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Apr. 26th, 2004 08:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taerowynHere's hoping Mike Burnett doesn't know his Roman theater or read "Mental Floss," which contained this little tidbit:
Known as ludi scaenici Roman comic theater derived from bawdy Greek satires, It was a popular art form, but more and more often found itself competing against prevailing public events like Christian burnings and animal torturing. Consequently, ludi scaenici began steering toward macabre extremes more suitable to the tastes of the public, whose motto seems to have been, "It's not entertainment if nobody dies." Think tightrope-walking over a pool of hungry crocodiles - a laugh-riot for those wacky centurions.
A classic example of this rather disturbing brand of theatrical humor is the aptly titled "House on Fire." During each performance, someone's house was set ablaze and a group of actors (usually slaves) were "encouraged" to enter the burning building. If they managed to make it out of the house alive, they were allowed to keep anything they brought with them.
Who says history doesn't repeat itself... as the magazine goes on to say, it's like "reality TV before the TV"
Known as ludi scaenici Roman comic theater derived from bawdy Greek satires, It was a popular art form, but more and more often found itself competing against prevailing public events like Christian burnings and animal torturing. Consequently, ludi scaenici began steering toward macabre extremes more suitable to the tastes of the public, whose motto seems to have been, "It's not entertainment if nobody dies." Think tightrope-walking over a pool of hungry crocodiles - a laugh-riot for those wacky centurions.
A classic example of this rather disturbing brand of theatrical humor is the aptly titled "House on Fire." During each performance, someone's house was set ablaze and a group of actors (usually slaves) were "encouraged" to enter the burning building. If they managed to make it out of the house alive, they were allowed to keep anything they brought with them.
Who says history doesn't repeat itself... as the magazine goes on to say, it's like "reality TV before the TV"