Greek Theatre Masks- 5th Grade Boys

Greek theater is a tradition that flourished in ancient Greece in the city state of Athens around 500-300 BC. Athenian tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays were some of the earliest theatrical forms to emerge in the world. Greek theater and plays have had a lasting impact on Western drama and culture.

Greek theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. A typical theatre was enormous, able to seat around 15,000 viewers. With such a large space to fill, ancient Greek actors could not be subtle in their acting- they made themselves larger than life! They had to gesture grandly so that the entire audience could see and hear the story. And, since the actors were so far away from the audience, they needed the aid of exaggerated costumes and masks. A distinctive mask was made for each character in a play. Tragic masks carried mournful or pained expressions, while comic masks were smiling or leering. An actor's entire head was covered by his mask, which included hair. No matter the kind of mask, the features were exaggerated to make the characters and their emotional states easy to see. The large mouths sometimes acted as megaphones that would amplify the actor's voice, making his words easier for the audience to hear.

Fifth graders created their own Greek theatre masks using clay. They were sure to incorporate common characteristics of such masks including exaggerated mouths and other facial features to show emotions and expressions to viewers far away in the audience!