Why did the Actors wear masks?
Actors wore masks so that the audience may see the facial expression clearly, allow them to tell the characters apart and make the theme of the story (comedy or tragedy) clearly obvious to the spectators.
The masks in Greek theatre consisted of comedy and tragedy, and were always the main themes of the performances.
What were they made of?
They were mostly made out of light materials, such as:
Actors wore masks so that the audience may see the facial expression clearly, allow them to tell the characters apart and make the theme of the story (comedy or tragedy) clearly obvious to the spectators.
The masks in Greek theatre consisted of comedy and tragedy, and were always the main themes of the performances.
What were they made of?
They were mostly made out of light materials, such as:
- stiffened linen.
- leather.
- wood.
- cork.
- The wig consisting of animal or human hair.
What special consideration do you need to take when wearing a mask in front of an audience?
The actors needed to make sure they made exaggerated body movements so that the audience could understand what was happening, and they also needed to project their voices as the mask might of effected how loud their voices could be heard. When actors were switching roles, they needed to be careful, when changing masks to not show the spectators their actual face and the roles being switched. They would face to the back of the skene and put on the mask.
The actors needed to make sure they made exaggerated body movements so that the audience could understand what was happening, and they also needed to project their voices as the mask might of effected how loud their voices could be heard. When actors were switching roles, they needed to be careful, when changing masks to not show the spectators their actual face and the roles being switched. They would face to the back of the skene and put on the mask.
Additional information:
- Greek theatre masks were designed so that the spectators could see the expressions of the actors more clearly, therefore building their understanding of the story.
- Greek masks had large mouth holes so that the actors could effectively project their voice through the mask.
- It was considered un-proffessional to reveal yourself to the spectators when changing your mask.