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Greek and Brechtian Drama

            
            
             The physical structure of a stage has a direct and influential impact upon the form and content of the dramas written for it. Ancient Greek drama and twentieth century Brechtian drama have distinctly different stage structures and are consequentially light years apart in the areas of form and content. Form includes such areas as, lighting, props and technical aspects whereas content involves the areas of plot, the issues raised and performance.
             Western drama as we know it today began in ancient Greece and has its roots in ancient ritual. The dramas, which were usually in the form of comedy or tragedy, were performed outside in open-air amphitheaters. The location of the theater was very important as to gain better acoustics they were built on the slope of a hill; this also allowed a capacity crowd of 10000- 20000 people to gain the best possible view of the stage. There was a raised earth platform which served as a stage and behind it was a wooden structure with three large entrance doors; also known as a skene this tent was the actor's backstage area and allowed for costume changes and prop storage. The backdrop of the play was also propped up upon the skene.
             Lighting can be a fantastic way of adding special effects to drama, they allow much more freedom in the way the play is presented and without them the development of an entirely enclosed theatre would have been highly unlikely. Concerning Greek drama there was no availability of electricity therefore advantage had to be taken of natural light. Plays were performed during the day towards mid-afternoon, usually during summer when the weather was most accommodating and artificial light was unnecessary. Lighting on a Brechtian stage is white and floods every inch of the stage. The lights themselves are left in full view of the audience as they remind them of the reality of the theatre. They are very rarely turned off or altered at any stage of the play; even scene changes are conducted in full view of the spectators! The stage influences lighting by determining both the extent of its use and the technique used to display it.


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