Origins of Acting
Thespis (6th Century B.C.E.) of Icaria (present-day Dionysos, Greece) is thought to be The First Actor, the first person ever to appear on stage as an actor playing a character in a play (instead of narrating as himself or herself). Greek Theatre Mask from about the 1st Century A.D. In the 6th century B.C.E., when the tyrant Pisistratus, who then ruled the city, established a series of new public festivals. One of these, the 'City Dionysia', a festival of entertainment held in honour of the God Dionysus, featured competitions in music, singing, dance and poetry. When the head of state requests something, you do it. After an Athenian military man and tyrant Pisistratus came to power in 560 B.C.E., he instituted many artistic and cultural innovations. He expanded the offerings at the City of Dionysia by having plays performed. It’s said that Pisistratus asked Thespis and his troupe to perform in that initial drama festival in 534 B.C.E. Most remarkable of all th...
