History of Western Theatre: Greeks to Elizabethans/The Story of
Greek Theatre [Note: the purpose of this story is to
imaginatively connect into a narrative the many facts we have
provided in the section on the Greeks. This should not be read
as history, but as historical fiction. Our hope is that students
reading it will more easily remember some of the details of
Ancient Greek Theatre.] Dionysus lifted his scrawny, baby-sized
arm and declared, "Worship me here. In the clearing. I like it."
And so the people did. There were only a small number of
followers in the beginning. Maybe 12. During this period, a
local could see the small cluster of dionites roaming through
the hills with a chubby dwarf clinging to their backs. In a time
before performance, the dionites worshiped the little Dionysus
on street corners and nearby farms where there were lots of
cattle. They were never quite audience-specific, but immensely
grateful for anyone or thing that could shed a moment of its
time for some praise. Their worshipin