Book Description

This book is the first to explore the roofed theater sites of classical antiquity. George Izenour, one of the most distinguished modern experts on theater design, engineering, and acoustics, examines the archeological remains of twenty-four Greek, Greco-Hellenistic, and Roman buildings. He provides detailed architectural drawings of their probable original appearance and discusses how these huge spaces were spanned and what the precise effects might have been on sound, lighting, and ventilation. Basing his discussion on the principles of classical architecture and on his observations and site photographs of ancient theater ruins, Izenour explores the structure and design of classical roofing systems, seating systems, sight lines to the stage, lighting, and acoustics. He also offers a succinct comparison of ancient and modern roofed theater design. In eight useful appendixes he addresses subjects that range from the remodeling of Greco-Hellenistic outdoor theaters to the drop-curtain-movable-painted-scenery controversy in the Roman theater.