Theatre (Gr. θέατρον, a seeing place, from θέάσθαι, to view), a building in which plays are represented. The first theatres of the Greeks, who were the founders of the drama in our sense of the word (see Drama), were exceedingly rude affairs. Thespis is said to have acted his plays in a wagon, and in the time of AEschylus the performances took place upon temporary wooden scaffolds, one of which having broken down during a representation in which AEschylus and Pratinas were rivals (about 500 B. C), the Athenians in that year began to build the great theatre of Dionysus (Bacchus), the first permanent stone structure of the kind. It was probably used for dramatic purposes within a few years, though it was not finished until about 340; and in the mean time theatres had been erected in many parts of Greece, Asia Minor, and Sicily. The seats of the spectators, comprising the θέατρον, proper, rose one above another in arcs of concentric circles, each row forming nearly two thirds of a circumference. The space immediately in front of the spectators, corresponding nearly to the modern pit or parquet, was called the orchestra, and was appropriated to the chorus.

It was floored with boards, and in the centre of it stood the θυμέλη or altar of Bacchus, upon a raised platform which was sometimes occupied by the leader of the chorus, the police, the flute player, and the prompter; the last two were placed on the side next the stage, and concealed from the spectators by the altar. The stage was behind the orchestra and above it, and the chorus, whenever they had to take a part in the real action of the drama, ascended to it by steps. The back was closed by a wall called the σκηνή (Lat. scena); the whole space between the scena and the orchestra was known as the proscenium; and the part nearest the audience, where the actors stood when they spoke, was the λογείον. There was no scenery properly so called, but the scena was architecturally decorated and made to represent as far as possible the locality in which the action was going on. It had an entrance in the centre called the royal door, through which the principal characters made their appearance, and doors on the right and left for the subordinate personages.

The plays of AEschylus and Euripides seem to require frequent changes of scene, but probably they were rather hinted at than actually made; they perhaps consisted merely in turning the περίακτοι Lat. versuroe) or " wings," which were prism-shaped frames moving on pivots at each side of the proscenium. The whole stage was never concealed from the spectators; there is mention of a curtain, which instead of being drawn up was lowered through a crevice in the stage, but it covered only the background, or according to some authorities the wings. The machines for producing supernatural effects must have been numerous and elaborate, but are now imperfectly understood. They included the "Cha-ronian steps," by which shades ascended from the lower world; the μηχανή by which gods and heroes were represented passing through the air; and the θεολογείον, an elevated place above the scena, where the deities appeared in full majesty.

Neither the stage, the orchestra, nor the auditorium was roofed, but there were porticoes running around the building, to which the people retreated in case of rain, and awn-ings were sometimes used to ward off the heat of the sun, for the performances always took place by daylight. The vast size of the ancient theatres, intended as they were to accommodate almost the entire population of a city at each performance, made it impossible for the unaided voice to be heard by the whole audience. Metallic vases were therefore placed under the seats to serve as reflectors of sound, and the actors wore masks with metallic mouthpieces to answer the purpose of speaking trumpets. The spectators were seated according to their rank. A price was charged for admission, at least until the performance was pretty far advanced; but in Athens from the time of Pericles the poorer class and subsequently all the citizens were admitted at the cost of the public treasury. Women, it appears, were allowed to witness tragedies, but were excluded from comedies; boys were admitted to both. The actors were invariably males.

The performances began early in the morning, and not unfrequently lasted 10 or 12 hours. - The Roman theatres were copied from those of the Italian Greeks. They were at first temporary structures of wood, which were sometimes extravagantly magnificent. One built by M. AEmilius Scaurus (58 B. C.) was capable of seating 80,000 people, and the scena was decorated with 3,000 statues and 3G0 columns in three stories, the lowest of white marble, the middle one of glass, and the uppermost of gilded wood. The first stone theatre was pulled down when nearly finished at the instance of P. Scipio Nasica (155 B. C), on the score of public morality. In the Roman theatre women performed in interludes and mimics, but not in regular dramas. The orchestra was occupied by the senators, foreign ambassadors, and other distinguished persons. There was nothing corresponding to the θυμέλη or altar of Bacchus. The depth of the stage was proportionally greater than in the Greek theatre, being in the latter about one seventh of the diameter of the orchestra, and in the Roman one fourth.

Thus, in the theatre of Bacchus at Athens the diameter of the orchestra (and consequently the width of the available part of the stage) was 72 ft., and the depth of the stage only a little more than 10 ft. A Roman stage of the same width would have been 17½ ft. deep. The following are some of the largest ancient theatres the ruins of which are now known:

In the middle ages the only theatrical performances were the miracle plays, mysteries, and interludes. These were given for the most part in convents, colleges, and churches, or in the halls of palaces and castles. The first theatres in France were built for miracle plays. In 1548 the confraternity of the Trinity had a theatre in Paris in which they were licensed by the parliament to perform only "profane pieces of a lawful and honest character." So late as 1561 the French had no scenery, and the performers remained on the stage during the whole representation. The first Italian theatre is said to have been erected at Florence in 1581, by Bernardo Buontalenti, but it was probably not public. About the same time Palladio made an attempt to revive the classical theatre in the still existing teatro Olim-pico at Vicenza, but with reduced proportions. From 1618, when a theatre was built at Parma by Aleotti, the modern arrangement began to prevail. By narrowing the stage opportunity was given for the use of painted scenery, and by increasing its depth for the introduction of a variety of complicated machines and the production of spectacular pieces. - In England there were regular companies of players as early as the reign of Edward IV., long before there were regular play houses.

Churches, universities, private houses, and the yards of inns served at first for their performances. Probably the first play house was the London "Theatre," built before 1576; the Curtain in Shoreditch, and the theatres in Blackfriars and Whitefriars, were built near the same time. In Shakespeare's day London had three "private" and four "public" theatres, the difference between which is not clearly understood. His own plays were produced at the house in Blackfriars and at the Globe, both of which belonged to the same company, known as his majesty's servants. The Globe was a hexagonal wooden edifice, partly open at the top and partly thatched. In the middle was probably an uncovered court where the common people stood, and around three sides ran galleries or "scaffolds," under the lowest of which were enclosed boxes called "rooms." The prices of admission ranged from a penny or twopence to a shilling. The performance began at 3 o'clock; in the private theatres it took place by candle light. The stage at this period was strewed with rushes and concealed by curtains, which opened in the middle and drew backward and forward on an iron rod.

In the background was a balcony or upper stage, likewise curtained, from which parts of the dialogue were spoken, and at each side of this balcony was a private box. In the private theatres the wits, critics, and other persons of consequence were furnished with seats on the stage. Movable scenery was first used in a regular drama in a public theatre by Davenant in 1662, though something of the sort had been arranged at Oxford by Inigo Jones as early as 1605, on the occasion of an entertainment given to James I. Shakespeare had no other scenery than tapestry hangings and curtains, but the use of stage machinery is as old as the drama itself. Women first appeared upon the English stage about the period of the restoration. - The first theatre in America was opened at Williamsburg, Va., Sept. 5, 1752. Others followed at Annapolis, Md., and in Nassau street, New York (1753), Albany (1769), Baltimore (1773), Charleston, S. C. (1774), Newbern, N. C. (1788), and Boston (1792). The largest in the United States are the opera houses of New York, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, and the Boston theatre. Modern theatres, except those intended for opera, are comparatively small.

It has been found that the voice, moderately exerted, can be distinctly heard about 90 ft. in front of the speaker, and 75 ft. each side. In an opera house the dimensions may be vastly increased, as singing can be heard at a greater distance than speaking, and it is not requisite to bring the audience near enough to. see the facial expression of the performers. The theatres of New York are among the best in the world, and the seating arrangements of American theatres generally are more convenient than in foreign theatres. The opera houses and leading theatres in the United States are described in the articles devoted to the different cities. The best form for the auditorium is either three fourths of a circle, or a semicircle with divergent ends. The latter affords the best opportunities for seeing, but involves either a disproportionate and inconvenient width of stage, or a considerable useless space on each side of the proscenium. Most American theatres differ from those of Europe in having no private boxes, except a few on and adjoining the proscenium, by which means a vast gain is effected in the capacity of the house; they are also generally better lighted. - The largest and finest theatre in the world is the new Grand Opera of Paris. It was begun in 18G0, and opened to the public for the first time on Jan. 5, 1875. It was built at the expense of the government, and cost $5,600,000, exclusive of the land which it occupies.

Notwithstanding the vast size of the building, the auditorium contains only 2,194 seats, or about the same as the academies of music in New York and Brooklyn. By far the greater part of the building is occupied by a vast number of rooms, halls, staircases, shops, etc, appurtenances designed for the convenience and pleasure of the spectators and of those connected with the theatre. The stage is about 100 ft. in width by 220 ft. in depth, and 700 singers can be grouped upon it. In its facilities for ingress and egress, in the completeness of its machinery and appliances, and in the magnificence and costliness of its decorations, it far surpasses any theatre of modern times. The following are some of the largest theatres in the world, with the number of spectators they are capable of accommodating:

In China every little village has its theatre, and each great town has several. They have no scenery and no auditorium, the spectators remaining in the open air. The expenses are defrayed sometimes by mandarins or other rich persons, but more frequently by associations formed for the purpose among the inhabitants of the neighborhood. The actors are generally strollers, and the female parts are played by young men or boys. In Japan the stage has scenery, the audience are furnished with seats, and women are allowed to perform.