The chorus plays a prominent part in classic Greek drama

UST as the ancient Greeks created the idea of an international sporting competition, so they must also be credited with giving birth to theater. Without Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles, there would be no Shakespeare, Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams.

The origins of drama lie in religious revels in which Greeks would dress in goatskin and would sing and play in choruses to welcome Dionysus, the god of the vine. These would involve singing and dancing, and the telling of stories. Later the stories came to be physically acted out.

Early Greek plays limited the number of actors, allowing the chorus to assume a prominent role. The great playwrights of Greek tragedy emerged in the fifth century BC. The term “tragedy” comes from Greek words meaning “goat song.” The origins of comedy are more obscure, but this too became an important part of Greek theatre.

Only a fraction of the plays—33 tragedies and 11 comedies— have survived from this highly creative period during which the foundations of Western theatre were laid.
Today an ideal venue to see them, together with more contemporary works, is the National Theatre of Greece in Athens, which celebrated its centenary three years ago.