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2000 BCE
PREHISTORIC PERIOD
The earliest recorded theatrical event dates back to 2000 B.C. with the passion plays of Ancient Egypt.
The story of the god Osiris was performed annually at festivals throughout the civilization, marking the known beginning of a long relationship between theater and religion. -
534 BCE
GREEK PERIOD
The earliest days of western theater remain obscure, but the oldest surviving plays come from the ancient Greece. Great Dionysia, also called City Dionysia (534/531 B.C.), is an ancient dramatic festival in which tragedy, comedy, and satyric drama originated. -
27 BCE
ROMAN PERIOD
Ancient Roman theater was heavily influenced by the Greek tradition.Of the hundreds of playwrights of ancient Rome, only a small percentage of plays have survived the passage of time. -
16 BCE
RENAISSANCE PERIOD
Theatrical activities, particularly comedies, flourished in Italy, England and Spain during the 16th and early 17th century. Among the dramatists of the period, William Shakespeare stood out as the greatest. -
15 BCE
MEDIEVAL PERIOD
In the Middle Ages, theater was reborn as liturgical dramas, written in Latin and dealing with Bible stories and performed by priests or church members. Medieval drama was for the most part very religious and moral in its themes, staging and traditions. -
19
SYMBOLISM
Symbolism (late 19th century) expand into what might be called antirealistic theatre. -
1500
MODERN PERIOD
During this period, drama was not only performed live on stage but also enjoyed through the mediums of radio, television, and cinema. -
DURING MODERN PERIOD
The idea of wireless communication predates the discovery of "radio" with experiments in "wireless telegraphy" via inductive and capacitive induction and transmission through the ground, water, and even train tracks.