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Before we can conduct a survey of the history of theatres, we must limit the scope of the term since theatre can refer to any type of performing art. For our purposes, theatre shall be limited to the performance of works on a stage by actors. The earliest theatre may have been the production of the myths of Osiris and Isis in Egypt approximately 2500 BC. It developed through ancient Greek and the Roman Empire, was banned during the middle ages until flowering during the Elizabethan era with the works of Shakespeare.

Ancient theatre, covering the times through the fall of the Roman Empire, was performed in theatres, which were round amphitheaters. Several of the most famous Greek playwrights were tragedians, but tragedies, comedies and satyr plays all originated in these early venues.

It was the Greeks who used the first scenic background for their staging. Greece exported its plays all over the ancient world and their influence was to last even to modern times, though few of the original plays remain. Ancient Greece is considered by many scholars to be the birthplace of the modern play.

The Romans built theatres inspired by the Greeks, but on a much larger scale. Here they staged plays as well as chariot competitions, gladiators versus wild animals, and supernatural dramas. The Romans incorporated water shows as well. Smaller venues were used to stage more intimate poetry readings, lectures and debates. The Romans had a great love of drama and of spectacle. Some of their greatest plays, such as Terence and Seneca are still staged today.

As the Roman Empire faded, it could no longer support the extensive program of the arts and they went into decline. The Roman Catholic Church prohibited theatrical performances. Religious plays took prominence. Few secular dramas remain from the medieval age time period in Europe. Part of the reason for this may be the high illiteracy rate among the people and a higher reliance on pure oral storytelling.

By the reign of Queen Elizabeth in England, theatrical performances had regained their place in the heart of the culture and in the popular taste. This period is considered the Renaissance, after the restrictive medieval period. Shakespeare wrote his works for the Globe theatre. This golden era continued until the forced shutdown of the venues due to the epidemic of the bubonic plague in 1625.

The traditional three act drama remains popular worldwide today. From the West End of London to the bright lights on Broadway, new dramas and comedies are produced every year. The musical has attracted a larger audience than ever. Theatre of the absurd and other experimental forms continue to attract writers and performers to the state. Several different schools of acting have developed to educate performers in their craft.

Love of theatre has endured through the ages. From the ancient Egyptians theatres, four thousand years ago, through the ancient Greeks and Roman spectacle to the religious performances of the middle ages, theatre has continued to evolve. Shakespeare, in the Elizabethan age, became the most famous playwright in the English language. Audiences still flock to shows today as actors don their costumes and the lights go dark. The magic continues