Origins Of Theatre of Ancient Rome.

When not busy working on farms, manufacturing items in cottage industries, fighting wars, or politicking at public assemblies, ancient Romans enjoyed different forms of entertainment. One of those was watching performed art in public theatres.

In this post, I look at the origins of theatre art in ancient Rome as explained by the ancient historian Livy.

Livy tells us that before the 360s BCE, the only entertainment in Rome was the circus and games organized in honor of the gods. The games were mostly competitions such as horse racing, sword fights, and wrestling.

After the plague of 364 BCE, a new form of entertainment came to Rome. Livy tells us that the main motivation for Romans initially to embrace this new form of art was superstition, which was driven by the need to find a solution to the disease. It was part of the attempt to appease the gods so that they could remove the disease from their midst.

Livy writes:

“But the violence of the epidemic was not alleviated by any aid from either men or gods, and it is asserted that as men’s minds were completely overcome by superstitious terrors they introduced, amongst other attempts to placate the wrath of heaven, performing arts, a novelty to a nation of warriors who had up until then only had the games of the Circus.”

While these performances had come to Rome as part of religious rituals, they slowly became a source of entertainment over time. The initial performers were professionals who traveled from Etruscan cities like Clusium and Tarquinii. Romans turned up in large numbers to watch them whenever they were in town. Soon, Romans, especially the youth, started to imitate them and learned the art.

Livy writes:

“They began, however, in a small way, as nearly everything does, and small as they were, they were borrowed from abroad. The players were sent for from Etruria; there were no words, no mimetic action; they danced to the measures of the flute and practiced graceful movements in Tuscan fashion.”

Initially, the Roman performances were complete copies of those by foreign actors, particularly the Etruscans. Slowly, they started to acquire their own unique flavor. Livy tells us that the performance was generally the recitation of dramatic verses accompanied by acting, flute music, and dancing.

Livy writes:

“Afterwards, the young men began to imitate them, exercising their wit on each other in burlesque verses and suiting their action to their words. This became an established diversion and was kept up by frequent practice. These did not, as in former times, throw out rough extempore effusions like the Fescennine verse, but they chanted satyrical verses quite metrically arranged and adapted to the notes of the flute, and these they accompanied with appropriate movements.”

Over time, a category of local professionals emerged. Indeed, the established style was left to them, and they were the only ones to perform while the rest of the citizens could only watch. Livy mentions one particular performer named Livy who played a major role in shaping what performing arts became in ancient Rome.

Livy writes:

“Several years later, Livius for the first time, abandoned the loose satyrical verses and ventured to compose a play with a coherent plot. Like all his contemporaries, he acted in his own plays, and it is said that when he had worn out his voice by repeated recalls, he begged leave to place a second player in front of the flutist to sing the monologue while he did the acting, with all the more energy because his voice no longer embarrassed him. Then the practice commenced of the chanter following the movements of the actors, the dialogue alone being left to their voices.”

Besides Etruria, Livy tells us that some elements of the ancient Roman theatre were borrowed from other nations. For example, a particular category of comic verses known as Exodia or ‘Atellane Plays’ was borrowed from the Oscan (Umbrians).

Livy writes:

“When, by adopting this method in the presentation of pieces, the old farce and loose jesting was given up, and the play became a work of art, the young people left the regular acting to the professional players and began to improvise comic verses. These were subsequently known as Exodia (after-pieces) and were mostly worked up into the ‘Atellane Plays.’ These farces were of Oscan origin and were kept by the young men in their own hands; they would not allow them to be polluted by the regular actors.”

It seems that over time, some types of performed art were only handled by professionals, and others, often referred to as Atellanae, were for ordinary citizens to perform. Meanwhile, the professional performers were exempted from the requirement to serve in the military.

Livy writes:

“Hence, it is a standing rule that those who take part in the Atellanae are not deprived of their civic standing and serve in the army as being in no way connected with the regular acting.”

According to Livy, performed art in ancient Rome evolved from generally simple and good to generally complex and harmful.

Livy concludes:

“Amongst the things which have arisen from small beginnings, the origin of the stage ought to be put foremost, seeing that what was at first healthy and innocent has grown into a mad extravagance that even wealthy kingdoms can hardly support.”