The Herodian theatre, Caesarea Maritima · Wikimedia Commons

The Herodian Theatre of Caesarea

Theatrum Caesareae

TheaterJudaea · Caesarea, IsraelBuilt 20 BCE

About

Carved from local limestone with seating for roughly 3,500 people, and — unusually for a Roman theatre — built facing straight out to sea instead of inward toward the stage. Herod built it as part of his first wave of construction at Caesarea, connected directly to his palace next door. It was still hosting performances in 117 CE, and the same stage has been restored in modern times to host concerts again, two thousand years later.

What happened here

Seating is the message: the front rows are reserved by law for the town council, and everyone can see who is sitting where. The building is a half-circle against a tall stone backdrop that also serves as a permanent set, and the acoustics are good enough that an actor can be heard without effort. The programme is mime and pantomime more than the old tragedies — bawdy, topical, sometimes politically sharp enough that performers get exiled. Audiences are loud, partisan, and quite prepared to shout a piece down. Awnings and perfumed water sprays are laid on when the sponsor is generous. Shows are attached to religious festivals and paid for by a magistrate who wants the credit, and his name is on the seating.