erected and taken down for each festival. Itwas constructed using light and perishable materials until later, when theaters were built instone. At that point, a permanent stone skene was built (Allen 28). More became knownabout the skene after it changed to a permanent, stone fixture in the theater of the fourthcentury B.C. Lastly, but likely the most important part of theater is the orchestra. In itssimplest form the orchestra is simply a circular plot of land designated as a place fordance. In fact, this is exactly how many see the Greek Theater developing. The orchestraappeared to have been circular in shape and possess supernatural powers. The surface ofthe orchestra was originally earth and measured about 66 feet in diameter. When many ofthe theaters were renovated, a raised stage was added, thus eliminating the need for theold orchestra. Therefore, the old orchestra was converted into additional seating(Betancourt). Obviously, this seating was needed because of the growing popularity of thetheater. An altar (or thymele) was located in the center of the orchestra. It looked like ashort drum of marble decorated with low-relief carvings of garlands and satyrs. It wasused for sacrifices in honor of the god Dionysus. The altar was primarily used prior toperformances. However, due to religious themes of the plays, the altar was occasionallyutilized in the performances as well. Between the orchestra and the skene was a levelsurface known as the proscenium. The proscenium was the area in which the majority ofthe action took place. It was raised one foot from the surface of the orchestra. Theater anddrama was born in Attica, the present day Athens. Built on the Acropolis is the theaterwhere many of the lost and surviving plays from the fifth and fourth century B.C., wereprobably debuted. The Theater Dionysus, like many of its descendants was built in theopen air of an acropolis. Dionysus was a very large theater, with a seating capacity o...
