Thespis facts for kids

Base for a statue of Thespis in the Theatre of Dionysus, 2nd century BC.

Thespis' wagon, a carving on Giotto's Belltower in Florence, Italy.

Thespis was an Ancient Greek poet who lived around the 6th century BC. He was born in a city called Icarius, which is now known as Dionysos, Greece. Many ancient sources, especially the famous philosopher Aristotle, say that Thespis was the very first person to act on a stage. Before him, people would just tell stories as themselves. Thespis, however, pretended to be a character in a play. Because of this, he is often called the "Inventor of Tragedy."

The First Actor

Thespis used to sing dithyrambs. These were special songs that told stories from Greek myths and had parts that a group of singers (called a chorus) would repeat. Thespis changed this style by having one singer, or actor, speak the words of different characters in the story. He even used different masks to show which character he was playing.

This new way of telling stories was called tragedy. Thespis became very popular for it. In 534 BC, the city of Athens started competitions to find the best tragedy. These competitions were part of a big festival called the City Dionysia. Thespis won the very first competition!

Thespis's Traveling Show

After his success, Thespis also came up with the idea of touring with his plays. He would travel to different cities, carrying his costumes, masks, and other things he needed for his shows in a wagon pulled by horses. This was like the first traveling theater!

Thespis's Lasting Impact

Many people believe that Thespis invented acting in the Western world. Before him, no one was known to pretend to be another person just to tell a story. Thespis is the first actor we know of in plays that were written down. He played a huge part in changing how stories were told and helped create theatre as we know it today. To honor him, actors in English-speaking countries are often called thespians.

Thespis was also the main character in a funny opera from 1871. It was the first time that W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan worked together. In the story, Thespis and his group of actors temporarily take the place of the gods of Olympus. The gods come down to Earth to see what human life is like. But the actors do a terrible job of being gods, and the real gods get angry and return to their rightful places.

There's even a part of the National Theatre of Greece that was started in 1939 to tour plays around the country. It's called "The Wagon of Thespis" (in Greek: Άρμα Θέσπιδος, Árma Théspidos). This name honors Thespis and his traveling theater.

See also

In Spanish: Tespis para niños

• Aeschylus
• Aristophanes
• Aristotle
• Dionysia
• Euripides
• International Thespian Society
• Phrynichus
• Solon
• Sophocles

Sources

• Gaster, Theodor, H., Thespis: Ritual, Myth, and Drama in the Ancient Near East, Henry Schuman Publishing, New York, 1950. ISBN: 0-87752-188-3.