a small, rolling, and usually raised platform on which the setting is moved out onto the stage.
