HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It started like any other day in Athens in the 6th century BC but that day was special. It was the season of the festival in honour of the god Dionysus. All the people of Greece who had come from near and far to worship the god of fertility and wine gathered in the amphitheatre which was on the south of the tallest hill in the capital of Greece, Athens.
The people shouted with glee as the a chorus of fifty men were performing the dithyramb. The people were rejoicing and some were worshiping in chants and songs praising Dionysus. Suddenly, one of the men performing the chorus jumped unto the altar stone which they surrounded and began to imitate the god Dionysus. He mimiced the god by dancing, singing, chanting and pretending to be accepting the praises. The crowd roared with excitement because this act had never been performed before but had captured the hearts of the other worshippers. The name of the man who began to imitate the god is 'Thespis.' Thespis became the first actor, his performance was the first drama and the other worshippers became the first audience to watch a drama.
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