Classical Greek Theatre: New Views of an Old Subject

10. Validation by Authority: Margarete Bieber’s Comparisons of Hellenistic and Roman Theatres

VALIDATION BY AUTHORITY Margarete Bieber's Comparisons of Hellenistic and Roman Theatres Of the many archaeologists who have written about the ancient theatre, Margarete Bieber speaks most directly to the interests of the theatre historian . Almost alone among the diggers-up of ancient civilizations, she shows an obvious concern for the requirements of performance and performer. Chapters in The History ofthe Greek and Roman Theater titled "The Evolution of the Art of Acting," "Scenery and Mechanical Devices," "The Art of Acting at Rome," and "The Influence ofthe Ancient Theater on the Modern Theater" show clearly her interest in the crafts of play production.l She was a theatre aficionado and did not hesitate to make comparisons between ancient satyr dramas and the "interplay ofjest and earnest in religious festivals found in the plays performed by the inhabitants of the island of Bali" (17). Bieber was concerned with the practical aspects ofstaging; she took the time to diagram actor entrances for Sophocles' Oedipus the King (59) and to compare staging arrangements for "Asiatic" and "Athenian" productions of Menander's The Arbitrants (123). While many researchers rely upon an incomplete knowledge of production mechanics, often seeming uninterested in backstage operations, Bieber exhibits a lively curiosity about both modern and ancient worlds of theatre. More than fifty years after the original publication, her History remains a basic text for anyone interested in exploring the Classical theatre. It is ironically unfortunate that Bieber's writings are so well regarded that they have achieved almost scriptural authority; nowhere is this more evident than in the catechizing of her one-page list of "differences between the Greek-Hellenistic and the Roman theater" (189). These fourteen points have been memorized as articles of faith by generations of doctoral students facing the rigors of comprehensive examinations, and neophyte professors of theatre history (myself included) have unhesitatingly passed along these comparisons to students searching for solid ground from which to view a six-century continuum of gradually evolving theatre structures. In an area where so much of the evidence is either incomplete or contradictory, Bieber's clarity and assertiveness provide a small but firm island in a sea of quicksand. A recent article on a Roman theatre in Spain shows just how scriptural her opinions have become. Apparently proceeding from Bieber's pronouncement that Roman theatres were built mainly on level ground, the author states that "unlike most Roman theatres, it [Sagunto] is not entirely free-standing: The seating section, the cavea, is carved into the rock of the hillside. The theatre was built in the hillside in part because there was not a large area of levelland on which to construct a free-standing theatre within the city." 2 This tortuous reasoning brings the Sagunto site into conformity with Bieber's dictum that Roman theatres are "mostly built on high substructures from level ground" (189), but it ignores archaeological evidence showing that, of fifteen Roman theatres on the Iberian peninsula, only the ruins at Zaragoza (Caesaraugusta) reveal the series ofradiating risers necessary to support a cavea raised above level ground.3 Apparently, the pronouncements of such an authority as Bieber are to be honored unquestioningly - in spite of evidence to the contrary. The purpose of this chapter is not to carp at minor errors in Bieber's scholarship, but to provide an example of just how readily the pronouncements of recognized authorities are accepted as truth. The following pages examine the evidence supporting three of Bieber's fourteen points of Hellenistic-Roman comparison (189) and suggest possible revisions: of the remaining eleven points, several are in need of qualification, but the arguments for restudy cannot be made as clearly. HELLENISTIC [lA.] Entrance for all spectators is through the parodoi and the orchestra leading to the radiating staircases. 140 v A liD AT ION BY AUT H a R I T Y ROMAN [lB.] Entrance for the public from level ground is through outer vaulted entrances, staircases, vaulted and open passageways. [2A.] The auditorium is built against a hillside and therefore has no outside facade. [3A.] The orchestra is a full circle. [2B.] The auditorium occasionally is also laid on a hillside (Vitruvius, 5.3.3), but mostly built on high substructures from level ground with a rich facade, a colonnaded gallery, and sometimes shrines on top. [3B.] The orchestra is a half circle. LA. Entrance for all [Hellenistic] spectators is through the parodoi and the orchestra...