Phlyax

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

Phlyax, form of ancient Greek mime play, or farce, which bridged the gap between Athenian and Roman comedy. It was probably the model for the fabula atellana. Much of it was improvised, and consisted of burlesques of earlier plays interspersed with scenes of daily life played by actors in ludicrously padded costumes, each male character having also a gigantic phallus. Our knowledge of the phlyakes derives mainly from vase paintings which portray the characters and settings of the 4th century BC. The form of stage depicted is important, for from it may have developed the salient forms of the Roman theatre, which differed markedly from the Greek. The most primitive type consisted of roughly-hewn posts supporting a wooden platform. Later the posts appear to have been joined by panels of wood with ornamental patterns, while later still the structure, though still not permanent, had a background for the actors with a practicable door and windows used in the course of the play.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Phlyax." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Phlyax." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Phlyax.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Phlyax." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Phlyax.html

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