In the 6th century BCE, the poet Thespis is reputed to have lept on the back of a cart to recite his poetry, he acted it out as if he were the character in the story, and thus the first known actor was born. According to Aristotle, he was the first to ever appear on stage, and it is from him that we get the word Thespian (actor). The first actor on a stage in any production is still referred to as a thespis, he was also credited with being ‘the inventor of Tragedy’.

Greek tragedies began in Athens, in Ancient Greece as part of the festival of Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility, vegetation, festivity and theatre, participants wore masks and sang songs to honour the gods. A goat would be sacrificed to him and this is where the word tragedy (tragodia) comes from Tragos (goat), and oidos (song). However, the exact origins are debated by some scholars.

From around 534 BCE, competitions were held to find the best tragedy, Thespis was the winner of the first, and he is reputed to have received a goat as the prize. He also travelled to various cities to play out his dramas, it was the beginning of ‘Theatrical Touring’. Drama and theatre spread throughout the Mediterranean, influencing Hellenistic and Roman civilizations and forming the foundation on which all modern theatre is based.

Tragedies were typically about a man's relationship with the gods, including elements of love, loss, pride and very often abuse of power. The mythical hero would very frequently suffer a terrible fate and a reversal of fortune.

The competition rules were that the tragedies had to have a mythological theme and include religious and family aspects. Only three male actors could have speaking parts on stage, although playing multiple characters was permitted with various costume changes. No violence was allowed as the death of any character was not allowed to be seen, just heard off-stage.

There were five parts to the plays which would begin with prologos (prologue) the opening speech, and parados (entrance) the first song, sung with the chorus entering the stage chanting to a marching rhythm. Epiisodion, the first episode. Strasimon, a stationary song and finally the Exodus (exit) the chorus leaving the stage.

Ancient theatres, (theatron- a place of seeing) such as the ones seen at Miletus and Ephesus were built into hillsides to utilize the use of direct sunlight, plays were organised to enable the best lighting at different times of the day, to enhance the quality of the performances.

Many special effects were used, masks with frowns were used for tragedies and other masks also helped convey emotions. It is also said that they helped to amplify the voice of the actor. The actors would sometimes use padded costumes so they could be seen by spectators in the back seats. A mechane (crane) was used for lifting and lowering the players, to create the illusion of flying. An ekkyklema is a wheeled platform to present a deceased person to the audience. Pinakes and thyromata created the backdrop of scenery using pictures.

Periaktos was movable scenery and platforms and trapdoors were used to lower and raise the actors. Skene (scene building) was originally a tent for costume changes. It was later replaced with a wooden shed and further developed into a two-story building with columns, three doors and wings on each side. By the 5th century BCE, they were being built of stone.

Famous tragedians include Sophocles and Euripides, their plays, among others, continue to be performed in theatres around the world today.