In honour of Dionysus an ancient Greek chorus sang hymns in front of the temple and as dialogue developed between the chorus and a masked soloist, and dance became action we may have seen the genesis of drama. The stories or poems recited or sung by Homer (the Illiad and the Odyssey) and the like were the Greek foundation of dramatic story telling.  Soon these combined and  moved to specially built amphitheatres. Greek theatre flourished as did similar tale telling later in Rome. Probably even earlier in Egypt the solemn chants and processions in honour of the gods inspired the Greeks and other foreign civilisations. No doubt prior to that the earliest religious ceremonies grew around the central divine fire and as stories of the hunt and the gods and their interactions with mankind became more sophisticated so did the need to transmit that understanding to the illiterate populous. Orators and public representations told tales of the gods and the heroes to inspire, instruct, unify and control. Tales of the famous, satires of the ruling elite and bawdy  titillation also grew in popular acceptance. How theatrical is the image of  priests in special costumes, gods or their representatives draped in jewels and ribbons, processions, props, fire and incense and the accompaniment of music and chants praising the acts of the divine.

The Satyr Play (above left) was one of the earliest examples of drama (or tragedy). The followers of Dionysus dressed as satyrs and sang songs of his exploits. The actor in the costume of the Satyr, which is half goat, was called the 'tragos' (goat in Greek), and the song is called the 'tragodia' (goat song).

Comedy on the other hand draws it's name from the procession of revellers that accompanied the phallus in Dionysiac festivals and reflected the banter that was exchanged amongst them and also with the spectators. 'komos' means procession of revellers and the Greek for comedy is 'komoidia' or komos singing, i.e. of phallic songs. So comedy essentially means, in a crude modern idiom, 'dick jokes'. See the comic slaves (above right) and note the accentuated padded phallus.

It is said that Sophocles invented scene painting as a backdrop for the actors in the fifth century BC. Aeschylus is reported to have installed lavish decorations, mechanical devices, tombs, altars and produced startling apparitions. In the Roman period some theatre scenes became extraordinary as in the illustration found at Herculaneum (left) This over the top decoration was a fashion not always approved of.

Today sets are often extraordinary, sometimes simple and often governed by a budget. Taste varies and the theatrical experience can bring out diversity in attitudes. I tend to enjoy a 'big' production, but a show with no set and a clever use of lighting can be many times more dramatic as it focuses on the subconscious emotional response to dramatically pinpointed aspects that illuminate the story.

Below are some sets painted by a wonderfully talented friend for various companies throughout this country and some international productions.

 After the fall of the Roman empire theatre disappeared until many centuries later a similar thing emerged again in front of the Christian Churches of Europe and England, as at first, parables were enacted for instruction of the faithful and then broadened for sheer entertainment. Once again the balance of religious edification, crude tales of maidens deflowered and the nobles and clergy represented in farce stood side by side.  Drama and Comedy developed hand in hand from the beginning.

The Greeks were the first to build permanent theatres specifically for the enactment of plays and in Europe, when liturgical drama resumed, it soon led from in front of the church doors to a stage in the market place and as they moved into taverns they found they could charge admission which soon saw specific constructions rising for the sole purpose of story telling.

What is better than a play by Oscar Wilde? - a play about Oscar Wilde. Well not really, but a few years ago I saw Bille Brown in the play 'The Judas Kiss'. I have not always been a great fan of Mr. Brown in his other guises such as director, but in this I was enthralled by his portrayal of the ostracised Wilde following his conviction and exile in Europe after his release from prison. The sensuality of youth and his fatal attraction to his young men and betrayal by them is both pitiable and understood in this moving piece. Bille Brown was nothing short of magnificent and born to the role. The confronting appearance of the large and frightened Wilde surrounded by his naked lover and an equally nude local pick up in Naples, revealed the last effort of obsession, desire, denial and futile defiance of a world so righteous in it's judgement of others and so fickle in its loyalty..

Amongst  all the 'sophisticated' theatre I have seen around the world there have also been times when I I have had great fun at a few nude plays like 'Let my people Come', 'Oh Calcutta'  and others that people flock to but are often shy about expressing appreciation. Sold out houses every evening, but back in the Seventies the applause was rather muted.  No one likes to admit in public the titillation of such shows. I had sometimes wondered how male actors handle the unpredictable ability of being aroused when naked, and discovered that it can happen accidentally although in Let my People Come it may have been intentional. 

However for more serious theatre there are other examples. In the old Melbourne goal, where Ned Kelly was hung, I saw an outstanding  production of a play 'The Rose' directed by Robert Chuter and based on Jean Genet's great book 'Miracle of the Rose' . The beautiful photos below were kindly sent to me by the director. Anyway, on the cold stone floor in the middle of Winter it became obvious that some actors had to just carry on when their member began standing at attention in a performance that required a lot of nudity and intense physical interaction between the cast. Problem solved ! I thought. Perhaps unintentionally, but it can happen.  An actor from New York who had played in Let my People Come once took me to task over this statement claiming that an actor is too busy marking his spot and remembering his lines etc. I would agree with the professionalism of the craft of players, but we can all admit to being human I hope.

Just a note:- Australian folk hero and bushranger Ned Kelly was hung just above the wall at the back of the wedding scene at the top of the blue  picture. The audience looked down from the narrow iron landings outside the layers of cells.

Updated January 23, 2007