ABSTRACT
The theatrical practice that grew up in Athens began to spread throughout the Greek-speaking world from the fourth Century BC onwards. No town in the Hellenistic-Roman age was without a theatre house, which could nevertheless serve a variety of purposes. Performances of Classical tragedies on the theatrical days of each town's respective festival calendar will mostly have involved only select parts such as the arias, songs or isolated scenes with newly composed melodies. It could be assumed that audiences would be familiar with the content of this dramatic literature. Educated people had read tragedies at school, and may have possessed a copy of Euripides or a mythological handbook in their private libraries. The man in the street was for his part surrounded by mythical representations at the marketplace and in every public building. Professional actors, whose associations or guilds enjoyed a legal Status recognised across State frontiers, vied to perform these dramas. The nature of the theatre scene at the time can be deduced from honorary inscriptions dedicated to successful actors.
