Pratinas

Pratinas was an early fifth-century BCE Greek tragic poet from Phlius, traditionally credited with developing satyr drama.

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Satyr play: A Greek dramatic genre featuring a chorus of satyrs, combining mythological subjects with comic and bawdy elements. Pratinas is traditionally credited with developing this distinctive dramatic genre.
Aeschylus: An Athenian playwright of the fifth century BCE, regarded as the earliest of the three great tragedians. Aeschylus was a contemporary competitor in the early dramatic contests linked with Pratinas.
Thespis: A legendary early Greek actor and playwright associated with the beginnings of tragedy. Traditions about Thespis place Pratinas within the early history of tragic performance.
Dithyramb: An ancient Greek choral song in honor of Dionysus, performed by a chorus. Dithyrambic song belongs to the choral traditions surrounding the emergence of drama.
City Dionysia: An annual Athenian festival honoring Dionysus that included dramatic competitions. Pratinas reportedly competed in the festival’s early tragic contests.
Choerilus: An early Athenian tragic poet who competed in dramatic festivals during the late sixth and early fifth centuries BCE. Choerilus belongs to the same early generation of tragic poets as Pratinas.
Aristias: A Greek dramatic poet, son of Pratinas, associated with satyr plays. Aristias carried Pratinas’s family connection into the next generation of drama.
Chorus (ancient Greek theater): A group of performers who sang and danced collectively in ancient Greek drama. The satyrs’ chorus was central to the dramatic form associated with Pratinas.
Phlius: An ancient Greek city in the northeastern Peloponnese, near the later site of Nemea. Pratinas’s origin in Phlius links his career to a city beyond Athens.
Hyporchema: An ancient Greek choral song associated with lively movement and dance. A fragment attributed to Pratinas discusses the relation between song and dance.