This work examines actors and their popular reception from the origins of theatre in Classical Greece to the Roman Empire. The book presents a highly original viewpoint into several new and contested fields of study and offers a systematic survey of evidence for the spread of theatre outside Athens.

The book examines the social and theatrical contexts and different characteristics of ancient Greek drama; the five main dramatists whose works survive (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander) discussing their styles, techniques and ideas, and giving short synopses of all their extant plays; succinct coverage of almost sixty other authors; a chronology of significant people and events; and an anthology of translated texts.

A broad-ranging and systematically organised introduction to ancient Greek drama - tragedy, comedy, and satyr play; examining the five surviving playwrights (Aeschylus, Sophokles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander), and lost playwrights. This text covers contextual issues such as: the origins of dramatic art forms; the conventions of the festivals and the theatre; the relationship between drama and the worship of Dionysos; the political dimension; and how to read and watch Greek drama.

A complete account of production methods in Greek comedy. The book summarises contemporary research and disputes, on such topics as acting techniques, theatre buildings, masks and costumes, music and the chorus. The author has directly examined 350 vase scenes of comedy in performance and actor-figurines. Their testimony is applied to acting techniques and costumes, and women's participation in comedy and mime.

This text is intended for those interested in how Greek tragedy works. By analysing the way the plays were performed in fifth-century Athens, the author encourages classicists, actors, and directors to approach Greek tragedy by considering its original context.