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2000 BCE
First Theatre Preformance By Egyptians
A three day play that celebrates the ancient Egyptian god Osiris and was preformed in Ancient Egypt. According to Greek historians, many actors who preformed in this play died from the wounds received in the "fake" battles preformed. This play was preformed for many centuries -
1417 BCE
Amenhotep III becomes the ninth king of Egypts 18th Dynasty
Amenhotep the third succeeds Thutmose IV, which leads Egypt to a golden age. -
600 BCE
Orgin of Greek Theatre
Greeks start practicing the rites of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility. During the rituals, men dressed as half men half goat (mythological creatures known as satyrs) would sing a song known as the dithyramb. This song was often accompanied by dancing as well. -
563 BCE
Siddhartha Gautama's Birth
The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, is born in Lumbini, which is present day Nepal. -
551 BCE
The Birth of Confucius
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism is born in Qufu, China -
534 BCE
Thesipis
Thespis, an early Greek dramatist, changes the theatrical landscape by introducing elements such as prologue, speeches, masks, makeup, and costumes. At the festival of Dionysus at 534BC, he becomes the first person to win a prize for a tragedy, and the term thespian is created to describe an actor. -
523 BCE
Birth of Aeschylus
Often described as the father Greek tragedy, Aeschylus was born 523BCE. Only seven of his approximately 70 plays survived to the modern era. His works include "The Persian", "Seven Against Thebes", and "The Oresteia". -
509 BCE
Rome Becomes a Republic
The Roman Kingdom is overthrown and Rome becomes a republic. During this time, Rome grows exponentially from the confines of its city to a large portion of the Mediterranean. -
500 BCE
Comedy in Greece
At night after festivals, young men would grab torches and lutes and roam around spreading merriment and laughter. These groups were called comus, and their songs were called comoedia. Plato would later define comedy as a performance with the purpose of causing laughter. -
356 BCE
Alexander the Great is Born
Often regarded as the worlds greatest generals and conquers, Alexander the Great is born in Pella, the capital of Macedonia. -
335 BCE
Aristotles Poetics
A description of tragedy created by Aristotle that set the standard for tragedies. It describes the general format of tragedies, and describes what the protagonists of tragedies are. -
264 BCE
The Punic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars that were fought between Carthage and Rome. Started 264BCE and ended 136BCE -
246 BCE
The Great Wall Of China is Built
To keep northern invaders out, emperor Quin Chi builds The Great Wall Of China, which still stands today -
240 BCE
The Comedies Lucius Livius
Lucius Livius, a former Roman slave translates many Greek works into Latin, the oddessy being one of his translation. He wrote the first comedy and tragedy in Latin. -
200 BCE
Plautus Becomes Popular
Plautus was famous roman playwright, who gained popularity around 200BCE who would wright about current events. He gained popularity due to his use of witty wordplay and lyrical monologues. -
1 BCE
The Birth Of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth, the figure head of the christian religion is born. -
80
The Colosseum is Finished
Emperor Vespasian starts the building of the Colosseum at 75 AD, and his son Titus finishes it at 80 AD. Gladiator battles were held to a maximum audience of 50,000 people at a time. -
Jan 1, 1500
Commedia dell'arte in Italy
Com media dell'arte, a form of improvisational theater becomes popular in Italy and stays popular until the end of the 1700's -
Sep 3, 1530
Birth of Ivan the Terrible
Ivan the Terrible, one of the most brutal rulers (if not the most brutal) is born in Russia -
Jan 1, 1558
Elizabeth I bans religous drama
Queen Elizabeth I ascend to the throne in 1558 created a secular theater atmosphere and banned the creation of religious dramas -
Feb 26, 1564
Birth Of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was a famous playwright in his time, and was known for his use of language, and for his plays having exciting plots. -
Apr 23, 1564
Shakespears Birth
The greatest dramatist of all time is born, William Shakespeare. He has some of the most famous plays attributed to him, one example being Hamlet. -
Jun 11, 1572
Birth of Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson was considered the first master of English Comedy. He made weaknesses and personalty traits something to laugh at. His most famous work was Volpone -
Jan 1, 1576
The Theatre
James Burbage builds the first public play house in 1576, The Theater -
The Globe Theatre
Built in 1599, the Globe theater was famous for hosting Shakespeare's plays, often being the first venue to show his plays. This theater was built using old timber from another theater, The Theater. -
The Destruction of The Globe
On 29 June 1613 the Globe Theater was set on fire during a performance of Henry VIII. A theater cannon, set off during the performance, misfired and created a spark, igniting the wooden beams and thatching. -
The First Folio
The First Folio is complied by John Heminges and Henry Condell. This Folio contained a compleation of 36 plays by Shakespeare, and was dedicated to William Herbert, the 3rd Earl of Pembroke and his brother Philip Herbert. -
King Charles I's death
King Charles the First was beheaded as a result of the ongoing civil was. Oliver Cromwell takes power after this -
The Momentary Death Of Theatre
Theater dies for approximately 18 years as a result of the puritan revolution in London. Theaters were seen as places of sin under the puritan government. -
Middle Class and Theatre
In the 1700s, the middle class were the main demographics. As a consequence of this, 2 types of plays became very popular: Sentimental Comedies such as The Funeral, and domestic tragedy such as The London Merchant.
