Theatre of Utica
About
Utica built an open-air theatre within its Roman grid after Octavian made the city a municipium in 36 BCE. A second, larger theatre would eventually rise on a nearby hillside in the 2nd century CE, its seating cut straight into the slope. Full colonia status came only later still, under Hadrian, when the city took the title Colonia Julia Aelia Hadriana Augusta Utica. By 117 CE this first theatre had already entertained Utica's residents for about 137 years, the city still a working municipium rather than a colonia.
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.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →