Theatre originated in Ancient Greece.  The first kind of shows performed were comedy, tragedy, and acting with a general plot.  They also performed shows incorporated with singing and dancing.  Drama usually dealt with hunters reenacting their hunting trips for their family, tribe, and the Gods.  The hunter then became the actor and the listeners became his audience. 

Drama also involved retelling myths.  Oedipus the King and The Seven Against Thebes were some examples.  Oedipus the King tells the story of Oedipus, a prince, who, in ignorance, kills his father, the former king, and marries his mother.  It was written by Sophocles.  The Seven Against Thebes tells the story of 7 brave warriors who vow to destroy Thebes’s walls or die. 

Comedy was another central form of Roman Theatre.  Usually, they were filled with dirty jokes and silly situations.  The object of comedic actors was to be as silly as possible.  The early comedies included dirty jokes, obscene dances and gestures, and flashes of nudity.

William Shakespeare was the author of many famous plays and tragedies in the 1600s.  Some examples are: As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, and King Lear.  Theatres originally didn’t even show plays.  They performed religious songs and dances.  Theatres originally weren’t even theatres! They were temples!