Editing Thespis

'''Thespis''' of Icaria (Θέσπις ὁ Ἰκάριος, Théspis ho Ikários; /ˈθɛspɪs əv ɪˈkɛəriə/), was an Athenian poet, born in the '''deme''' (district) of <u>Icaria</u>. According to ancient tradition, Thespis was the first actor in a Greek '''drama'''; he was a singer of '''dithyrambs''' (songs about stories from mythology with choric refrains). He is credited with introducing a new style in which one singer or actor performed the words of individual characters in the stories, distinguishing between the characters with the aid of different '''masks'''.

This new style was called '''tragedy''', and Thespis was the most popular exponent of it. Eventually, in 534 BCE competitions to find the best tragedy were instituted at the '''City Dionysia''' in Athens, and Thespis won the first documented competition. Capitalizing on his success, Thespis also invented theatrical touring; he would visit various cities while carrying his costumes, masks and other props in a horse-drawn wagon. In homage to Thespis, actors in the English-speaking part of the world have been referred to as thespians.
[[Category:Athens]]
[[Category:Archaic Greece]]
[[Category:Greek art]]