Patrons of the Theatre

[Merrie]

The school play is coming up, and i was wondering if anyone could tell me the names of some Gods who patronize the Theatre, especially comedies and musicals. Someone to play to, in a manner of speaking-i know they'll be in our audience but i'd like to know a few names. This year we're performing "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"-an ancient roman musical comedy. I get to be a courtesan! Woo! :)

[Mnemosyne]

I know that in ancient Greece, the Greeks had a drama festival for the god Dionysus in Athens. I think that Dionysus is ususally associated with the theater. I would tell others about Dionysus (or Bacchus if you are dealing with the Roman pantheon). He is ususally thought of as the god of wine; but like I have mentioned, he was revered at the theater festivals in Athens.

[Azure]

Hi there, says the actress.

Dionysos and Athena are considered the patrons of theatre in the Greek pantheon. The City Dionysia festival held each year in Athens encouraged the development of modern theatre performances. The Greek equivalent of a patron saint would be Thespis - the first great Greek actor.

In Egypt, it would be Osiris.

Lugh and Brid are the patrons of bards, and thus actors, in the Celtic pantheon.

The Christians pray to St. Genesius.

There are others, depending upon the style of theatre - if you're doing a musical, you might want Apollo or Hermes, for example. Or the muses of comedy and tragedy.

Make your decision based on your own pantheon and needs, but there's lots of info out there.

You might want to check out a copy of Oscar Brockett's "History of the Theatre" to get an idea of who and what the patrons of early theatre were.

Merde for your performance,
Azure

[Mnemosyne]

Great response, Azure! i didn't know about patrons of theatre in pantheons other than Greek or Roman. How could I forget about asking the muses for help? aaagghhh! The muses are great inspiration for all the arts and even astronomy. For some reason, I thought that Apollo was associated with the arts. However, I could not connect him with a particular branch of the arts. I didn't realize that that Apollo would be associated with musicals. Perhaps I could not associate Apollo with the arts, since I have considered him to be so rational after reading Nietzshe's Birth of Tragedy. (In that work, Nietzsche associates Dionysus with the irrational and Apollo with the rational.) Thanks for reminding me that Apollo can be a patron of the theatre.