Ancient Greek Theatre Workshops

In the spring term 2008, Hackney school children in year sixes embarked on a series of introductory workshops which were designed to introduce central concepts of ancient Greek theatre, and give the children an opportunity to explore their own performing arts skills in a variety of ways. Below are some brief outlines of the workshops. All workshops are sixty minutes long and were given to classes of thirty year sixes.

Workshop: The Democracy Game

This is a workshop which introduces Athenian democracy and history, and enables the children to use imagination and acting skills to stage an assembly to discuss important matters and to vote!

You will need... a voting urn, strips of paper.

Background...

Athens and Sparta
In ancient times, Greece as a country did not exist. It was made up of lots of city states. The two most important were Athens and Sparta. They were great rivals.
Athens invented a new form of government called ‘democracy’; the Spartans were a warrior race governed by two kings.
Every Athenian citizen (only males, free born) had a vote in the Assembly. A smaller group – The Council - chosen by lot decided day to day matter as the Assemby could not meet everyday as people had to work.
Their rivalry went back many years. When the Persians invaded, all the Greek cities united to see off the Persian army. Athens and Sparta lead the Greeks at that time. But soon afterwards they became bitter rivals when Athens form a protective league against the Persians in the Aegean Sea.
At first the league gave ships to defend Greece and the Aegean sea from the Persians. But soon, as the threat from the Persians lessened, the tribute of ships became a tribute of money. Athens spent this money on their own city not on defending Greece from the Persians: they rebuilt the Acropolis and the Parthenon which had been destroyed by the Persians. No Athenians had to pay taxes at all. Sparta began to fear that the League was in fact an empire and threatened her allies and her in the Peloponnese. Many of the Greeks were angry with Athens and asked Sparta to help stop the Athenians…

Explore the concept of voting using... The Democracy Game
You will see a series of situations, and in each one, the class has to pretend to be the Athenian assembly, and vote on crucial decisions which the actual Athenian assembly voted on during the war. You will need to select actors to address the assembly – the words of address are below. Good luck!

SITUATION ONE:

WAR?
WE ARE THE ATHENIAN ASSEMBLY WE WILL VOTE ON EACH ISSUE AND GO WITH THE DECISION OF THE MAJORITY.
THE SPARTANS HAVE DEMANDED THAT WE DISBAND THE LEAGUE OR THEY WILL DECLARE WAR.

GENERAL:
WE MUST NOT ACCEPT THE SPARTAN DEMANDS. WE MUST PROTECT OUR INTERESTS AND THE LEAGUE. WE CAN FIGHT THE SPARTANS AND USE OUR NAVY TO BEAT THEM IN WAR.

FARMER:
THE SPARTAN ARMY IS TOO STRONG. THEY WILL INVADE OUR LAND AND DESTROY OUR CROPS. WE MUST MAKE PEACE WITH THE SPARTANS AND AVOID WAR.

MERCHANT:
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE THE LEAGUE. WE GET MONEY IN TAXES AND WE TRADE GOODS WITH THEM. WE MUST FIGHT THE SPARTANS.

VOTE!

SITUATION TWO:

SPARTAN INVASION
THE SPARTANS ARE THREATENING TO INVADE ATHENIAN LAND.
DO WE FIGHT THEM?
SOLDIER:
WE MUST NOT FIGHT THE SPARTANS NOW. THEY ARE BETTER TRAINED AND THEY WILL DEFEAT OUR ARMY. THEY ARE TOO STRONG. WE MUST ALL COME INSIDE THE CITY WALLS WHERE WE WILL ALL BE SAFE.

FARMER:
IF WE DO NOT PROTECT OUR FARMS, THE SPARTANS WILL DESTROY ALL OUR CROPS. WE MUST NOT LET THEM INVADE OUR LAND.
GENERAL:
WE MUST NOT FIGHT THE SPARTANS NOW. WE MUST WAIT AND USE OUR NAVY TO DEFEAT THEM AT SEA. WE MUST, ABANDON OUR FARMS AND RETREAT INTO THE CITY WHERE THEY CANNOT ATTACK US. WE CAN GET GRAIN FROM OUR ALLIES. IN TIME WE WILL BE ABLE TO BEAT THEM
VOTE!

SITUATION THREE:

WAR AT SEA
THE SPARTANS HAVE DESTROYED ATHENIAN FARMS AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN THE PLAGUE IN THE CITY WALLS.
THE SPARTANS THINK THEY ARE DOING WELL. ARE THEY?
POLITICIAN:
WE MUST USE OUR NAVY TO ATTACK THE SPARTANS ON THEIR OWN TERRITORY. IF WE ARE BOLD WE CAN DEFEAT THE SPARTANS USING OUR NAVY.

FARMER:
WE SHOULD USE OUR MONEY TO PROTECT OUR OWN LAND AND PROTECT OUR FARMS. WE NEED GRAIN FROM FARMS TO LIVE BUT THE SPARTANS HAVE DETROYED ALL OUR FARMS. US FARMERS ARE GETTING POOR AND NONE OF OUR CITIZENS HAVE FOOD TO EAT.

SOLDIER:
IT IS TOO RISKY TO ATTACK THE SPARTANS. WE MUST CONCENTRATE ON PROTECTING ATHENS AND OUR LEAGUE.
GENERAL:
THE SPARTANS THINK THEY ARE DOING WELL. WE MUST SHOW THEM THAT THEY ARE WRONG AND THAT ATHENS IS A STRONG POWER. WE CAN DEFEAT THEM USING OUR NAVY.
VOTE!

SITUATION FOUR:

STALEMATE
THE ATHENIAN NAVY HAVE HAD MANY VICTORIES AND DEFEATED THE SPARTANS IN BATTLE AT LAST. THE SPARTANS NO LONGER THINK THEY ARE WINNING.
THE ATHENIAN NAVY HAVE CAPTURED SEVERAL SPARTAN HOSTAGES ON THE PELOPONESE. BUT THE SPARTAN ARMY HAVE CAPTURE OUR SILVER MINES FROM WHERE WE GET OUR MONEY. WE ARE IN STALEMATE.
THE SPARTANS WANT TO NEGIOTIATE A PEACE.

MERCHANT:
WE NEED MONEY TO TRADE. THE SPARTANS HAVE BEEN DEFEATED IN BATTLE. WE CAN MAKE PEACE NOW AND PROTECT OUR LEAGUE.

POLITICIAN:
WE CAN MAKE FURTHER WAR ON THE SPARTANS AND DEFEAT THEM AGAIN. IF WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT THEM WE CAN DESTROY THEM FOREVER AND BE THE BIGGEST POWER IN GREECE.

GENERAL:
IF WE MAKE PEACE NOW WE CAN REGROUP OUR FORCES AND MAKE SURE IF SPARTA THREATENS US AGAIN WE WILL HAVE A STRONG ARMY TOO DEFEAT THEM BY LAND AND SEA.
VOTE!

SITUATION FIVE:

PEACE
THE SPARTANS HAVE MADE PEACE!
WE ARE NO LONGER AT WAR. THE ATHENIANS WERE ABLE TO HOLD OFF THE SPARTANS AND PROTECT THEIR LEAGUE.
GREECE IS AT PEACE

GENERAL:
WE MUST HOLD SACRIFICES TO THE GODS TO THANK THEM FOR PROTECTING OUR CITY AND OUR ALLIES.
MERCHANT:
WE MUST THANK ATHENA, OUR CITY GODDESS, AND ZEUS, KING OF THE GODS, FOR GIVING ATHENS VICTORY IN WAR!

FARMER:
WE MUST PRAY TO THE GODS FOR A GOOD HARVEST AND GIVE SACRIFICE TO THEM. IF WE PRAY TO THE GODS THEY WILL BE GOOD TO US.

SOLDIER:
WE MUST HONOUR THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN IN WAR AND MAKE SURE THAT WE LOOK AFTER THEM. IF PRAY TO THE DEAD THE GODS WILL GIVE US GOOD FORTUNE.
POLITICIAN:

IF WE DO NOT THANK THE GODS THEY WILL BE ANGRY. WE MUST HOLD A FESTIVAL TO THE GODS TO GIVE THANKS FOR THE CITY’S GOOD FORTUNE.
VOTE!

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