Thespis, << THEHS pihs, >> a Greek actor and dramatist of the 500’s B.C., helped to create drama as we know it. An actor is sometimes called a Thespian, after his name.
Thespis was a real person. However, the ancient Greeks made him a legend and assigned several “firsts” to him. They said he was the first to use a speaker performing a role in dialogue with a choral group. Tragedy seems to have developed from this character-chorus dialogue, so the Greeks concluded that Thespis invented tragedy. The Greeks also credited Thespis with introducing makeup in the form of white lead paint and, later, masks to be worn by performers. However, it is more likely that he improved on the elements that already existed.
The “Parian Marble” inscription records that, in about 534 B.C. in Athens, Thespis won the prize at the first production of tragedies at the festival honoring the god Dionysus. Competitions in playwriting were held regularly at the festival after this time.
