Thespis

Thespis was a sixth-century BCE Greek poet from Icaria, traditionally credited with introducing an actor who spoke apart from the chorus and founding tragedy.

Ancient Greek tragedy: A dramatic form developed in ancient Greece, especially Athens, combining verse, performance, and a chorus. Thespis is traditionally named as its founder.
Chorus (ancient Greek drama): A group of performers who sing, dance, and comment within ancient Greek drama. Thespis is credited with adding a speaking performer distinct from this group.
Solon: An Athenian statesman and poet associated with political reforms in the early sixth century BCE. A later anecdote makes Solon question Thespis about the truthfulness of dramatic acting.
Dramatic evidence for Thespis: The surviving textual and material evidence relevant to Thespis and his supposed plays. No securely preserved work by Thespis confirms the innovations attributed to him.
Dionysia: Festivals honoring Dionysus, including Athenian celebrations that featured dramatic competitions. Later traditions associate Thespis with performances at Athenian festivals for Dionysus.
Hypokrites: The ancient Greek word for an actor, literally associated with answering or interpreting. The first actor’s exchanges with the chorus are central to the traditional account of Thespis.
Horace: A Roman poet of the first century BCE whose works include reflections on literary history. His Ars Poetica repeats the tradition that Thespis traveled with plays performed on a wagon.
Athenian tragic tetralogy: A set of three tragedies and a satyr play presented together in an Athenian dramatic competition. The mature form of tragic competition is much better documented than its alleged beginnings.
Icaria: An ancient Attic deme, identified with modern Dionysos in Greece. Ancient biographical tradition identifies Icaria as Thespis’s home.
Dialogue: A spoken exchange between two or more characters or speakers. Separating one speaker from the chorus made dramatic exchange possible.

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